It feels like pacing and switching gears is more important than the actual time of day that I start work. The first four hours after I wake up is reserved for creative work that requires something that I cannot muster in the evening. Once that time has passed, executive function is much more difficult to marshal and I switch to more humdrum tasks. Anything that requires a lot of willpower or cognitive function to achieve has to be done immediately after I wake. Sport or physically demanding tasks are better suited to the afternoon or evening. That way I go to bed tired and sleep well. I’m most productive and happy if I can maintain that cadence.
Dang, if I had to produce anything creative in the morning it would turn out completely uninspired. 9pm? Creativity out the wazoo. All my best projects happen in the middle of the night. 10am? It’s hard to do regular problem solving for work emails. My brain is just not turned on for several hours after I wake up.
Yes this is me. Morning is just to figure out what the hell is going on, avoid anything that requires brain power until the system spins up around noon.
I think it changes over time as well. There was a time when I stayed up late and woke later. That felt like the right thing to do at the time but since getting into my 40s I tend to sleep a bit less and wake earlier. Sleep is also much more fragile, I’ve had bouts of insomnia and I need to be careful with caffeine and alcohol. Sleep deprivation is the worst thing I can do for executive function, I’ll just stare into space all day.
It feels like pacing and switching gears is more important than the actual time of day that I start work. The first four hours after I wake up is reserved for creative work that requires something that I cannot muster in the evening. Once that time has passed, executive function is much more difficult to marshal and I switch to more humdrum tasks. Anything that requires a lot of willpower or cognitive function to achieve has to be done immediately after I wake. Sport or physically demanding tasks are better suited to the afternoon or evening. That way I go to bed tired and sleep well. I’m most productive and happy if I can maintain that cadence.
Dang, if I had to produce anything creative in the morning it would turn out completely uninspired. 9pm? Creativity out the wazoo. All my best projects happen in the middle of the night. 10am? It’s hard to do regular problem solving for work emails. My brain is just not turned on for several hours after I wake up.
Yes this is me. Morning is just to figure out what the hell is going on, avoid anything that requires brain power until the system spins up around noon.
I think it changes over time as well. There was a time when I stayed up late and woke later. That felt like the right thing to do at the time but since getting into my 40s I tend to sleep a bit less and wake earlier. Sleep is also much more fragile, I’ve had bouts of insomnia and I need to be careful with caffeine and alcohol. Sleep deprivation is the worst thing I can do for executive function, I’ll just stare into space all day.