This post on Medium by John Zeratsky echoes a lot of what I’ve felt, and what I’m trying to get to. This part describes how I’ve been my entire life:
It didn’t come naturally to me. When I had to wake up early—for a meeting, an event, or class—it was like the vignette above. I struggled to get out of bed. Often I barely made it to my engagement on time. And that rushed, zombie-like morning loomed over my day like a hangover.
John also was motivated by the same thing I am though; the promise of how much more you can get done by being a morning person. Whether I like it or not, the world isn’t likely to adjust to my natural schedule, so if I want to get by in it, I need to figure out a way to change this about myself. Missing mornings – or being awake but useless for them – means I’m missing a couple hours every day I could be participating in the world, or doing something good for myself. The best part is that it worked for John, and he’s kept it up:
It worked. I traded a typical night-owl schedule—up ’til midnight or later, staring at a screen, writing, doing design work, coding—for an uncommon routine where I go to sleep early, wake up early, and get a lot of work done in those quiet morning hours.
If he did it, maybe I’m not hopeless.
