These days, if you scroll through social media, you will see videos and photo carousels showing you how to achieve the best morning routine. It’s another societal pressure point telling you that this is what you should be doing. You need to wake up before the sun, get that work out in, drink the matcha or black coffee – because God forbid you enjoy a flavorful vanilla cappuccino!
If that is your vibe, then great, but it is definitely not everyone’s. When waking up early isn’t your thing, everyone will start calling you lazy, or maybe even say you enjoy going out too much. Most of the time, that isn’t even true. The terms “early bird” and “night owl” are actually real. Some people are actually one or the other.
Ever since I was little, I hated school, mostly because of the early mornings. I would come home and need a nap afterwards. Then, as I grew up, I had jobs that had earlier work hours. Luckily, as time went on, I was able to pick jobs with schedules that fit my internal clock. I now work overnights, and while I’m in school, it is remote, so the schedule is flexible. This works really well with my preferred sleep hours.
My family has always thought I was lazy or doing something irresponsible throughout the night, but honestly? I do the same things as someone who wakes up at seven or eight in the morning. I just do them at different hours. Time is a construct, right?
The science of sleep schedules
According to studies, we all have a chronotype. Chronotypes help explain a person’s natural and genetic preferred time of sleep and the hours in which they are most active. This is simple biology. Some are lions, which are the early birds. Next are the bears, who are most productive between 11:00 am and 6:00 PM. Another is the wolf, also known as the night owl. Finally, there are the Dolphins, who are unique in that they are light sleepers and tend to exercise in the morning to ease anxiety.
It is best to arrange your schedule around your chronotype, and not the other way around. Once you find your chronotype, plan your day around it if possible. Pushing against it can lead to social jet lag. Social jetlag has been associated with developing obesity, depression, and diabetes.
A few ways to help this are setting a sleep schedule and sticking to it, eating healthy foods at specific times, and exercising, which can improve sleep quality. Estimating the best time frames for these activities is best set according to your chronotype, so be sure to look up what fits your exact type. When all else fails, it is best to consult your doctor or local sleep expert.
Early birds don’t always get the worm
There is such a myth that if you wake up early, you are more productive. I, myself, have proven otherwise. I get as much done in my household as the other people I live with, who wake up at six or nine in the morning, whereas I wake up anywhere between five and seven in the evening.
The belief that early risers are more productive didn’t appear out of nowhere. Society has long glorified morning people as more disciplined, more driven, and even more responsible. In modern culture, we have come to believe in the superiority of hustle culture. The idea that if you are not maximizing every hour of your day, especially the early ones, you are falling behind. Social media has only amplified this. The five in the morning productivity trend paints early mornings as a badge of honor that is filled with gym sessions, green juices, journaling, and silent self-improvement before the rest of the world wakes up.
Waking up early became the symbol of control, ambition, and superiority. Whereas sleeping in later is often associated with laziness, lack of discipline, and irresponsibility. The hour you wake up does not measure your work ethic. It measures your schedule.
Time is what you make of it. I still work an eight-hour shift, get my household duties done, finish my to-do list, take care of myself, complete my writing and schoolwork, and even make time for a social life and go out when I can.
Someone who wakes up at five in the morning can waste time just like anyone else, or they can be just as productive. Again, time is what you make of it. As long as you have a routine that fits your body and mind, then you will be good to go.
Building your schedule
We can easily search for your best morning routine, but what about those of us who wake up when others are eating dinner? I got you! Here is how you can get your perfect “wake-up” routine, no matter when you wake up.
Make sure you set a consistent sleep schedule based on your chronotype. Then, when you wake up, I recommend not getting sucked into your phone right away. Stretch, sip some water. Exercise if that’s your thing. Even a short walk. Make a good meal for yourself. Then focus on your to-do list, whatever that may be. Be sure to make time for fun in between that to-do list and your work/school schedule. Not everything is a grind.
I personally do not like having to abide by a strict schedule. I just have my to-do list and make sure I am on time for work and my deadlines. My main priority is getting at least eight hours of sleep and giving myself at least three hours before my overnight shift starts, just for me. I work from home, so I have more time to get stuff done and then start work right away.
Redefine what time is to you
Whether you wake up in the morning, mid-day, or in the evening, it does not dictate how successful your day will be. Productivity is not determined by the hour you open your eyes, but by what you choose to do with the time you have. Everyone has a different internal clock, and understanding yours can change the way you approach your life. Instead of forcing yourself into a routine that was never designed for you, you can learn to work with your biology, not against it.
For years, being a night owl was treated like something bad, something to fix, something to outgrow. It isn’t! It’s simply a different rhythm. Once you stop measuring yourself against someone else’s schedule, you realize there was never anything wrong with you to begin with. Success doesn’t belong to the early risers alone. It belongs to anyone who learns how to listen to themselves and build a life that works in sync with who they naturally are.
