Experiences with waking up at 5:30 AM for a productive workday?

[Sander8]

After reading "23 Successful People Who Wake Up Really Early", I am wondering whether there are people here who have experience with waking up as early as 5:30. What time do you wakeup and get to sleep again? What do you do on such a morning and how do you feel in the evening? Do you feel tired during the day? Do you need a powernap? Is your day truly more productive?

[lito0]

After reading "23 Successful People Who Wake Up Really Early", I am wondering whether there are people here who have experience with waking up as early as 5:30. What time do you wakeup and get to sleep again? What do you do on such a morning and how do you feel in the evening? Do you feel tired during the day? Do you need a powernap? Is your day truly more productive?

I have found that starting your day early really helps you be more productive, but as everything in life, you need to adjust your routine. I normally start my day at 5:00am, as my work requires me to be at the office 7:30am. I am not an early person, so getting up early is really a challenge for me, however that quiet time between 5:30-6:00am has proven to be invaluable for me, your mind is clear of the day's worries, so you can really focus on the challenges ahead.

Hope this helps!

[Oogiem]

I am wondering whether there are people here who have experience with waking up as early as 5:30. What time do you wakeup and get to sleep again? What do you do on such a morning and how do you feel in the evening? Do you feel tired during the day? Do you need a powernap? Is your day truly more productive?

Some times of the year I am not only awake but up and outside already by 5:30 am. It's during lambing and I am there at first dawn checking for newborn lambs and tagging and weighing them and assisting any ewes in labor who need help. During lambing we are out from dawn to dusk. I am often tired but also energized, from great happiness when saving the life of a lamb or ewe to depths of despair when we lose one. Some days we do get a brief nap at noon, just like the sheep, some days not. Yes my day is productive. It's a necessary part of the farming business to be there for the birthing of my animals.

[CJSullivan]

I usually wake up at around 4.30 or 5.00am (but am in bed by 9pm), and I have to be out of bed by 5.30am to feed the cat! Better than any alarm clock.

The interesting thing is that, while I've had little success in imposing a consistent routine on my mornings in order to get more "this would be cool to do" stuff done, I am consistently, like clockwork, 30 minutes late for my day job! So clearly I have a routine, it just needs to be shifted back half an hour!

[vbampton]

If I'm writing, I'm up around 4:45 and working by 5. I get SOOOOOOOO much more done at that time of the morning, and then I can justify a couple of hours nap after lunch. As long as I get a nap, I'm actually better in the evenings than I am with a later start and no nap.

That said, my body isn't impressed by getting up at that time of the morning, even with afternoon naps and early nights, so I couldn't keep it up year round. I get my best sleep between about 4 and 7, so the rest of the year it's more like 6-6:30 start.

[bishblaize]

For me it depends on when I go to sleep. If I only get home from work at 8pm, it can a bit grim to go bed at 9.30 for a 5.30 start. But assuming I get home on time and get to bed on time, 5.30 is my preferred time.

That way I get to do some meditation, laze around reading the news, think through my calendar/next action lists and shower/groom/etc in a relaxed way rather than missing any out or rushing though.

There's also a practical benefit, which is that I ride my bike to work straight through Central London and its easier to do that before 8am, so I have to leave for work at just after 7.

[OF user]

I get up at 5:15 am after reading something similar to what you mentioned. Like the others who have posted it makes me quite productive. I do it on weekends as well. I have to admit though, I like Victoria's idea about taking a nap. Might have to have it set up in my calendar

[Popeye]

I´m up from the bed at 5:20......

Not productive at all.. just tired...
Going by bus for an hour to work... trying to get a nap... ´cause I´m so tired.. You see, I´m no a "morning person", but I have to go up at this time to go to my job.

I always have been a night-owl so it´s hard to get in bed in proper time so I´m always late in bed.. apprx 10:30 pm or so... so my beauty-sleep is to short..

[TesTeq]

After reading "23 Successful People Who Wake Up Really Early", I am wondering whether there are people here who have experience with waking up as early as 5:30. What time do you wakeup and get to sleep again? What do you do on such a morning and how do you feel in the evening? Do you feel tired during the day? Do you need a powernap? Is your day truly more productive?

I wake up at 4:44 (I like funny numbers). I would lose 46 minutes of my most creative waking up as late as 5:30!

I go to sleep at 22:00 (22:22 would be too late unfortunately ).

[Sander8]

Thanks for the interesting responses!

I´m up from the bed at 5:20......

Not productive at all.. just tired...
Going by bus for an hour to work... trying to get a nap... ´cause I´m so tired.. You see, I´m no a "morning person", but I have to go up at this time to go to my job.

I always have been a night-owl so it´s hard to get in bed in proper time so I´m always late in bed.. apprx 10:30 pm or so... so my beauty-sleep is to short..

How long have you been doing this? Is it that you need a few weeks/month to adjust accordingly? How do you anticipate to keep your day productive (even though you are tired)?

I wake up at 4:44 (I like funny numbers). I would lose 46 minutes of my most creative waking up as late as 5:30!

I go to sleep at 22:00 (22:22 would be too late unfortunately ).

You are sleeping on less than 6:44 minutes a night! Aren't you awfully tired and how long have you been doing that?