Why the Early Bird Mentality is Wrong
In the past years and month I’ve read a lot of books and articles about personal productivity. One of the overlapping recommendations is “waking up early” - and some derivatives are “why I wake up at 5 a.m. every day” or “start early for success”.
Having delved into these strategies, I couldn’t help but feel a bit demoralized. I mean, come on! These productivity wizards rise at the crack of dawn, and here I am struggling to summon enthusiasm in the morning. But hey, can a self-proclaimed morning grouch like me still achieve that peak productivity level? Buckle up, because I embarked on a mission to find out.
In this article, I’m excited to spill the beans on why the whole “early bird catches the worm” philosophy might not be the golden ticket to success after all.
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| Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash |
Confessions of a Morning Grouch
I am not an early riser and I never was (except back when I was a toddler I think).
Throughout my university years, I consistently took on summer jobs at a factory to make some extra cash. Typically, I operated on a 4-shift model: three days of the morning shift, followed by three days of the afternoon shift, and finally, three days of the night shift before having three days off. Surprisingly, the latter two shifts posed no challenge for me. I even thrived in the night shift.
However, the morning shift was an entirely different story. I had to kick-start my workday at 5 a.m., translating to an early wake-up call around 4:15 a.m. – a time far too early for my liking.
After finishing my workday at 1 p.m., I did not have much energy left. I found myself just lying on the couch and watching TV or some Youtube videos. Also on the evening it was difficult: I had to go to the bed at about 9:15 p.m. to get at least 7 hours of sleep. This did not work very well and I often was wake until after 10 p.m. resulting in way too little sleep.
At university this was easier. I was able to plan my study-sessions myself and was not restricted much by lectures. They started at about 9 a.m. the earliest. Thank God!
The best time for me to study was before lunch and in the late afternoon. Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. when the morning tiredness was over I did get a lot of studying done. Additionally I thrived in the later afternoon between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. At that time the ”soup coma” from lunch was finally overcome.
Following my university days, I ventured into employment at an institute for applied research. The standard commencement time for the workday fell somewhere between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. This schedule suited me perfectly, and by beginning my tasks around 8:30 a.m., I found myself among the earliest starters.
Today at my corporate job I work at an office located near to a factory. Some of the white collar workers start as early as 6:30 a.m. to be more close to the morning-shift (5 a.m. - 1 p.m.). Fortunately, I’m not bound by such constraints—I have the freedom to structure my workday according to my preferences. Typically, I kick off my workday between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., making me one of the later starters in the office. However, I enjoy the working hours in the later afternoon and evening. It’s during this time that I often find myself alone in the office, experiencing minimal distractions and achieving a remarkable level of productivity.
The Myth of the Early Bird
The myth of the early bird centers around the idea that waking up early, often before the crack of dawn, is a surefire path to success and heightened productivity.
This concept suggests that individuals who start their day early are more disciplined, focused, and generally more likely to achieve their goals. The “early bird catches the worm” philosophy has been ingrained in popular culture as a key to success, with numerous self-help gurus and productivity experts advocating for an early morning routine.
However, the myth overlooks the fact that people have different chronotypes, or internal biological clocks, which influence their peak periods of alertness and productivity.
The term “early” in the phrase “waking up early” subtly implies, without explicitly stating, that it is too early.
Imagine being a night owl in a world that sings praises to early risers - it’s like trying to dance at a party that’s already moved to a different beat. This misalignment not only messes with sleep schedules but can also dim the spark of creativity and productivity that night owls bring to the table during their peak hours.
Debunking the Early Bird Myth
The Austrian cabaret artist Michael Niavarani reversed the phrase “early bird catches the worm” in his book to “Der frühe Wurm hat einen Vogel” which translates to “the early worm is crazy”. He suggests that the worm could have survived if it had simply slept longer, preventing the early bird from seizing the opportunity to catch it.
Hence, being an early bird (or worm) doesn’t only have advantages.
Scientific Insights: Chronotypes and Circadian Rhythms
Chronotypes refer to individual differences in people’s natural rhythms of alertness, energy, and productivity throughout a 24-hour day. These variations are influenced by the internal biological clock, also known as the circadian rhythm, which regulates physiological and behavioral processes over a roughly 24-hour cycle.
There are three main chronotypes:
- Morning Types (Morning Larks, Early Birds): Individuals with a morning chronotype, or morning larks, are naturally inclined to wake up early and feel most alert and productive in the early part of the day. They tend to go to bed early in the evening.
- Evening Types (Night Owls): Night owls, or individuals with an evening chronotype, prefer to stay awake later into the night and often have peak alertness and productivity during the evening hours. They typically go to bed later.
- Intermediate Types: Some individuals fall in between the extremes, having neither a strong preference for mornings nor evenings. They are often referred to as intermediates or neither-type individuals.
Chronotypes aren’t fixed and unchanging. They evolve over time. In our teenage years, many of us leaned towards being night owls. As we age, there’s a tendency for us to shift more towards becoming morning larks.
Case Studies: Successful Night Owls
- Elon Musk: The famous founder of Tesla and SpaceX and (currently) richest man on the planet is known to be a night owl.
- Winston Churchill: Renowned British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was a prolific night owl. He would often work late into the night, using the quiet hours to write speeches and reflect on matters of national importance.
- Barack Obama: The former President of the United States, Barack Obama, has spoken about being a night owl. During his presidency, he often stayed up late working on speeches and policy matters after his family had gone to bed.
- Bob Dylan: The legendary musician and Nobel laureate, is renowned for experiencing creative surges in the late hours.
- J.R.R. Tolkien: The famous author of The Lord of the Rings is said to have also been a night owl.
- Oprah Winfrey: Media mogul Oprah Winfrey is another successful figure who has spoken about her preference for working late at night. She often used the quiet hours to review materials, plan her shows, and handle business matters.
- J.K. Rowling: The famed author of the Harry Potter series, has mentioned her tendency to write during the nighttime hours. She found the peace and solitude of the night conducive to her creative process.
The Power of Personalization
The key of unlocking your productivity is aligning your schedule with your energy-levels throughout the day. Embrace your individual rhythm and create a customized routine that suits your circadian rhythm.
Productivity Hacks for Different Chronotypes
- Early Birds
- Rise and Shine Routine: Leverage the early morning hours for focused tasks and planning.
- Prioritize Complex Tasks: Eat the frog. Tackle the most challenging task as your top priority in the morning.
- Morning Exercise: Engage in physical activity to jumpstart your day.
- Night Owls
- Evening Planning: Plan and organize tasks in the late afternoon or evening.
- Nighttime Creative Sessions: Embrace your creative energy during late-night hours for brainstorming, ideation and writing.
- Nocturnal Productivity Tools: Utilize apps and tools that support you during the night like dark-modes or dedicated apps such as f.lux or Twilight. Also time tracking software can come in handy to keep an overview of your late-night-working-hours.
Conclusion
The early bird doesn’t always catch the worm. If you are a mornig grouch and night owl like me do not feel demotivated by all the shiny productivity gurus waking up early and getting loads of things done when you sit there with your first coffee still struggling with tiredness.
You might be at the disadvantage early in the mornig, but your time to shine comes later during the day.
Shape your schedule (where possible) to fit your energy-levels throughout the day and your productivity will match that of the early birds and undoubtedly surpass that of night owls attempting to be early birds.