No, You Don’t Have to Wake Up at 5 AM in Order to Be Wildly Successful
A brief introduction to the wonderful world of personalized sleep
It’s easy to get caught up in the toxic hustle-culture notion that only those who live in a chronic state of sleep deprivation and cat-nap on the Tesla factory floor can ever be truly successful, but the truth is that waking up at 5 AM is extremely overrated, and is probably dangerous for your health.
Reality check:
While the average American sleeps less than seven hours per night, the world belongs to those who sleep quite a bit above average (8–12 hours/night), and by those who do so on a customized schedule that best suits their individual bodies:
- CEOs: Jeff Bezos. Warren Buffett. Bill Gates. Sheryl Sandberg.
- Thought leaders: The Dalai Lama. Arianna Huffington.
- Athletes: Lebron James. Roger Federer. Michelle Wei.
- Entertainers: Jennifer Lopez. Matthew McConaughey. Halley Berry.
Rather unfortunately, Medium’s back catalog is rife with articles outlining the “8 Things Everyone Should Do Before 8AM,” insisting “You Make Or Break Your Day Before 6AM,” and outlining “How to Become an Early Riser Even If You’re Not an Early Riser.”
