This is very well explained and fully agree! 👏 I see so many people who are night owls, trying in vain to shift their body clock to early morning (I was one of them), and the only "success" is half productivity and a cluttered mind due to lack of enough REM sleep.
I’ve always been a night owl in school and university and adopted a biphasic sleeping schedule so that I can wake up early in the morning whilst sleeping a bit late. The limitation I found was that I was constantly tired during the day but awake at night. Since I now need to be awake and fully focussed during the day, I’ve tried changing to a mono-phasic sleeping pattern and morning routine. It took a week or so and my body has managed to adjust to sleeping at 9pm and waking up at 5am, with some flexibility. And I’ve found that once I’ve gotten used to it I’m quite awake during the day and get sleepy in the evening such that I’m able to fall off to sleep at 9. However, I find although my body has fully adjusted to a morning routine, my brain has not. I feel a bit more resistance in my head when trying to study complex stuff and I’m not able to hit a 100% flow mode
Thank you for this video! I could completely relate to the 'waking up early but not doing any productive work in the morning' part! P. S. Have you shortened your outro since the Q&A with Ali? Have a great day 🤗
Thank you so much, for bringing this topic up. For the past years, I have gotten more and more aware, that there are different chronotypes. Camilla Kring does research in this field and has written a couple of books on the topic. Whether you are an early or a late chronotype, you don't decide for yourself. It is biologically determined. Late chronotypes trying to fit in the early chronotype society will have social jetlag. There are even adverse consequences for the two chronotypes respectively if an exam is placed in the morning or afternoon. If it is in the middle of the day, they will perform equally well. I struggle a lot with this since I'm a late chronotype (night owl), and all my jobs have had "flex" time, where you can meet from 7-9am in the morning. I prefer waking up between 8-9 am, so with an hour of commute and 1,5 hours of getting ready in the morning, you can see where this is going. I dream of becoming self-employed or working at a place, where different chronotypes are respected equally.
Yeah, as if when you wake up early and go to bed early somehow you have more hours in a day than when you wake up late and go to bed late... Thank you for talking about this!
Most people don't seem to know that there isn't a universal time in the morning, when it's healthy for everyone to stand up. Even "experts"(in reports on tv, or on their youtube channels) still recommend "owls" to stand up earlier and think they're living an unhealthy lifestyle "out of comfort". I had to explain to 2 doctors that I naturally stand up late and that I'm not getting much sleep and am tired all day, if I stand up early. Even after explaining it to one doctor, he still kind of shamed me for it multiple times, like I'm privileged for being able to stand up later and not having to force myself out of bed, like me choosing have healthier sleeping habbits is immoral and unfair. Even other "owls" have often internalised the belief that standing up late is lazy and immoral and attack others while only being able to function with an amount of caffein above the maximum recommended daily dose. There is also a link between smoking and living against your inner clock.
This video hit home lolllll, I am always forced by my dad to wake up early, 6:30 7ish, but I always fail. He doesn’t believe it when say I can’t do anything in the morning, let me just sleep then, and work at night when I’m more efficient. NOPE, Every living creature aligns itself with the sun, so should we… I think the tribe thing will put on a good argument, thanks 😂
I might be butchering this but I think there is some research to suggest that someone people have different circadian rhythms and have a window of focus. For me it's 12-8. Nvm just watched rest of video 🤣
There's a difference between being a night owl and revenge bedtime procrastination though. I rarely do any work in the evenings because I have no energy after a full day, but I still stay up late because sometimes I don't want the morning to come 😅 so people like me actually benefit from forcing ourselves to wake up super early because it's the only way to be more productive and save a bit of time
Super relatable. At a time in my life that I had to study a lot, I would wake up at 5 am because early in the morning was the only time I could concentrate and be rested. The evenings were always relax time for me and I still can’t have a lot of work done
This video made me feel so validated. Really, I've been fighting myself on this for many many years and it's disheartening how many people wil call you lazy for staying up late. Thank you for talking about this, this kind of advice is so valuable
I totally agree with you. I am so productive later in the day. When I was studying I was always very productive overnight but yes I think society in general kind of classifies us as the “lazy ones” 🤨
It would be great if more workplaces would allow for flexible hours so that night owls could work with, and not against, their natural tendencies. This year I discovered that I was a night owl in denial - and I think there are so many others in the same boat. I spent so much time trying to find what my "productive hours" were, only to realise when I stayed up to work on a project that I had much better focus after 8pm, and got about three times the work done in a much smaller window. Before that, I was confused as to why I had about the same amount of energy/focus throughout the day (basically not much, lol). It's so much harder to design your life around this schedule, though, so I'm really hoping I (and all other night owls) can make it work!
