Ahh, the age old debate of what rhythm works best for you - the AM or the PM.

It may just be a generational conversation piece - you’ve been told all your life by your parents to wake up early, and for a while, you did; until your teenage and young adult years, where you discovered the sweet uninterrupted bliss that comes after midnight.

Let’s face it, we’ve all been on both sides of this spectrum, and most people tend to stay up longer, only to constantly be told to wake up earlier. Let's take me, for example.

The Dean in 2016

For a long while, I believed I always functioned better at night. Even when living at home, my parents usually went to sleep by 10, and that would give me a good 5-6 hours to do.. literally anything - watch a couple of movies, chat with everyone, of course, some porn every now and then.

During my college years, and pretty much the peak of my night owl routine, I’d find most of my productivity in the twilight hours. Our college library was open 24 hours. I’d usually head there around 11:30 p.m, arrive by midnight, and stay till 6 a.m. There were quite a few reasons for this, one being that there were very little distractions. Most people were asleep. The other is that I was King of my domain. I could sit wherever I wanted, I could do whatever I wanted.

Ahh it was so peaceful at that time. I’d then come home around 7 am and sleep until 2 p.m. Continuing this through my initial career stages, I’d usually stay up until 3 a.m on the Playstation (Just one more mission, I’d say… it was never just one), and then wake up at 8 a.m to be at work by 9.

The Dean in 2021

Now this Dean, he’s different. In 2019, the company I worked for had a quick lunch seminar with a sleep therapist, who gave us some insights into sleep patterns and how it associates with your health.Though I don’t remember much of it now, I was intrigued in considering a morning routine. I attempted a change, and in the pandemic, I was able to fully commit.

In 2021, I was in bed by 10 p.m, and awake by 4 a.m. I’d reached a point where I didn’t even need the alarm, my body would naturally wake me up. I did realize around then that I had, in fact, completely transitioned into …a morning person.

So I’ve got a good understanding of both sides, and I’d like to use this article to highlight why I prefer one over the other.  But before that, I want to clarify, there is no one-size-fits-all. This is NOT going to be another article preaching why mornings are better (just partly though). Because I do understand that every person is different, and for many people, the routine isn’t in their control (people who work at hospitals or call centers for instance).

While it is generally accepted (and scientifically proven) that your body works better when you align it with circadian rhythms, I have also seen plenty of people accomplish their best in the late hours of the night (I was one of them).

Your sleep routine is actually a key element of your day. When you go for a morning routine, you’re choosing to control how you *start* the day. In the case of a night routine, you’d control how your day *ends.* The feeling of accomplishment can come from either. Though what I really found worked for me, is the lack of distractions.

When you‘re staying up past 10 p.m, you’re opening yourself up to a lot of distractions. Since you’re carrying the weight of the day with you, your nights will usually be a reflection of your day (good or bad). Add to that, a myriad of social distractions - a lot of your friends and potential partners are going to be up late. After all, most people start their social activities after 9 pm, when they’re in bed. So you’ll often be tempted to stay up later, because on the surface, the night offers opportunities that may be disguised as distractions.

In the mornings however, the earlier you wake up, the better you deal with non-existent distractions. The only real distraction is your phone, and if you can keep it away, you’re able to get a few hours to yourself uninterrupted. I usually wake up around 5 am, but I don’t look at my phone until 7:30 - 8. I’ve filled up my morning with a routine that keeps me going and active, and keeps distractions away. You have the advantage of starting the day fresh, and once you learn to control it, it feels beneficial.

Something else that most people don’t consider when switching to a morning routine, is that you’ll have to sacrifice your social status. People don’t like people who go to bed early, especially those who are trying to hold onto their youth. I’ve been ridiculed plenty, and eventually if your resolve is strong, you learn to take it in stride. As you grow older, your peers join you, but for people in their 20’s, giving up your nights to focus on mornings is going to be incredibly challenging, primarily because of FOMO. Those late night flirtatious texts, booty calls, connecting with friends, getting drunk, playing games, all of that will need to go away. And all of that, does fall under your social presence.

A good sentiment to sum it up:
The night gives you peace; the morning gives you power.

There’s a tweet that goes “2 a.m is the most peaceful time in the world”
And I agree. Once you cross midnight, it starts to get quiet and peaceful. You can be yourself, and live in your element. And that time is hard to give up. Of course it is, because it's peaceful.

In exchange , the morning routine gives you power. You’re awake before the rest of the world, sometimes even before the sun comes up.  And this *feels* powerful. You feel like you can do anything, because why not. Waking up earlier than you should, is one of the hardest things an adult can do. Yet once accomplished, you get access to a time-zone that only an elite few get to see. And therein comes that power - the power to dominate. If you can channel that into the start of your day, there’s a strong possibility that it will continue throughout.

I feel like I’ve experienced both these lifestyles at the right time in my life. When I was younger, with plenty of energy to dispel, staying up later was amazing, and a much required peace in what I’d deemed as stressful situations. As I grow older, and craft purpose, the mornings become desirable, because I have a lot to accomplish and want to kick start my day to get to them.

There really is no right answer - either routine can work well towards can accomplish. I recommend first trying both, before deciding. A lot of us are afraid to start the morning, because we see all the sacrifices that have to be made to get there, rather than the benefits that come when we arrive. But all you have to do is try it out, and if it genuinely doesn’t work, those nights aren’t going anywhere.