We have all heard the saying: The early bird, gets the worm. It is one of those annoying sayings that teachers and parents drill into your head. My entire life I have hated the thought of waking up early, then I grew up.

I now have so much to do during the day, and in the evening that the only time I truly have to my self, is the morning.

The Science

There really is no scientific proof I could find that rising early is more productive, or that sleeping late was more productive. What seems to be evident though, is that scientifically speaking, as long as you get 8 hours of sleep, you are good to go.

Reality

In reality I argue that it is far more productive to get up early, than stay up late. Here are my reasons:

• The Quiet - The early morning is a very quiet time of the day, not just outside, in our apartment it is very quiet. This makes the early morning a great time for reflection and meditation. Also a great time of the day to get some reading done (I often use the time to read articles from other blogs I have saved from the day before).
• Fresh Eyes - Often if I am stuck, or having problems getting stuff done the day or night before (often blog posts) I will stop and take a look at it the next morning. When you wake up, you are not in any particular groove, as such you are fresh and can take a different look at an old problem.
• No one is pissed, yet - One of my favorite things to do first thing in the morning is to deal with customer service (part of my job). The later you wait to call customer service the more people they have had call and complain to them, and less friendly they are. Getting to these people first thing in the morning can help you get much better customer service.
• Ideal time to plan day - When you wake up late, you are usually in a rush to get going and get out the door. As such by the time you plan your day out, most of the day has gone away. Take the time to plan before you leave, this will atleast give you a chance to know if you have some phone calls that you can make on your way into work.
• Awake for commutes and early morning meetings - The last thing I like about rising earlier is that I am much more awake for the morning commute into work, and the occasional morning meeting. Not being the one yawning at the meeting is always a nice plus.

Putting it all together

These are certainly my personal reasons why I find rising early is far more productive than rising late. It just so happens that with my life style and personality, waking early is far more productive for me, but this will not be the case for everyone.

Related posts:

• ∞ Free Advice: Show Up Early
• Genetically Early Risers?
• David Allen on GTD the Early Years
• 90% of Meetings Waste Your Time