Knowing your body's clock

I am one of those dreaded morning people.

But let's start at the beginning: It's 5 am when my alarm goes off (yes, even after the daylight savings time switch). The cat is demonstratively happy to see me get out of bed. She gets fed and I go for a run. After I return, I am able to shower, get dressed, complete some kitchen chores, and post to my blog before it's even time for my family to get up.

To my family, I seem annoyingly chipper, encouraging them to get up and start their days. (I know that they are not morning people; they are bears. I honestly do try to tone the happiness down, but sometimes I can't help it.) They get up; while they get ready, I complete a few more chores; the day moves on.

Once at work, I know who I am allowed to talk to in the mornings and who I have to wait to engage in conversation until they have fully woken up. We all work hard all day only to leave and battle traffic home. Once back at home, after dinner, evening chores and our son is in bed, I crash fairly quickly. My bedtime is 10 pm. My husband is usually still awake. Strangely, so is the cat.

The point of all this is that I know my body's clock. I know when I need to get stuff done and when I'll have the most energy to do it. It just so happens that mornings are my time to shine.

This article from the New Yorker does a great job explaining the differences between morning people and night people and the science that fuels our most productive hours. Interestingly, the article takes a look at the longstanding cliches that morning people are more moral. And that is something that I never thought of before. I love that I am able to get so much done in the mornings; I try not to brag about it, but I am sure all that time I spent writing about it above probably upset a few people.

So, for the record: No, I don't think I am a better person than you because I happen to like the amount of energy and productivity I have in the mornings. I just hope that you learn your body's clock and use it to your advantage.

When's your most productive time of the day? Tell me in the comments.