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4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

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Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#181

Post by sguav »

jessedhillon wrote: post #139
StavrosK wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Well getting drunk with friends in the afternoon doesn't seem like it's the answer to life either. Wow, the GP didn't say anything about getting drunk, so you managed to turn his comment into "hanging out with friends isn't the answer to life either". I beg to differ, it's a big part of the answer.

You guys are going to be really surprised by this, but I swear it's true: the answer to life is different for each person

> the answer to life is different for each person

Robelt Waldinger seems to (partially) disagree:

https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good...

Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#183

Post by vickychijwani »

rubicon33 wrote: post #176
SyneRyder wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally sleep 3am - 10am, but it varies. Midnight is about the earliest, and 7am if I'm still in the zone / peak concentration. I try to sleep 8 hours every night, so if I go to sleep at 7am I won't wake until 3pm. I'm a solo developer, mostly working on my own projects, but even when I work with remote clients I maintain what they call "vampire hours". Since I'm based in Australia, my weird productive hours natu…

I wish I had your life. My DREAM is to work on my own projects, in my peak productivity time, which is naturally from 10pm to around 3am. That's my dream, and one I strive to achieve before I'm old and tired. I'm 28 now. Working a 9-6 just isn't fun when it's a) not my project b) not my peak productivity time. If you don't mind me asking... Are you retired?

The trick is to work at a company where you can choose your working hours. I usually work 2 pm to 10 pm, and then tackle my personal projects / hobbies 11 pm to 4 am. Of course, things will change completely if / when I get married, but while I'm single and unburdened I can afford to maintain this lifestyle.

Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#184

Post by welanes »

flanfly wrote: post #87
throwaway26960 wrote: post #13

I recently started waking up at 4 a.m and go to bed at 8-9pm. It has done wonders for my life. I realized I was confusing my personal task list with my work task list - the two should not be confused. I complete all my personal tasks in the morning, such as, studying a new language, practicing a musical instrument, learning to draw, and a couple other skills I want to learn and improve. Then when I'm worn out and it'…

Some years ago I started my day at 4 a.m. to exercise. While it worked, this kept me from having any social life outside from talking to coworkers. Getting a drink with friends in the afternoon is impossible if you want to keep this schedule, so I stopped. Being productive isn't everything in life. I'm only 30 but I doubt I will ever look back wishing I worked harder alone in my room instead of being with my friends.

> Being productive isn't everything in life. I'm only 30 but I doubt I will ever look back wishing I worked harder alone in my room instead of being with my friends.

I'm the opposite. At almost 30 I looked over a decade that has been awesome - friends, travel, girls etc - and decided to cut it all out as I create a software company. It's now 12 hours, 7 days a week, with a once-a-week break to meet a mate for lunch (and, eh, an occasional browse of HN).

I figured if I could amplify future moments (more money, more freedom, more opportunity to meet people) by deferring enjoyment now it's totally worth the trade-off and that if I did not start I would look back in a year wishing I was working alone in my room.

Moments with friends are great, and the memories are the fumes that keep me going when I might otherwise feel lonely or overwhelmed, yet swapping a year of after-work beers and hangovers for a shot at financial independence and self determination is worth it. Totally worth it.

Plus any good friends will be there a year from now, and if the hustle pays off, those future moments will be much more enjoyable than any fun I might be missing out on.

Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#185

Post by coldtea »

randyrand wrote: post #74
coldtea wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Well it's certainly worthwhile to the Japanese people that work at these jobs for decades. Otherwise they would not do it. Being conditioned to do something, or being forced to do something to feed yourself because few other job opportunities exist outside Japan's corporate world, are not the same as "certainly worthwhile". Except, of course, in the sense that not getting homeless or starving is worthwhile.

> not getting homeless or starving is worthwhile Do you not consider those worthwhile!? That's like the best example of worthwhile there is! What point are you making?

That as far as worthwhile goes, that's a pretty low bar. In fact the lowest there is -- where what we do is determined by sheer immediate need and necessity.

To give an example that might sound extreme, but it's the reality for hundreds of millions in other parts of the world (and a decent tens of millions in this part of the world too) a 12 year old child can go work in factories, mines, sweat shops or even prostitute itself to sex-tourist perverts to avoid starving. That doesn't make those "pursuits" worthwhile.

Of course for a privileged or semi-privileged middle/upper-middle class person, on a steady diet of comfortable upbringing, family support, financial support net, cushy jobs, and "do what you love" kind of advice, the situation is probably so alien that what's wrong with it might not even register.

Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#186

Post by randyrand »

coldtea wrote: post #185
randyrand wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> not getting homeless or starving is worthwhile Do you not consider those worthwhile!? That's like the best example of worthwhile there is! What point are you making?

That as far as worthwhile goes, that's a pretty low bar. In fact the lowest there is -- where what we do is determined by sheer immediate need and necessity. To give an example that might sound extreme, but it's the reality for hundreds of millions in other parts of the world (and a decent tens of millions in this part of the world too) a 12 year old child can go work in factories, mines, sweat shops or even prostitu…

Or that we're so alienated from it that weve forgotten just how worthwhile it is

Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#187

Post by [deleted] »

morgante wrote: post #117
jff wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Like most engineers and other creatives Free yourself of culturally-assigned norms ("engineers and creative people work best at midnight, with lots of coffee") and consider a wider breadth of experience. The most productive and effective person I know, a computer engineer, typically starts working before I'm even awake. The premise of the article is that 4 a.m. is both outside most of society's normal waking period…

Why would you assume that it's a cultural norm? I don't drink any caffeine but regularly stay up until 4 or 5am. It's simply when I feel most productive and is totally natural for me. It seems pretty clear that the opposite (early rising) is the cultural norm which is getting pushed. There are many times in my life where I'm forced to revert to waking up at 8am, but as soon as I'm back in control of my time I'll reve…

[deleted]

Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#188

Post by Joof »

Hydraulix989 wrote: post #119
konschubert wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am a night owl as well and I share your sentiment: Time seemingly stops when everybody goes to sleep. It is like a freeze button has been hit for the rest of the world, and the universe is mine.

I know, the feeling of solitude, concentration, flow, and energy -- to say nothing of rebelliousness for defying societal norms -- of staying up late, it's just great. I've always had my greatest thoughts and best ideas at night. I've always crushed projects and invented great things at night. Luckily, my employers have also been very accommodating of this as well because I _produce_. My boss didn't even raise an eye…

My dream is to go to work ~2:00 every day. My sleep cycle is pure hell otherwise.

Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#189

Post by dismantlethesun »

welanes wrote: post #184
flanfly wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some years ago I started my day at 4 a.m. to exercise. While it worked, this kept me from having any social life outside from talking to coworkers. Getting a drink with friends in the afternoon is impossible if you want to keep this schedule, so I stopped. Being productive isn't everything in life. I'm only 30 but I doubt I will ever look back wishing I worked harder alone in my room instead of being with my friends.

> Being productive isn't everything in life. I'm only 30 but I doubt I will ever look back wishing I worked harder alone in my room instead of being with my friends. I'm the opposite. At almost 30 I looked over a decade that has been awesome - friends, travel, girls etc - and decided to cut it all out as I create a software company. It's now 12 hours, 7 days a week, with a once-a-week break to meet a mate for lunch (…

> Plus any good friends will be there a year from now, and if the hustle pays off

I like how you've implied at least the hustle is temporary. Too often people look at work vs life, as something that either (a) must be in balance at all times or (b) must sacrifice one for the other ad infinitum.

Re: 4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

#190

Post by klibertp »

rubicon33 wrote: post #176
SyneRyder wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally sleep 3am - 10am, but it varies. Midnight is about the earliest, and 7am if I'm still in the zone / peak concentration. I try to sleep 8 hours every night, so if I go to sleep at 7am I won't wake until 3pm. I'm a solo developer, mostly working on my own projects, but even when I work with remote clients I maintain what they call "vampire hours". Since I'm based in Australia, my weird productive hours natu…

I wish I had your life. My DREAM is to work on my own projects, in my peak productivity time, which is naturally from 10pm to around 3am. That's my dream, and one I strive to achieve before I'm old and tired. I'm 28 now. Working a 9-6 just isn't fun when it's a) not my project b) not my peak productivity time. If you don't mind me asking... Are you retired?

I have a similar schedule to the GP: I frequently start my day around noon, start working around 3 pm, get a break around 7 pm for a couple of hours (to interact with my SO, who is back from work then), then work well into the night. That schedule is only disturbed when there's an important meeting during the day.

Funny thing is I don't even work 100% remotely (well, I sometimes visit the office...) - I just work for the company which couldn't care less about when I work as long as I deliver. So, while I'm not working on my own projects I still can choose when and how I work. It's been this way for 3-4 years and I just turned 30 a couple of weeks back.

So what I want to say is that you don't need to be retired or be an entrepreneur to have a freedom to choose your working hours. It's actually a good thing for the company because my working hours overlap with working hours of people half a world away, for/with who we frequently work.

So don't give up, search for opportunities and you'll sooner or later find a place where you can work according to your own schedule.

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