Time is something that many people have trouble getting a grip on. There's just not enough of it! When you take an hour to get ready in the morning then an hour driving to work, nine hours at work, another hour driving home, then possibly fixing dinner and having family time in the evening, when do you have time for your blog/biz? Many experts suggest waking up an hour early to maximize your time and get blogging/biz tasks completed. They act as if this is a key way to capitalize on time. I believe this is totally inaccurate.
This is a myth because you cannot create one solution for everyone. It's impossible. Our lives are different, we have different priorities, we have different family structures, etc. To tell someone that they should get up one hour early to work on their tasks is absurd to me. I find it absurd because I really enjoy sleeping and have a problem waking up at 6AM as it is (my alarm is actually set for 5:40, but you know, snooze button). My lifestyle nor creative peak time allows me to get up one hour early. I am a true night owl. I have been known to stay UP until 5AM working on business tasks, and I've created amazing content during that time.
I think the best approach to this advice is to decide on which end you would rather take a hit, because it's going to be a hit from the front end or the back end. I choose to take my hit from the back end and go to sleep later. My logic behind this is that:
- I'm already awake, so there is no struggle to have to wake up.
- My creative peak time frame is definitely in the late hours of the night, so this works in my favor.
- There's something about working late at night knowing that "everyone else is asleep", so it's like I have the East Coast to myself.
This is what works for me, but I have a feeling that many of you can relate. On the other hand, there are people that can get up an hour early and would prefer that method because they want to start their day on a positive note and accomplish something before heading to work. They also enjoy the natural sounds of the morning, love to make a cup of coffee or tea and get things done. I get it, totally cool! If this approach is best and you find that you get your best work done in the morning, go for it! Ultimately, we should be capitalizing on our time based on our personal peak time for creativity. You may even be someone that has a creative peak in the afternoon. That's fine, too! You would be a person that would use their lunch break to get things done.
So tell me, are you a night owl or an early bird? Do you know when your peak creative time is? If not, you should consider experimenting with different times and see when you are most productive!