This is so necessary, I’m also a night owl myself and when I tried to do that morning miracle routine I was so proud of myself for being “productive” and doing so many things before going to uni BUT my mental health went like 🤯 we need to respect our own body
exactly , me too , done that for a few months and then i just couldn't do it anymore , or at least felt lazy to do it.... but probably gonna get back to that routine cuz i have so so many stuff to do in my day ):
I think I'm naturally inclined to stay awake till 1-3AM and wake from 10AM-11AM. It's always been this way and all attempts to shift this have gone awry. I'm a night owl to my bones.
Yesss finally someone said this 🙌 I work from home, start work at 10am and and get up at 9.45am - and I don't care what anyone says, my priority is SLEEP and getting as much of it as I can. I can still have breakfast, work out and have a very productive work day with this schedule. No harm in waking up late! I'm planning to do a video where I wake up at 5am every day for a week to see if I would actually feel any better - not looking forward to it though hahaha
I am a very proud night owl especially after watching this. I've been judged heavily but I don't care because I'm winning either way 😒😂 I had a whole week where I worked from 10pm to 4am and was the most productive I've been in a long time. I also believe in trusting your body because it knows best and you achieve more when you work with your body instead of against it. Another excellent video, Elizabeth!
Im personally a night owl , but fr its really difficult being like that , because generally all exams , job interview , schools are in morning , not at my preference for 2 am and lmao , my asian parents are good enough to guilt trip me for walking up late
The other way around isn't everything either. 😭 I've a job where I need to wake up for at 3:30am. Most people work somewhere between 8am and 6pm, which means their time to be social is after 6:30pm-ish. My bedtime is around 7/7:30pm. Endless WhatsApp conversations with friends in the evening? Nope. Midweek events in the evening? Nope. Going out during weekends outside of this pandemic? Nope, I'm yawning on the couch around 9pm. 🙈😂 Literally became the "party pooper" because of my job.
I like how you are pushing back with the viral productivity Ideas. Some people don't think critically about their productivity decisions, especially when they are starting out getting productivity knowledge, they would just try to implement the tips without giving a thought to what does not suit their lifestyle. You're channel existence is important in the productivity niche. Keep making content, you are doing great!
As a life-long night owl, I definitely agree with you! People often say that they "wake up before everyone else" and get stuff done - you can achieve the exact same things going to bed *after* everyone else... Also, many people work with others from different time zones. So if you are lucky enough to choose, just choose the one that's more comfortable for you and stick to it.
Agreed! I'm a night owl. It's interesting, in Mexico they have two options for children's school schedules. Morning or afternoon. Definitely liking the options.
Interesting. Good people running things in Mexico, apparently. One thing I hated about life when I was in my K-12 years was getting up so absurdly early, especially high school which started before sunrise. I mean, classes in the school building started around sunrise or before - so breakfast, bus ride, all that had to be nutsy coocoo early. If I get married and have kids... I'll be packing my suitcases and learning Spanish!
It's more important to think about how are we spending our time than to sacrifice our sleep time (which you should never do). Make a plan of your day and divide your obligations into primary and secondary. Primary are most important ones, like studying, working or writing essay. Secondary are washing dishes, clearing inbox, going to the bank etc. After you know when your primary obligations are, create a schedule where you will fit secondary between primary, and you'll take a rest from studying for example with washing dishes or jogging for 20 minutes. That way you'll create a day when you'll do bunch of things, without waking up at 5AM. I like to call that 'active rest'.
I've been lucky enough to go fully remote since last March, while also moving to another time zone - so my work day doesn't start until 10am. Similarly to you, I get little done in the morning, so waking up at 8 or 9am has been great. Once 9-10pm rolls around I always get a huge spike in energy, and I feel the most creative. Luckily in the design field, I haven't experienced much stigma around night-owlness. Finding that creative flow is more important than having your butt in a seat for 7am check-ins.
I’m a night owl and always have been, even though I’ve worked 9-5 jobs for years I fall back into my late night, late morning rhythm every weekend. I never schedule anything for mornings if I can avoid it because I end up sleep deprived, stressed and usually late. I’m changing to remote work so I have more control over my schedule.
I agree. Especially if you have ADHD we tend to be night owls. The hunter in the so called “hunter gatherer” world. Love all of your videos by the way. So refreshing to have someone validate my experiences
"if you can design your life in a way that you can sleep and wake up when you want to..." is probably the key part here. Although I have to mirror my clients times and work 9-5 just now perhaps this gives me something to work towards.
I'm doing that, sort of. Not "working" in the sense of employed, schedules, zoom meetings and all that, but independently making things, 3D models and animations, photographs, to put up for sale. I now have millions* in "long tail" passive income flowing in and no need to get up early! * - footnote: some exaggeration may be involved!
