Waking up at 5am + You guys get 7 plus hrs of sleep!!?!??

[superseiyan]

Hey Guys:

I'm giving waking up at 5:15 a shot. Get some reading and exercise (though exercise is not every day). Rationale:
5:15 awake 5:30 gym 6:15 back home 6:40 shower//changing done 7:00 breakfast done.

I leave house at 7:45 to get to work on time via metro.

My question though is how do you guys sleep at 9 or 10? I'm also an entrepreneur, and also building a social life I understand is part of personal effectiveness. Howcan you be busy, build a social life and get 7 in some cases 9 or 10 hours of sleep? Seems impossible. Studying, getting back late from the movies after being out with friends, preparing your stuff for work the next day, etc.

Oh, also I'll be in grad school in 6-10 months, so I'm hopeful taht that wont' derail my plans.

Pretty much as it is I sleep at 12 or 1 often. So that'd be 4-5 hours of sleep....perhaps on one night at 7 or 8 just to "recover".

But I'm interested in how you guys have adapted to waking up early, and what your schedule/hobbies are. Seems to me to get 8 hours of sleep or so you'd have to have no life.

[Eisho]

I sleep around 2-3 am and wake at 6 five or six times a week. BUT I sleep for an hour in the afternoon too. That makes all the difference. Also, keep yourself mentally stimulated. Be careful with what you read - if it's boring you'll nod off. Same with other activities. Keep yourself mentally and physically engaged.

Cheers,

Eisho

[funchy]

Go to sleep at 10, plain and simple.

You can still do networking luncheons or after-work mixers. Just don't overeat later in the evening and try to be back by 9ish.

Save movie-night, hanging out with friends, and late dinners for Fri and Sat nights only.

I on the other hand am useless all day when I get up at 5am. I've never been able to suffer through enough days to finally adjust. So what I do is find ways to start doing things a little later. For example, do the gym after work and do the reading on lunch hour? Or skip gym some days but do a brisk 30 minute walk at lunch hour?

[Smarky]

I don't understand why you guys do this or even would want to? Who wants to be awake at 5 in the morning?

Why would you want to go to bed so early? It's fine on the odd day if tired, but every night? Why? I guess i'm just a person that hates mornings and loves night time! I don't get the benefit.

[Matt Willard]

More time to do stuff.

[Dan.Linehan]

Meh, I am back to waking up at 7:30am. Had a couple late nights this week.

Funchy is exactly right. Going to bed at ten is ideal.

[Cran]

I am more produtcitve in th emorning, so I get up at 5. But this is only true in wintertime, when it is still dark. I do not work well in daylight...

I have no problem falling asleep at 10, if I can't manage that at all (due to my job, for example), I will take a nap around 2 p.m, but I take care not to make it a habit, that would mess up my schedule.

If you got up at 5 and your body needs the sleep, he will happily agree to bed at 10

[Smarky]

Originally Posted by Matt Willard

More time to do stuff.

Why not just stay up later? It's a better time anyway than early morning and nice and dark!

[Ilya]

Originally Posted by Smarky

Why not just stay up later? It's a better time anyway than early morning and nice and dark!

Well, I'm and owl and have been so for the most part of my life, but It's hard to admit that I'm more rested in the morning than in the evening. On it's own it does not necessary mean I'm more productive in the morning. If I'm groggy nothing gets done. The trick is to combine early rising with some way of getting into an alert state of mind fast. Then it is possible to reap all the benefits of the early rising. You can do stuff while fully rested. You get a lot done early. And if you start with the most important tasks, you get a feeling of accomplishment even if you derail later in the day.
Still a lot can be done at night, but for me it is usually some passive actions, like reading, watching an educational video, a movie... something that does not require me to be creative.

[Matt Willard]

Originally Posted by Smarky

Why not just stay up later? It's a better time anyway than early morning and nice and dark!

I'm not a night owl. Your mileage may vary, though.