I'm at my best between 4 AM and noon. After that? It's a coin flip whether I'm useful or just taking up space.
So I wake up stupid early. Not because some fucktard hustle culture podcast told me to. I do it because those are the only hours I can actually count on. The house is quiet and nobody's texting or calling me. The world is asleep and my brain actually works for a while. I get more done before breakfast than I do the entire rest of the day sometimes.
But here's the part nobody talks about.
By noon, if not before, I'm cooked. Not tired, cooked. The tank is empty and nothing's refilling it until tomorrow. Evening plans? Don't stinkin' think so. I'm a zombie pretending to be present. Anything requiring actual thought after noon? Forget it.
And the whole thing falls apart if I don't get to bed by 9 or 10. That sounds easy until life happens. House and family stuff. Regular stuff that doesn't give a damn about my sleep schedule. One late night and the next morning is useless.
There's a social cost too. The rest of the world runs on a different clock. By the time everyone else is hitting their stride I'm already fading. Evening events? Rough. Late dinners? Rougher. Anything after 7 PM feels like a hostage situation.
I didn't pick this schedule because it's trendy. I picked it because it's what works with what I've got. The 4 AM thing isn't free. It just costs different stuff than the alternative would.
You work with what you have and this is what I have.
What about you? When do you actually function? What do you give up to protect those hours?
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Notes:
-All content is mine unless otherwise annotated.
-Images are my own unless otherwise noted.
-Photos edited using MS Paint and/or iPhone SE.
-Page Dividers from The Terminal Discord.