Do you know how often I hear, “What time did you _______?”
Insert into the blank
- send that email
- write a blog post
- comment on a website
- anything that has a timestamp.
Bunches. Most people don’t notice the 3:30AM ish time – but when they do, they have questions.
Yes, I am typically up by 3 or 4 in the morning. But I am typically asleep by 11PM. I learned quite some time ago that I am super productive during the early morning hours. I don’t require a whole lot of sleep. If I sleep too much, my brain and body gets lazy.
The thing that interested me the most is that I wouldn’t get the same questions if I stayed up until 1 or 2 and was up at 6 or 7.
This difference in perception made me wonder – how many people lose out on big gains because they are stuck doing it the way they have always done it, or the way it “ought” to be done?
We often think we are not as productive, happy, energetic, accomplished as we could be because of outside influences – market, weather, circumstance. But, what if it’s not any of those things. What if it’s you?
- Sounds crazy to get up at 3 – you might be missing your peak time.
- Can’t imagine sleeping later and staying up till after midnight – that could be where your stride is.
- Do you need to start a little earlier and stay a little later so you have extra time a lunch to relax – or even sleep?
- Maybe when you take a shower, eat breakfast, or any part of routine is out of whack.
- Do you read enough?
- Do you listen enough?
- Do you sleep enough?
- Do you eat enough?
Take a look at the way you run your day. Is it all that it could be? Have you tried making it more effective in the past but could never seem to quite make it work? Think outside of the guided path – what little changes could make a big difference in your productivity?