Great video. New to the channel, found it from your chat with Ali (who I also only found this week). I am a natural-born night owl. At almost 50, and with a ~30 year career in a 24/7 industry, my sleep schedule has never been my own. In my 20s I could change my sleep schedule at the drop of a hat but it has become more difficult the older I get. Now, with kids still in school, I don't really have a choice as to when I get up, but my most productive work is still done between 10pm and 1am (have to go to bed then otherwise the school run comes impossibly early). I have noticed in the last ten years or so the massive increase in globalization has changed the perceived productiveness of 'early rising'. I work with people in multiple times zones and honestly, no one cares how 'early' I was up here in Florida if they are living in Washington State, Delhi, or London. Looking forward to seeing more of your channel. Cheers - Steve
This makes sense, what is the point in waking up early if you are naturally more productive in the evening? In the "why we sleep" -book (although some of the research in it is a bit questionable) it is told that especially teens and young adults naturally tend to have a more night owl-ish sleep rhythm, so its kind of silly that 7 am or even 8 am classes are the standard in most schools. Great video Elizabeth!
THANK YOU. This is definitely a much needed perspective on early bird/night owls. When I wake, I want to be at ease and appreciate that I can wake up and feel that well-rested feeling. Waking up to just "GO GO GO"...depends on the situation of course, but not EVERY day. And sure, waking up early you can get a lot done...but so can you as a night owl. Also, there is a video where you talk about dreams?! Well now, I need to find it pronto!
And to all the haters, she is not using anyone's success for getting popular or making money. This is a kind of collaboration which most youtubers do so that their content reach oit to more people who likes that genre and help those people too. Nd nothing else. Love you lizi from the bottom of my heart. Thank You for giving your time for reading this comment 😊 South Asian girl and 15 y/o.
I am one of those ppl that like to stay till late and then wake up early. Ik its not healthy but it feels good when I do it. Then I sleep for a couple hours during the afternoon. I just like the dark a lot for some reason.
We need to open up a whole new conversation about this: those who stay up late, wake up early, and catch up during afternoon naps. You don't know how glad I am to know that someone does this.
I completely agree with you that no matter how many times I ‘re-set’ my clock, I invariably go back to falling asleep in the am. I am a night owl through and through, to the point where I almost never get naturally sleepy in the evenings, I just go to bed because I have to, but equally I have to push a lot harder to get my brain at full capacity in the mornings.
I don't really understand how people believe you have to wake up early to be productive, if you sleep lets say 8 hours every night you still get as many hours of time awake to accomplish things regardless of when you wake up and go to bed, so why would it matter if you wake up at 5 or 10?
Oh god girl u straight up spoke truth about waking up early against our body clock and then doing nothing productive I have always struggled with this problem and after all the struggle I have come to the conclusion that I am completely a night owl and nothing can change that :)
Great stuff! It is so good to have more people talking about this, I'm definitely in the night owl group and always found some resistance in explaining that waking up and going to sleep late doesn't mean laziness. Perhaps, as we see increased flexibility in the workplace (pushed by covid) people will tend to adopt the times that fit their biology better and help with the so much needed cultural shift. Btw, Defence Against the Dark Arts Series?? Never heard of it before! Sounds promising... :)
I think there is a difference between 'not waking up really late' and 'waking up really early'. Keeping a sensible time and a bit of consistency are probably where the benefit comes from in my opinion.
This is exactly the video i needed this week. I’ve always been a night owl. I’ve taken jobs where I could wake up later when possible. I’m in school now to be a therapist, and you can be sure i’ll be seeing clients later in the day because that’s when I can focus. My brain is so sluggish in the morning that I also never accomplish much so it seems pointless to go against that even though i’ve experimented with the idea so many times because of societal expectations. It can be hard out there when you’re a night owl🦉. We gotta stick together. 💜
Thisssss.. I wake up at 8-9 and love to stay up late and when I was at uni I'd study 9pm to 2am and I was super productive. I always HATED waking up early, at school it never got easy. Now at work, I do the same, I'm late in the morning and work overtime in the evening. Thank you for this video
It’s interesting that you said if you do make yourself go to bed early you can wake up at say 7 and it’s not so painful. I have tried to explain to people the “painful” thing with waking up early and it’s very hard to be understood. I’m absolutely with you. It will affect the way approach sleep with my children.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video Elizabeth! I have been trying to become a morning person for quite a while now and even though I have managed to start waking up at ~ 7am, I have noticed that my actual productivity and level of creatively have been drastically reduced and as a result I become anxious during the day which makes things even worse. Its worth a shot but please don’t go to war with yourself (as I have been for 4 months now) if things don’t seem to work out. This video was an eye opener for me.
