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4 a.m. Is the Most Productive Hour

wsj.com

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

#191

Post by blubb-fish »

thegoodlab wrote: post #130
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.

Well getting drunk with friends in the afternoon doesn't seem like it's the answer to life either. I'm 31 and wake up at 5am during the week. Get to the gym before getting into the office at 7:30. Definitely have enough time to get drinks with friends here or there. I'm not staying out all night partying by any means, but there is certainly a way to make it work. “Looking back over a life of hard work … my only regre…

> “Looking back over a life of hard work … my only regret is that I didn’t work even harder.” - H. L. Mencken

I won't bother looking up quotes but you are going to find and endless list of quotes similar to ...

“Looking back over a life of hard work … my only regret is that I didn’t spend more time with friends and family.”

... as well.

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

#192

Post by sixmillionmore »

shripadk wrote: post #46

Interesting article! The Rishi's and Yogi's in India always woke up at 4 in the morning. In the Hindu Yogic philosophy this time period is also called the Brahma Muhurta. If anyone is interested, you can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmamuhurtha and http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/537/what-is-the-...

I HATE INDIANS FUCK YOU

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

#193

Post by sixmillionmore »

shripadk wrote: post #46

Interesting article! The Rishi's and Yogi's in India always woke up at 4 in the morning. In the Hindu Yogic philosophy this time period is also called the Brahma Muhurta. If anyone is interested, you can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmamuhurtha and http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/537/what-is-the-...

I HATE INDIANS FUCK YOU

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

#194

Post by shermanyo »

morgante wrote: post #114

I was really hoping for more anecdotes on night owls. 2am-4am is definitely the most productive time for me and I regularly stay up that late, deep in the programming zone. Of course, I shouldn't really have expected the WSJ to highlight night owls. We've turned sleep schedules into a morality play, where waking up at 4am is somehow impressive and virtuous while waking up at 10/11am is slothful (even if you spent all…

My anecdotal, subjective observation is that:

- early risers have a consistent additional couple of hours every day.

- night owls make each day last as long as it needs to.

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

#195

Post by coldtea »

randyrand wrote: post #186
coldtea wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Yeah, we forgot how lucky it is for slaves and sex exploitation victims to be fed. They should count their blessings instead of complaining...

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

#196

Post by mlvljr »

SyneRyder wrote: post #174
perseusprime11 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When do you sleep?

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…

Wait, there are other beasts of the night doing other-end-of-the-earth schedules there? Highfive, sir!

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

#197

Post by mlvljr »

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?

Pal, 34 here, and this "till 3 am" thing, which so much fun to brag about in chats with colleagues is actually a bit dangerous to one's health (who'd have thought, huh, -- mommas were right!). So beware :)

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

#198

Post by nsomaru »

There is an interesting correlation here with some ancient wisdom:

Most schools of Indian philosophy borrow the term `guna` -- literally "quality" but in context[0] meaning "mental texture" to refer to three main states of mind:

Sattva: equanimity, poise, contemplativeness, objectivity

Rajas: frenzy, agitation, result-orientation

Tamas: indolence, lethargy, sloth, sleep

It's interesting to note that Brahma Murta[1] falls between 4am-6am and is indicated as the predominance of sattva[2]. The predominance of other gunas may be observed by looking at the nature of activities during other times (6am-6pm = rajas), (6pm - 4am = tamas).

Those interested in further reading might consult the Vedanta Treatise[2] by A Parthasarathy.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%E1%B9%87a#Samkhya_school_of...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmamuhurtha

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Vedanta-Treatise-Eternities-Parthasar...

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

#199

Post by StavrosK »

sguav wrote: post #181
jessedhillon wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Summary: The secret to happiness is good relationships with other people, and the bane to happiness is loneliness. This agrees with my own observations as well.

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

#200

Post by restalis »

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'…

"Then when I'm worn out and it's time for work" "I feel satisfied knowing that at least I accomplished my goals for the day, which is all that matters."

So, you're basically selling your least productive time and you're saying this is OK. You must be one of those folks who detest their job to do that. Please change your job. First, this may give you an opportunity to do something more enjoyable and leave what you currently do vacant for someone else who'll enjoy it more. Second, if you do your paid job well enough despite being "worn out", then you're not using your full potential, which is a pity. Do yourself and others a favor.

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