I used to believe I am a night person. Once upon a time I would remain awake until 2 a.m., sometimes until 4 a.m. too, hacking away on some interesting technical problem with no fixed time for when to go to bed. It was impossible for me to wake up before 9 a.m. My professional working hours were between 1:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Since I was working remotely, this scheduled worked fine and led me to believe I am a night person.
About two years ago, I got a non-remote regular job where I need to travel across the city to get to my office. I began waking up early at 6:00 a.m. to reach office early before the traffic begins to peak. My professional working hours are now 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. My personal hacking hours are 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I go to bed by 10:00 p.m. I have become a morning person and I see no difference in productivity.
If I had to choose if one is better than the other, although it would be a difficult choice, I would choose being a morning person is better for the sole reason that I go to bed at a fixed time and I don't keep hacking away at problems indefinitely until 4:00 a.m. when both body and mind are tired.
But at the same time, if my circumstances changed and I had to turn into a night person again, I don't think I would have any difficulty doing that.
I think human beings cannot be categorized into such black and white categories for many things. We are, by nature, adaptable species.
About two years ago, I got a non-remote regular job where I need to travel across the city to get to my office. I began waking up early at 6:00 a.m. to reach office early before the traffic begins to peak. My professional working hours are now 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. My personal hacking hours are 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I go to bed by 10:00 p.m. I have become a morning person and I see no difference in productivity.
If I had to choose if one is better than the other, although it would be a difficult choice, I would choose being a morning person is better for the sole reason that I go to bed at a fixed time and I don't keep hacking away at problems indefinitely until 4:00 a.m. when both body and mind are tired.
But at the same time, if my circumstances changed and I had to turn into a night person again, I don't think I would have any difficulty doing that.
I think human beings cannot be categorized into such black and white categories for many things. We are, by nature, adaptable species.