Get on up.

I like to wake up early. In the past, behavioural experts have distinguished what they believed to be to types of behaviour, in terms of waking and sleeping times. People who are classed as a ‘Night Owl’, tend to stay up later, getting the majority of their work done at night. They usually find it easier to work at that time, as they become more productive. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the ‘Morning Lark’. In this category, you’re more likely to be productive in the morning, waking up earlier, and getting the majority of your work done then.

I don’t think that I exclusively fit into one category, because to be honest, I love working both early in the morning and late at night. If I had to choose though, I would say that I think being a ‘Morning Lark’ provides the greater benefits.

The main reason I love to get up early to work, is that if you get up early enough, no-one else is around. That means no distractions. Even if you go outside for a walk, before about 7am, it feels like the world belongs to you, and you only. I think walking in the morning might be one of my favourite activities in the whole world, probably because of how serenely peaceful it can be.

As a writer, it can also be good practice to start writing as soon as you get up, because the remains of your dreams are still clinging to the inside of your brain, like milk to a thick mustache. This means that you often find yourself most creative in the morning, unrestrained by dogma or the logic that this world so heavily favours over eccentricity.

The other benefit of getting up early is that it can make the day feel so long. I mean that in a good way of course. It feels like you’ve been given more hours to play with. That, in turn allows you to get more done, but also to have more relaxing time as well. When I was at university, in my last year, I began a bit of an unconventional habit in the mornings. I would wake up super early, shower, and then watch a movie, and I’d do all this before university. The reasoning was that I loved movies but never got to watch them. This meant that I was starting my day with everyone else at uni, having already taken in a whole movie.

The cherry on the cake for me though, is the feeling I get when I get up early to write. I just feel like a real writer. Feeling real, in terms of feeling like a real professional, can be a problem for creative people. It takes a long while to get paid for creativity, so at times, it’s easy to feel like you’re not really what you say you are — for example, I’m not really a writer, because no-one pays me to do it. When I get up early, the combination of the commitment, the routine, and the discipline makes me feel legitimate. It makes me feel like one day, some success will come my way. That belief is what keeps me going.

Even if you think you might be more of a ‘Night Lark’, I wholeheartedly suggest you try getting up early to get some work done. You might be surprised with how it goes.

Warmly,

Jack.