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The 5am {Hack}

Dmitri on November 27, 2020

The fresh start RISE UP, Start fresh, see the bright opportunity in each day. – Paulo Coehlo You know that side hustle you wanted to ...
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Filip Iulian Pacurar

When I read something like this, 99% of the articles do not mention the time they go to bed so they can get up at 5. Thoughts? I usually go to bed after 12am.

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lankjan007 profile image
Dmitri • Edited

Yes Filip, i have to get to bed by 8 or at most 9 pm, to feel energised to wake up at 5, as per scientific recommendation ☝️😉

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Julia Flash • Edited

I do this already and credit my new kitten - who is still 0 years old according to insurance until February next year - with the initiation, formation and execution of my workday schedule in 2020.

She has made me more productive in the morning by waking me up at 4-5 AM to serve her tuna. She then makes sure that I am available for her playtime immediately after her breakfast. This requires me to become active as well since she has a talent for "jump-chasing" dangle toys which could land her into the wall or couch if I am not attentive to how I dangle the toy itself. A lot like a bull in a rodeo and I'm the matador, which is as much of an artistry as it is an athletic event.

That leads to an earlier caffeine intake too which then gets me started in my work earlier. She might have incredible deficits in risk estimation and must evaluate said risk by the "one paw tap" policy to determine the overall threat on anything that isn't her body as well as maintains an active suspicion of the furniture being alive, she nonetheless is proven to be highly intelligent in owner management, operational planning and tactical strategy disciplines. We all have our talents.

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lankjan007 profile image
Dmitri

Awesome, wish i had one! 😉

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Julia Flash • Edited

Yeah, they'll definitely train you though. Make sure you can tolerate the bootcamp before getting one. I start getting marching orders from the kitten as early as 3 AM and learned how to "say no" from it. 😂🤣 BTW love the article. :)

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lankjan007 profile image
Dmitri

🤗Thanks, that means alot. 😌

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GlyphCat

This is the most heartwarming comment I've come across on the internet today 🐱

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Julia Flash

Awww thanks!!! 🥰

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Nikolay Nikonov • Edited

That depends. For example, I can't think straight in the morning. At all. Even if I went to bed at 7pm and woke up at 5am. Crickets. My mind is just filled with impenetrable fog.

I usually work from 10pm (sometimes from midnight or 1am) to 4-5am and sleep till noon/3pm. And I do this almost all my life (even in school, I was showing up at noon or later and persuaded all my teachers that I can educate myself at home and then show them what I learned).

And yeah, I have two children (a 15-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl). My wife takes care of them in the morning, I help with feedings and other activities at night). She doesn't work and doesn't want to work every day. Basically, she's doing what she loves - working as a personal trainer from time to time with a select cohort of clients she likes. I provide more than enough money to not worry about it and think that's okay. We are together 24/7 (often in the same room, although the son is sitting in his room minding his own business as most teenagers do) with rare exceptions. I understand that it doesn't fit everyone. Many people like to switch environments during the day. I like to be with my family all day.

And this '5am club' is not for everyone, obviously. How many NOT successful people wake up at 5am? This is the survivorship bias at its finest.

The good exception here is Carl Icahn. He mostly sleeps till noon, but sometimes sleeps till 4pm before an important meeting to get a better deal persuading already tired lawyers (and he is well-rested and kicking a**). And, sure, he is a billionaire who's never been to '5am club.'

My take on all that is if you want to be successful - do the work you'd agreed to do on time, and show up where you'd agreed to be when you should be there. And get connections. Your friends and colleagues are the best source of life force you can obtain to get things done. In my experience, 1 mind plus 1 mind is not 2 minds, but 3 or even 5, sometimes. Never go alone.

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Candace

While interesting, this concept ignores Individual Circadian Rhythms - some people are simply 'night owls' and more productive listening to their own rhythm. -- I think the real key, is setting aside time for you everyday, whenever that is. Most people forget this simple mindful step.

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Dmitri

I do agree with you, however the major benefit that results from waking up early, is the positive effect it has on the rest of your day. Apart from feeling more accomplished you also have a different outlook on your day and will generally be more engaged throughout the day.

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adzika

But it doesn't work that way when your circadian rhythm is an evening/night one.
All people like that get from getting up that early are grumpiness/grogginess and mental and physical health issues - there's a great book on this topic called "Why we sleep" by Matthew Walker which I highly recommend to understand why things like 5am clubs are great only for a part of society, called early birds.

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lankjan007 profile image
Dmitri

Well I guess the early bird catches the worm then... 😉

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Lesley van der Pol

I think whether this works will depend a lot on the situation and the person. If you are chasing something and need this extra time to get things done then that'll work out. I for one value time with my wife a lot at night when our daughter has gone to bed, and going to bed at 8pm (!?) or 9pm just to wake up at 5am wouldn't work for me and feels like I am just wasting time I could have with my family.

I'm not sure why it would be considered a "hack", since all you're doing is moving your daily schedule. Where you have more time in the morning you lose time at night.

I start "early" myself at around 7am which is also a time where most of my development team hasn't started working yet so I can get some free time in without disturbance.

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Typing Turtle

Great ideas, worth a try!

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Peter Hoffmann

Sorry, I got kids. And a live. And tbh this makes me angry for so many reasons

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lankjan007 profile image
Dmitri

Got a 5 year old myself, and actually this is the only time i have for my own pursuits during the day. Sorry to hear you feel that way. 🤗

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Peter Hoffmann • Edited

I think what makes me angry is the fact that the article - as I read it - suggest this is an easy way to win extra work time. And thing is, you can't! Sleep is essential, even more than e.g eating. After one day of $yourIndividualNeed - 2h you feel as s**t. You time of the day is limited by the sum of your projects, some are bigger, some are smaller but you can't argue with the 24h cycle.

So while standing up before everyone else, a natural relaxation b/c you have the world to your self (unless e.g. you kids or your significant other chooses to do it as well), is an alternative to the natural behavior of just staying up late you should definitely consider, it's not a magic win. It's a trade with you self. Figure out what kind of person you are, and how your cycle runs. But if you have to finish something - even if it's just some stuff in the household like folding clothes and cleaning up the dishes - the morning club has one big disadvantage: It's terminated. As soon as your morning begins for outside reasons you're done. This might lead to stress but on the other side can help you to restrict the time you steal from your sleep budget.

So while I absolutely endorse your enthusiasm and applaud you for finding something that fit's you, I'd think the article could have won if you'd had an critical, reflecting paragraph. But perhaps that's what the comments are for.

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Ian Schoonover

Cool tip! I may just give it a go :)
BTW, which web developer bootcamp are you taking?

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lankjan007 profile image
Dmitri

Zero to Mastery with Andrei Neagoie. Great instructor by the way!

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Ian Schoonover

I've heard good things. I skimmed through that course awhile back and it looked pretty good. I help tutor students in bootcamps (I've taught at several). If you ever need a hand just look me up, Ian Schoonover (DevSprout)

Best of luck on your coding journey! :)

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Nikolay Nikonov

Andrei is a talented instructor. Go for his bootcamps/course. It's worth it!

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Eleftheria Batsou

Thank you! This is my motivation for the next couple of months!!!

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Dmitri

Just don't be too hard on yourself, when you feel you can't do it anymore take a break for a few days. And let your motivation lead you. Good luck 🤞

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Francesco Improta

Unless you've a child :D