Not All Hours Are Created Equally

In the last post I had I mocked the barrage of articles that claim to have the keys to success. Generally speaking, I believe that what leads one person to success will not necessarily work for someone else. In other words, what works for one person may or may not work for another. To suggest that there are certain actions to be taken that will lead to success can be a bit misleading. Rather, I believe it is often a combination of many factors, both seen and unseen, that result in success or failure. This topic was touched on in a previous post by my co-author of this blog, Luke. Additionally, the author Malcolm Gladwell discusses this topic in his book Outliers, which can be found here.

However, I do believe that there is one trait that has a strong correlation with success (at least more so than some of the other traits emphasized). In my opinion, successful people (however you define that) are productive in the early parts of the morning. Does this mean that you have to wake up at 5:00am to achieve your goals or you will fail? No. Nevertheless, not all hours are created equally. Time in the evening is typically spent watching television, browsing the internet, texting, etc. Time in the morning, from 6:00am to 9:00am is the best time for working on productive activities. Individuals simply do not get up early to do the same things they stay up late for.

Why is this the case? Self-control fatigues throughout the day. Most diets are broken in the evening, the majority of crimes are committed at night - i.e. decision making tends to be inferior as the day goes on. Again, this is because self-control declines throughout the day and one is more susceptible in the evening to temptation. This relates to success because it is important to be productive to be successful. When is it easiest to be productive and therefore the best time to get stuff done? In the morning, when distractions can most easily be fended off. Again, not all hours are created equally, especially when it relates to productivity. Specifically, non-urgent yet important tasks are best addressed in the morning. These are activities that are especially easy to put off; however, they are significant.

An excerpt from the book What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings - and Life by Laura Vanderkam:

Before the rest of the world is eating breakfast, the most successful people have already scored daily victories that are advancing them toward the lives they want.

Additionally, a Chinese proverb says the following:

No one who can rise before dawn 360 days a year fails to make his family rich.

However, one cannot just wake early and sacrifice sleep in order to be up. A good nights rest is important as well. Furthermore, this advice is not applicable to everyone. As mentioned before, what leads one person to success will not necessarily work for someone else. I simply am suggesting that being productive in the morning has a stronger correlation with success than some of the other recommendations you might here. For example, some information has suggested that schedules for people who do creative work might be a bit different. See this link and click on the poster for an interesting breakdown of how Ludwig Van Beethoven, W.A. Mozart, Sigmund Freud, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, and more spent their time. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey explains it further.

Overall, I suggest you be careful when considering replicating what other people have done or are doing in hopes of achieving success. What worked for them may not work for you. And in reality, as Malcolm Gladwell explained in the aforementioned Outliers, the factors that resulted in their success may not be what they seem. However, I do believe that being productive in the morning has a strong correlation with success, more so than some other suggestions. This is because self-control, a large determinate of productivity, fatigues as the day goes on. As a result, your best chance of getting things done is in the morning.

-Joe