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

[treelike]

How do you guys get going that early in the morning? I do believe that you can be more effective by getting up early. The problem I find is that when I get up at around 5/6am that I feel really groggy / not very sharp until around 11 or 12 where as if I get up at 9am Im good to go and alert...any tips or is it just getting used to it

Everybody has a chronotype, from early bird to night owl as PatinSC puts it. My personal opinion is that it is most effective to match your daily routine to your chronotype rather than the other way round. For you to get up at 5am might be the equivalent of me getting up at midnight. It is said that the body clock speeds up as you get older which was certainly true for me. As a teenager I would stay in bed past 10am on weekends.

The night owl might be better working back shift or night shift. Also eating meals later than "normal" meal times.

You can modify your body clock to wake up earlier if you have to. Some methods off the top of my head.

• Wear sunglasses five hours after your natural wake up time
• Keep lighting low for the few hours before you go to bed
• Turn down light levels on your TV or computer monitor in the few hours before your natural sleep time- or don't use them at that time
• Force yourself to eat breakfast first thing after getting up
• Avoid caffeine later in the day
• Physical exercise soon after waking up, especially outdoors in the sun (if available)
• Expose yourself to very bright light two hours before your natural waking time

Obviously you have to be awake before your natural waking time for the last one. Look up "chronotherapy" or "chronobiology" for the rational behind these kind of methods.

[TesTeq]

Everybody has a chronotype

Chronotype? I don't care. Now I sleep 22:00 - 4:44 but some years ago I used to sleep 0:00 - 7:30 or even 1:00 - 8:30. No differences in my productivity.

My attitude is: I am the master of my day - not a slave of "chronotype" or any other type.

[treelike]

Chronotype? I don't care. Now I sleep 22:00 - 4:44 but some years ago I used to sleep 0:00 - 7:30 or even 1:00 - 8:30. No differences in my productivity.

My attitude is: I am the master of my day - not a slave of "chronotype" or any other type.

I'm not a slave of my chronotype either. But I find it better to live in harmony with my natural rhythms rather than constantly fighting against them.

[alfred333]

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?

when i was going to university i was usually up around that time to get ready for school in the morning, and usually went to bed at midnight. i found that it work okay for awhile then i would need a day to recharge so to speak so i let myself sleep in one day and then i was good to go again. never really felt like needing a nap unless the class was boring

[MalucoMarinero]

Chronotype? I don't care. Now I sleep 22:00 - 4:44 but some years ago I used to sleep 0:00 - 7:30 or even 1:00 - 8:30. No differences in my productivity.

My attitude is: I am the master of my day - not a slave of "chronotype" or any other type.

That's sort of missing the point though. Your body has natural rhythms that make your body more ready to sleep / work at certain times, which will make you more effective if you try and adhere to it.

I do my work at night because I look after my son full time during the day. Once I pass my window of sleep, around 7pm - 8pm, I won't be able to until around midnight. This seems to just make it harder to function and be focused when I'm suppose to be working, but I reasoned that it would be the only time for me to knuckle down and get things done.

I'm realizing now that that's the wrong way to approach it though. I'm now starting to just go to sleep when my son does, and naturally wake up at 3-4 am. Less time, but more energy available to stay focused.

I guess what I'm saying is that you really aren't the master of your day necessarily. Your body establishes a rhythm over time (mine was probably established from when I worked at sea, basically at 4am - 8pm working day with a 2 hour break in the middle). Establishing a new rhythm takes time, or you can just pay attention to the one you have and can feel, and work a schedule that works with it rather than against it.

[TesTeq]

Establishing a new rhythm takes time, or you can just pay attention to the one you have and can feel, and work a schedule that works with it rather than against it.

My attitude is to set the rules and feel a great satisfaction when my body accepts them. And it works for me.

It is not "working against something" - it is "leading by example".

I find a real pleasure in setting new standards and seeing how the environment (including my body) adapts to them.

[speeding]

Yes, I set my alarm at 5:30 every workday. In weekend, I wake naturely, but I usually wake at 6:00. I must go to work before 7:30, so there are some things to do in the morning, reading, doing exercise, make breakfast, have breakfast, select the most important 3 things. so I hope I can wake up at 5:00, but I will annoy my wife because she want to oversleep.
I sleep at 22:30. I am not tired in common.

[macgrl]

Just get used to it. No excuses. Yet another Standard Operating Procedure.

This is very true to be honest....i just need to be more disciplined

[cwoodgold]

Obviously you have to be awake before your natural waking time for the last one.

I have an alarm clock designed to expose me to light before waking up. I've found it very effective, though I haven't been using it recently.

Other things that can help to get up earlier:
*Having protein for breakfast
*Taking vitamin D (I think)

Anyway ... my real reason for posting in this thread was that I thought it might be a good place for this xkcd comic, even if it's probably been posted on this forum before. I ran across it while googling for "Time Management" (To see if my own web page would come up. Nope -- though I'm currently at the top of the list for "explanation electrolysis of water"!):

http://xkcd.com/874/

[artsinaction]

Anyway ... my real reason for posting in this thread was that I thought it might be a good place for this xkcd comic, even if it's probably been posted on this forum before.

It's worth posting just for the disclaimer:
Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).



Dena