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Waking up at 5am to code

mattgreer.org

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Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#121

Post by city41 »

alinajaf wrote: post #99

> Enjoying the work is key Recently I've discovered that this mindset has been detrimental. Sometimes hard work is supposed to be hard. If you rely on passion or some sort of intrinsic motivation, then as soon as you come to a task you don't want to do (i.e. the 90% of any project that doesn't involve coding) procrastination sets in. I worked mornings non-stop on my little side project for around 6 months last year a…

That's a good point. I didn't really think of it that way. And I'm definitely in the 'fun' phase of this project. So thanks, maybe as more tedious stuff comes up I'll have a better mindset going into it.

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#122

Post by nickik »

wallunit wrote: post #118

Why is waking up two hours earlier in order to do stuff like coding on personal projects so much better than staying up for two more hours at night? It won't make the day longer. Each hour you wake up earlier you will also probably go to sleep earlier. Of course you could also sleep less, but also in that case IMHO it doesn't make a large difference whether you add those extra hours to your night or to your morning.…

I would guess the if you code in the night your 2h turn into 6h. While if you do 2h in the morning you have to stop and go to work.

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#123

Post by mathattack »

It wounds like the poster has managed two disciplines very well:

- Managing the sleep schedule. (Getting to bed to get up early)

- Managing the work schedule. (Kanban system)

I have no idea what his product is, but it's hard to imagine that he won't be successful over the long term with habits like this.

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#124

Post by mgrouchy »

I do the wake up at 5am routine, but I use it to go to the gym. I think a healthy body helps you maintain a healthy mind. (keep in mind this "healthy body" is very much a work in progress, like many of my coding side projects)

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#125

Post by caw »

itmag wrote: post #115
dmragone wrote: post #47

I would love to see a simple service that groups people who are willing to commit to getting up at the same time each day in order to hold each other accountable. There doesn't need to be anything significant - maybe it's just a matching service, letting people figure out for themselves how they can "check in" to confirm they are up and working at 6am (or whatever time is chosen). I know that I definitely can commit…

http://tasksmash.com/

I use https://idonethis.com, it seems similar. They send you an email every day at a time you configure and you answer back with what you've done. It tells you what your current streak is in the email and has a quote of some kind to ponder.

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#126

Post by ochekurishvili »

With 7+ months of experience being an Early Bird I will definitely recommend it.

For me 1-2 hours of a fresh-brained morning work is much more productive than working whole night. I usually sleep between 11:30 and 06:30.

In general it depends on personality, some enjoy working at night and vice-versa.

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#127

Post by eloisius »

nhashem wrote: post #92

A lot of commenters have talked about the pros of this routine, and there are many. Few interruptions, working while your mind is fresh, working within a regimen, etc. However, if you don't have an equivalent amount of discipline on at night to get enough rest, you will quickly burn yourself out. I did this routine for a lot of the second half of 2011, and since I'm a night owl by nature (going to bed at 12 midnight…

You should try taking 5mg of melatonin around 9pm. I have trouble falling asleep before 12-1am, too. Undeterred, I stay up too late every night working on whatever project I have and can't sleep because I'll lay awake thinking about it.

If I take a melatonin I get the benefit of becoming inept at writing code by 10 and will be sound asleep before 11 and ready to wake up hours before I have to start my day.

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#128

Post by EdwardMSmith »

wallunit wrote: post #118

Why is waking up two hours earlier in order to do stuff like coding on personal projects so much better than staying up for two more hours at night? It won't make the day longer. Each hour you wake up earlier you will also probably go to sleep earlier. Of course you could also sleep less, but also in that case IMHO it doesn't make a large difference whether you add those extra hours to your night or to your morning.…

I can answer this from personal experience.

After working 9 hours at a full time job, a 45 minute commute home, helping make dinner for the family, cleaning up, playing with the kids, getting them cleaned up for bed, reading with them, putting them to bed, cleaning up the house a little bit, its 9pm.

All I wanted to do is spend a little quiet time with my wife, any motivation to work on personal projects, which may have been fairly strong during the drive home, is now gone, and all I really want to do is spend quiet time with my wife before we had to go to sleep.

So, it had nothing to do with making the day longer, and it had everything to do with the reality that by the time I actually got to the point where I could work on something, it was the least important thing in my life.

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#129

Post by alanfalcon »

bitops wrote: post #69
mnazim wrote: post #68

This is a really effective way to get a lot things done. In summer 2009 I used to wake up before sunrise and absolutely loved it. To this day, I still wonder why I did not continue doing it. My 2 cents: Make sure you have something good (preferably healthy) to eat readily available when you get up. It should be something that does not require more than 10 min of preparation. Otherwise things tend to get a bit boring.…

That's interesting. When I was in college I used to wake up at 5am every morning. I'd always start my day by taking the trash outside and looking at the sun come up over the ocean. (I went to school in Santa Cruz). Those short moments always set the tone for the rest of my day.

> I'd always start my day by taking the trash outside and looking at the sun come up over the ocean. (I went to school in Santa Cruz).

I suppose I understand what you're trying to say, but the idea of watching a Pacific Coast sunrise from Califonia (while not in an airplane or other fast-moving vehicle) breaks my mind a little. But your comment also made me realize I'd lived within a half hour drive of the Pacific Ocean for most of my life yet have no clear idea what a beach sunrise would be like. I need to add that to a list.

Re: Waking up at 5am to code

#130

Post by roel_v »

sreitshamer wrote: post #114
GigabyteCoin wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you wake up at any time of the day, mid way through it (no matter when) your brain "is toast". That is why so many sleep scientists suggest naps is because they have proven that naps are beneficial to mental fatigue.

My friend going to law school said she can study for 4-5 hours in a row, fully focused. But then she needs a break, for 2 hours ideally. Then she can do another 4-5 hours. After that, another break. Usually she can do a third 4-5 hours. That's 12-15 hours of full-focus time per day, which to me sounds like a ton.

Studying law is very systematic through (even more than other 'types' of studying). You outline as you go through the material, then revise outlines, then do test exams and repeat where necessary. Things that are very routine to do, even if they involve sitting at a desk, don't take nearly as much focus/willpower as 'creative' things where you need to decide what to do next, and think of new ideas on how to do it, every couple of minutes.
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