I wanted to test out for myself
how waking up at 4:30 affected my productivity.
I woke up at 4:30 a.m. for one week, like a Navy SEAL.
I've read a lot about how Navy SEALs
like Jocko Willink wake up at 4:30 in the morning.
Jocko famously says that discipline equals freedom.
It is Friday, two days before I start this experiment.
Normally my alarm goes off five minutes before 8:00 a.m.
Setting my alarm a full three and a half hours earlier
is gonna be really scary.
Will I survive?
I know I'm gonna break this bed by 8:00 p.m. rule,
because I already have plans next week that start at 7:30.
The gym in my building doesn't open until 6:00,
so I'm gonna try and kill an hour and a half outdoors.
I don't drink coffee, so this is probably
gonna be pretty hard for me.
The bag cam, what are the eye bags looking like?
Pre-4:30 a.m. eyes.
It is Sunday night, it is 9:42 p.m.
I am going to attempt to go to sleep.
That's just not enough hours.
(yawn)
Never have I ever cooked at 5:20 in the morning.
Here we are, 7:30 a.m.
I have made my lunch for the entire week, minus Friday,
I have straightened my hair, and that is it.
Let's see who's here.
Oh, surprise! Nobody.
I was a little loopy, I was a little giddy,
and then around lunchtime, I got a little hangry
and I ate my lunch that I made this morning,
and that got my energy back up a little bit,
and then, like, 1:15, 2:00, I was just.
(whistling)
(crash)
Jacqui: What are you doing tonight after
getting up at 4:30?
Emma: We're going to the movies!
I don't even know what to say.
I'm so tired.
I was pretty productive.
I did finish a video.
I can see already why this is a good idea
for certain people.
I don't know if that certain people is this people.
If I had to rate my energy level from zero to 10,
I would say I'm about a four and a half.
It's Tuesday!
So, today I woke up at 4:30 and I went for a run.
I hate this so much.
Not a runner.
Ooh, I see a rat.
Oh, a duck!
Look at all the wildlife!
I ran for about six minutes.
High five.
That's what I thought.
And just like that, folks,
I'm a human being before 7:00 a.m.
I would never describe a run as peaceful before today,
but it was.
The lighting was lovely.
I think exercising in the morning
helped me stay a little more chipper.
I felt more confident today.
I would say, on a scale from zero to 10,
I feel about a seven.
Oh, oh, and the bag cam.
How are the bags doing today?
My grandma calls them suitcases.
I turned off the alarm, and then I sat in bed
on my phone for about a half an hour.
And then, at 5:00, I was like, alright girl,
it's time, you're gonna do a thing.
And guess what I did?
I painted my nails!
I also painted my toenails.
I did a really bad job.
And then I had my phone call
with my friend Dana, who lives in Israel,
who's seven hours ahead of me.
So that was a plus.
I had an interview today
with someone I've been trying to
get in contact with for a while,
and it went really well, so I was really hype
for, like, 45 minutes,
and then just (boom) crashed.
I had such a hard time this morning.
I got into work and I couldn't function.
I'm gonna play my kickball game,
and I'm gonna try to go to bed by 8:00.
I know that's not gonna happen,
but I need to actually try.
The bedtime is what's messing me up.
Just got back from kickball.
It's 9:12, I'm going to bed, bye!
Hi, it's Thursday, and I am much more alert!
I had all this footage from a trip that I went on
with my family in November,
and I had never pieced it together
into any sort of cohesive thing,
so that's what I did this morning.
I finished it, finally.
And then I changed and went to the gym,
then I showered and I came to work.
As you can see, my energy levels
are pretty high today.
I cracked the formula.
If you go to bed at a reasonable hour,
and then you do exercise when you wake up,
bag cam, bag cam.
I'm looking okay today, I think.
It's Friday.
Made it.
I did wake up and I went for a walk
at the Brooklyn Bridge, which was lovely.
The weather was a perfect 72 degrees,
the light was beautiful, there weren't too many clouds.
Oh, it was a dream.
Everyone should wake up and see the sunrise
at the Brooklyn Bridge once in their life, just once.
I got to call my British mom today,
because they're five hours ahead,
so I called her at about 5:30 this morning,
and that was really nice to catch up with her.
I was actually incredibly productive today for two reasons.
One, I figured out the sleep schedule.
Two, it's the end of Q2 and everyone was hustling.
I feel okay.
How do my eyes look?
Check out the bag cam.
I have major respect for Navy SEALs
who wake up at 4:30 in the morning,
anyone who works night shifts, has wild hours,
kudos, I get it now maybe a little bit,
maybe not to the fullest extent, but, like, wow.
All in all, at the end of this experiment,
I understand now why people wake up at 4:30.
You feel really good about yourself
when you're productive before
everyone else you know has even risen from the pillow.
I don't know if this 4:30 time is gonna stick.
I did like being awake at sunrise,
but sunrise is like 5:30,
so maybe I'll push to a 6:00 a.m., 6:30 wake up.
Having a regimented wake up time
was really useful for me.
I could feel a little more rested,
but other than that, I've achieved a lot of things
I've needed to do for a long time this week.
I think waking up at 4:30 really opened my eyes.
Now that this week is over, I'm gonna go take a nap.
I'll see you guys later.