I see so many writers on Medium touting their wake-up time. Most are within the 5am range.
I’ll tell you a little secret. I have never woken up at 5am. Not even for Disneyland.
Okay, maybe once.
I am not a “morning person.” Yes, I delight in the sunrise, but I just can’t bring myself to roll out of bed for it. Anything before 7 is dreadfully early. After 8 is preferable.
Creativity is often mulled about as a morning activity. Only the morning light casts that spell upon our souls.
I actually find my most creative times to be after dark. Or, randomly, throughout the day, when I least expect them. Of course there is something magical about the quiet of the morning, before the world awakes. Starting the day with a shot of creativity is appealing. But that’s just not how my brain works.
My brain does not fit into a mold — a structure. Not naturally, anyway. I can wrangle it into planning mode within the pages of my bullet journal, or allow it to roam free and flit from task to task. My creativity suffers when I don’t get enough sleep, and if I’m getting up at 5am, I guarantee I am a zombie. There’s just no way I’m asleep in time for my body to get enough rest with that wakeup.
So, I take the advice of my favorite Medium writers with a grain of salt. I can let my ideas drip from my pen, set them into motion as plans, and achieve my life goals. But I don’t have to do it at 5am.
TLDR; There is no one way to accomplish productivity, creativity, or anything else you set your heart and mind to. We are all unique and there is no one size fits all trick to winning at life. The right answer for you might be completely wrong for me. Listen. Learn. Apply as needed, and after lots of testing, massaging, speculation, and crumpled up papers in the trash, I hope you find the right way for you.
Psst! Did you know this is my very first Blogtober? I’m posting a new piece every day this October. Check out the rest here!