Why Being an Early Bird is Not Always Better

Sunday thoughts: are you an early bird or a night owl?

I certainly identify more with the latter category.

Today's work reality is that our days are often disrupted by short, yet frequent online calls and urgent requests from bosses, stakeholders and clients.
The only time to get actual work done is either early in the morning or late in the evening.

The issue is, to get work done before everyone else starts their day, typically around 8:30-9am, you'll need to wake up no later than 6am. However, you'll likely still need to remain online until at least 5pm. You’ll probably end up just working more hours.

To wake up that early, you need to be asleep by 10pm at the latest, which means you should be ready for bed by around 9.30pm. You’ll soon find out there’s not much time left after work!

Not to mention networking events or casual drinks with colleagues, which are very important for your career but often take place after 6pm.

Additionally, starting early might force you to hurry before the morning meetings kick in, keeping an eye on the clock in a race against time. This would certainly cause me anxiety!

Rather, I prefer to wait until everyone else leaves the office, allowing me to focus at my own pace, without needing to watch the clock. I feel relaxed and that's when I'm most creative. I've always found the best solutions to complex problems during these moments.

Also, if you start at 6am, you may end up working longer each day. However, if you start at a normal time, you have the choice to just occasionally stay late.

I recently discovered the Goldilocks principle.

This principle is derived from the children's tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". In the story, Goldilocks prefers porridge that is neither too hot nor too cold, but “just right”. This concept is even used in astronomy to describe Earth's ideal distance from the sun, which allows it to support life with its "just right" temperature.

This principle is also known as the "rule of three", where the third option is often the best. Think of SaaS pricing models for example, where out of three options, one is usually “recommended”.

So it's not about being an early bird or a night owl, but rather finding a balance in the middle, the third option.
I think we should stop celebrating the 5am club or be impressed by who stays in the office until midnight.

At the end of the day, ever wondered why most workplaces operate from 9 to 5?