I gotta say: I did this for years. While I loved it at the time, looking back it’s clear that I was incredibly “productive” in that I got a lot done. But I wasn’t terribly fruitful; the results of my work did not compare to when I wasn’t doing this.
I have a theory as to why...
I have a theory as to why...
The “incredibly successful people” you hear about doing this are largely managing huge teams of people doing the creative & skilled labor work. There is a LOT of work on their plates. Doing their job effectively requires squeezing this many hours out of their way to get work done
When I started doing this, we had a very small team (< 5). It was imperative that I still lead the team on creative work. It was imperative that I still be creative, and while I thought I was bringing fresh thought, it’s clear that I wasn’t. Studies have shown that our...
...creativity disappears when we’re tired. And while I made sure to get enough sleep most nights by going to bed early enough, I needed a good bit of coffee to make 4 a.m. work most mornings, even years into it.
When I look back on my career, I realize that I spent years waking up whenever that were pretty productive, highly creative, and incredibly fruitful. Then I spent years up at 4 that were insanely productive, only somewhat creative, and way, way less fruitful.
When I could get a full workday’s worth of work done before 10 AM, I felt awesome! It felt like there was no limit to what I could get done.
But this also means I was forced to focus far less.
But this also means I was forced to focus far less.
So after years of getting up at 4, I have noticed that it was insanely productive but far less creative and focused.
My business isn’t Apple; my business needs me to be insanely creative and focused in my work — even more, I found out, than it needs me to be insanely productive.
My business isn’t Apple; my business needs me to be insanely creative and focused in my work — even more, I found out, than it needs me to be insanely productive.
