{"id":22881,"date":"2019-03-28T10:24:31","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T02:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/server1.webstudio.com.sg\/~staging\/ypsg\/?p=22881"},"modified":"2019-03-28T10:45:00","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T02:45:00","slug":"4am-night-owl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/server1.webstudio.com.sg\/~staging\/ypsg\/4am-night-owl\/","title":{"rendered":"A Night Owl Tried Waking Up At 4am For An Entire Week, And Here Are The Results."},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all heard it before. The ubiquitous clich\u00e9 that \u201cwaking up early is the secret to success\u201d. Just check any article that has something to do with productivity tips<\/em> or everyday secrets of successful people<\/em> and you\u2019ll probably find a discussion along the lines of waking up before the rooster crows.<\/p>\n

And the fact that this notion is so commonplace probably lends some sort of credence to it. Which is why I took it upon myself to test this routine for a week, to see if it indeed effects higher productivity and an overall better lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that I\u2019m a night owl by nature, which means the idea of sleeping earlier than 12am and waking up before the sunrise is in the realm of the unfamiliar.<\/p>\n

The Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Source<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

When I said waking up at 4am for a week<\/em>, I meant it in every sense of the word. A week is a consecutive period of 7 days, and although I initially planned to execute it perfectly from Monday to Sunday, failure for the first two days resulted in a Wednesday to Wednesday scheme.<\/p>\n

For someone who dwells in the shadows of the night, this week-long project was a gruelling one that I struggled – but still managed – to accomplish.<\/p>\n

The entire process starts with sleeping early. Shut off your electronic gadgets by 11pm and crawl into bed, counting to probably a million as you impatiently close your eyes and force yourself to sleep.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t obediently play by the rules and wake up at 4am sharp. The earliest day was probably around 4:07am and the latest one would be around 4:30am.<\/p>\n

The process of waking up involved placing my phone \u2013 which was also my alarm – nowhere within arm\u2019s reach, setting multiple alarms to ring every five minutes, and stationing a full water bottle right beside it.<\/p>\n

Getting out of bed, switching off the alarm and drinking some water help to jolt my body into motion.<\/p>\n

After that it\u2019s the standard morning routine, that also involves resisting the overwhelming temptation to climb back into bed.<\/p>\n

A useful solution to that would be to make your bed the moment you get up, because then you wouldn\u2019t want to destroy your self-created masterpiece of tidiness by going back to sleep.<\/p>\n

Next comes the brainless tasks \u2013 household chores, clearing emails, watching videos, and scrolling through social media. Some people would include exercise, or going for a walk as well.<\/p>\n

Once my brain has reached its ideal activity level, that\u2019s when the day really starts. For me, this would be about 5:30-5:45am.<\/p>\n

Here are a few additional tips:<\/p>\n