This is very true, when I always got up early , I had never gotten work done, I will always be lazy, and it was always at night that I could do as much as possible, and now I have seen that I am a night owl,, so am definitely following my body now, except if I have to go against the biology of the body as you said. Love you Elizabeth!! 🙌😘
I absolutely love this! So many people push the narrative of doing all nighters or waking up early for the sake of it while I can get so much more done by properly sleeping
My whole life , literally everyone has told me that I need to wake up early and work hard , and I tried doing it so many times and I used to completely tire myself out by 8pm so that I'd sleep and wake up early the next morning ,but then I realised I wasn't getting absolutely any work done and I was lagging behind and then when I switched to my biological clock , all my teachers in school said I looked too tired in the mornings. And classes were in the afternoons and it was such a hassle , and since I literally get no break from school, it's been such a Rollercoaster trying to figure out a good routine for myself . Especially since everytime I stay up late, my parents shout at me , my mum gives me a huge lecture on the theory that "god created night for a reason " , ok but he created me too so why the hell am I like this ? Its just a never ending lecture . And everytime I fall sick or get a headache she blames it on me staying up late. Will never win 😭😭😭
When I started my day job, which inevitably forced me into being a part-time student, my major struggle was fitting my study schedule alongside my rigid work schedule. I used to wake up at 6am or earlier for several days but just couldn't get done much. And my overall sleep would get affected too, since no matter how early I got up, falling asleep early was still too difficult. That's when I read the book How We Sleep and got acquainted with how were biologically tuned to be morning larks or night owls. I started waking up right before work and studying after work. It's working BRILLIANTLY for me, I must confess! Thanks for the video! Helped reinforce my little personal experiences and I feel more confident about myself!
Can't tell you how well you've just justified my late mornings... I sent this video to Mum and Dad too for they think I'm "lagging behind others" bc of the fact that I'm always the last person in the house to get out of bed. You rock gurl!!!!
I'm also a night owl person. So, I can understand what are you trying to say. I feel that the time of productivity varies from person to person. There is no rigid rule that you have to wake up early to become successful. It's good to know that there are people like you who falls in the same trait as I'm. Thanks for making this video. Now whenever anyone will ask me why did I stay up late and do my work, I will forward this video. Great work.
Maybe an experiment could be a solution! Using an activity tracker and a diary over a 14 day period! An alarm clock & TV forbidden, laptop, tablet,phone only for your work, and News &l Weather Report, amber , weather and disaster allert! Switch to more warm toned Light! No Caffeine & alcohol and so on after 9 pm! Go to bed when you feel Sleepy and getting out bed when waking up! Excl bathroom visits! Maybe figuring out your viologic clock!
The first time I kinda differ with Elizabeth... If your aim is to get work done early, it might not work for you. I am a night owl, but it was ruining my health completely in every respect, i failed year after year trying to get work done in the morning cz I hated it. So now i stay away from work in the mornings, instead i have some "me time"...that way i dont hate to wake up. I wake up at 6...I pray, meditate, do my yoga, etc in the early morning hours, may be listen to a few podcasts/lectures that I have to.... Just to refresh and wake up and generate great ideas...Then I start my "normal day"....at around 9... Results: my focus is much better for work during the day, my physical Health has improved, but most importantly my mental Health has improved tremendously. I feel amazing...where as waking up at 9-10 always felt like catching up to something i couldn't, only to stay up late anxious cz i still had to work, which I was able to do cz I am a night owl, but it affected my sleep quality and mental health.
We all need this video, I am such a night owl and everyone tells me to change that but it really doesn't make a difference if you wake up early or late, you accomplish the same amount of things in the night as you do in the morning if not more
One size does NOT fit all. Makes wonder what other misconceptions we hold about productivity 🤔 Great video, Liz. Its so awesome that you help people, myself included, realize that seemingly unproductive behaviour can actually be productive if done right.
I'm glad you're talking about these things and having a rational view. I have burnt my self out because of "toxic productivity". I do less now but I am more productive. Working when I feels best and giving my self a window to work.
To be honest when I started Sleeping early and waking up early I have actually been doing really well in studies understanding the topics I am learning . And Feel healthy too I did try waking up late and I just don't feel the same way. I am not against staying up late I do enjoy it every now and then you have to test it out and find what is best for you.
I love this! I’m definitely a night owl 🦉 I feel more productive, alert, focused and even more confident as the day gets cooler and the sun gets lower. I love that late evening time of day! When the sun is shining it’s golden light on the tops of the trees and everything is more clear in the atmosphere! I just love it. 🍂
I am really surprised by how clear you are regarding your thoughts,not forcing productivity.You obviously are my favourite RU-vider starting from today 😍.
A few years ago I finally accepted (begrudgingly) that I need my full sleep and all. Eventually I also went from night owl to now going to bed at 10 and waking up at 6ish (with no alarm!). I find that while it technically doesn't matter what time I go to sleep as long as I get enough of it, for me the morning hours are quieter and more primed to be productive. So I choose to get more of those at the expense of evening hours which (for me, and I suspect a lot of people) tend to be more reactive to other people's plans or I use them to watch extra TV or something similar that doesn't serve me well in the long run.
