Night owls vs. Morning people: who comes out ahead?
Eric Barker stashed this in #happiness
Stashed in: Sleep!, Personality, Productivity, Flow, Meditate, @bakadesuyo, Owls!
Their personalities are definitely different:
...morning types are attracted to concrete information rather than abstract thinking and like to rely on logic rather than intuition. They tend to be introverted, self-controlled, and eager to make a good impression on others. In contrast, evening types have a far more creative outlook on life, are more prepared to take risks, are more independent and nonconforming, and are a little impulsive.
But morning people are more proactive and happier.
Virtually 100% of programmers are night-owls!
You're a programmer and you're not a night owl. :)
I have been a night-owl since I was an infant. I wish I could sleep before 2 am.
Dina, I'm obsessed with sleep: http://pandawhale.com/ifindkarma/sleep
Perhaps meditation or exercise can help?
I've tried both. Meditation does help. I need to start up again. :)
puppy on phone! :) Cute cute!
I'm just starting to learn about meditation: http://pandawhale.com/ifindkarma/meditate
If you find any interesting links or tips, please share!
I will!
Flow activities help Adam... you don't have to be properly meditating to get the benefit :)
Which activities do you consider Flow activities?
For me .. Yoga, exercise classes like RPM (where I do not have time to let the mind wander) ... sewing, baking, cooking, snow skiing (you can definitely leave the world behind when you are flying down the field at top speed!), painting (altho with 3 kids I do not get to do this much - the canvas and paints are just far too tempting for little hands!) ... photography ...
In general I consider flow activities as anything that creates a state of calm and peace within.. something that requires you to focus and allows your mind to just be still - generally for me this is creativity ...
It is a lot harder to exercise regularly if you are a night owl, I've found.
Works out for me okay. I pretty consistently hit the gym one hour before close. It's great -- nearly have the place to myself. :)
But aren't you tired after a day of working hard?
If i'm getting enough sleep at night I find the too-tired-to-exercise feeling is mostly psychological. Feeling tired makes me not want to go to the gym but once I get there and get started I'm fine:
http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-get-yourself-to-exercise-more
That makes sense, but let me ask the question a different way.
Shouldn't we have more energy and constitution at the beginning of the day, than at the end of the day?
Depends on the individual, I think. Some people bounce out of bed in the morning, others are like trying to start an old motorcycle. :)
And then there's scheduling, what might be best for your workout may not be best for your other priorities.
Scheduling is always a tough one. It's hard to work regular hours, so things at the end of the day are more likely to get dropped to get work done.
That may be the best reason of all for exercising early in the day. :)
I think so. My track record is much better for early than late.
5:19 AM May 15 2012