I am sure that by this time you have heard many entrepreneurs and productivity gurus say that to reach peak performance and to make good money, you have to wake up at 4:00 am. Do you know who else wakes up at 4:00 am? The baker at the local doughnut shop, and the guy who collects the garbage in our neighborhood. I may be biased, but they don’t look like they are making lots of money.
The truth is that if you follow someone else’s sleeping rhythm, your body will be wrecked, you will be in a bad mood, you will unproductive, and run the risk of falling sick.
We like to romanticize waking up early, but the truth is that waking up early doesn’t work for everyone. We all have different biological rhythms, and just because a productivity guru says that we should all wake up early, that doesn’t mean it’s true. Waking up early doesn’t work for everyone.
Other myths from productivity gurus are:
- taking cold baths (are you kidding?)
- making your bed (Says your mom)
- writing a gratitude journal
- meditation
- following a yoga practice
- prying, etc.
All that sounds sexy, but it’s mostly a myth. You can be highly productive without following someone else’s ritual.
All that to say, you should wake up whenever your body wakes up and stay awake as long as your body wants to stay awake.
In my opinion, the important thing is to get as much sleep as your body asks for. If your body asks you for 6 hours of sleep, then 6 hours is enough. If your body asks you for 8 hours, then 8 hours should be your goal.
My sleeping hours are from midnight to 6:00 am, and then during the day, I take a one-hour nap. In total, I sleep about 7 hours.
Sleeping hours of members of my community:
Anouk Vallée-Charest, Circus artist: I need 8 or even better 9h or 10h some time 
Cheryl Williams, English as a Second Language Teacher: The best hours for “night owl” me, I think, would be bed at 2am, up at 10am…
Isabelle Dargis: exactly the same as Cheryl in my case. Night owl. In bed around 1:30-2am, up around 9:30-10am!
Lin Sok, Financial Advisor: I’m asleep around 11ish, up by 5-6am. I also power nap most days at some point – sometimes twice, sometimes not at all.
Rania, PhD student: I usually like to sleep around eight hours. I consider myself at night owl because I struggle in the mornings and I thrive during the nights.
Jonathan, Cybersecurity expert, On workdays I do 23h to 6h with a 25minutes nap in the afternoon. But I need to sleep more during the weekend to compensate as my body would want more.
RRïccï: I average 6-8 hours depending on the week. I am a night owl.
Myra: I am intrinsically a night owl, with most creativity and heightened awareness occurring late at night.
Louie: 12 am to 5 am. If I fall asleep at 9 pm I’m up at 3 am so try to only go to sleep at 12 am.
Conclusion
If you listen to your body, you will be more productive and a happier person. If your job obliges you to wake up early, then go to bed earlier. Don’t cheat your body of sleep, but also try to find a job that better suits your sleeping rhythm.
How about you?
How many hours do you sleep?
Are you an early birth or a night owl?
At what time during the day do you feel that you are the most productive.
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