Why night owls are more productive than early risers
by Lyssa Myska Allen, founder of DailyHap
As members of a family of late-sleepers and night owls, I and other contributors to DailyHap find this research quite validating. But naturally it isn’t the final word—and given that I recently took to rising earlier, I’m ok with that. There’s no question that sleep is a fundamental component of animal biology. A new study shows that people with higher IQs tend to be more active nocturnally, going to bed later (via this site).
Of course, this could also be correlation, not causation. (And other studies have shown morning people are more conscientious!)
Genetics and age play a role in the time you rise and go to bed, but anyone can learn from the five things nocturnals do best (according to this article):
1. Take a break in the afternoon or early evening. If you get up earlier, your break will be earlier. But it’s still important to recharge.
2. Finish the day by preparing for tomorrow. Mapping out a to-do list and prioritizing the day’s leftover tasks makes the next day easier and more efficient.
3. Reflect and adjust. The evening is a natural time to consider how the day went.
4. Finish Things. Without the chaos of an interruptive day, you can finish Things.
5. Do NOT do the little, ordinary tasks. Knocking out annoying but essential tasks is best left to morning time!
Image: Some rights reserved by Orin Zebest