Why 'me time' in the morning generally works better than the evening
When I ask busy professionals when they get time for themselves, the most common answer is late in the evening, once work is done and most (if not all) of the household has gone to bed. Often, this ‘me time’ takes the form of what has been dubbed ‘revenge bedtime procrastination’ – TV, social media, doomscrolling or other fairly mindless activity (I’m certainly not judging) used as a way of winding down before bed.
A small subset of people really do make the late evening count. These are usually people whose body clock means they peak towards the end of the day – what’s known as an ‘owl’ chronotype. In the corporate world, though, I’ve found these to be rare birds indeed.
In my experience, people in business are more often ‘larks’, with energy and enthusiasm high in the morning but generally declining as the day goes on. For these people in particular, ‘me time’ tends to work better at the start of the day than at the end.
Many early risers find good uses for an hour or two in the morning, before the rest of the household is awake and before emails and messages start pinging for their attention.
Some of the ways people use this time include:
1. Exercise. A dog walk, a run, a home workout or a trip to the gym.
2. Journalling. Many people advocate it, but I don’t know many who actually do it. A simpler alternative is to spend a few moments reflecting on what’s good about life and what there is to be grateful for. This alone can help reframe your mindset for the day and lift your mood.
3. Planning the day and setting intentions. I’ve made the case elsewhere for prioritising tasks and ‘time-blocking’ them during the working day. The early morning is a good time to review these intentions and commit to them.
4. Tackling one or more most important tasks. Many early risers use the first part of the day to complete one or more key tasks they identified and scheduled the day before. Having ‘cleared the decks’, they can be more present and focused for the rest of the day – including the unscheduled requests and tasks that inevitably come their way.
Why the early morning is often a ‘golden hour’
There are several reasons why the early morning can be regarded as something of a ‘golden hour’ (or two):
• Fewer interruptions. Emails, messages and other people’s priorities haven’t yet arrived. For many of us, it’s the only part of the day that’s genuinely uninterrupted.
• A fresher brain. After a decent night’s sleep, most of us – and larks in particular – are better placed for clear thinking, planning and focused work than we are at the end of a long day.
• It's much more likely to happen. Evening plans have a habit of being squeezed out by work that overruns, family commitments or sheer fatigue. Morning time, once it becomes a habit, is much more reliable.
• It can shape the rest of the day. Starting with something for ourselves – whether movement, reflection or meaningful progress – tends to put us on the front foot, rather than spending the day in reactive mode.
• It protects our sleep. Front-loading the day means evenings can be used for winding down, rather than for activities that keep us wired late into the night.
How to become an early riser
None of this necessarily requires a 5am start, although I’ve found that many people who go to bed relatively early wake naturally at around this time. But if getting up at 7 or 7.30am is already a challenge, an earlier start can seem impossible.
Early rising isn’t for everyone, but I’ve found it’s generally possible to become an early, energised riser with the right approach. The two strategies that work best in my experience are:
1. A consistent (early) wake time. Getting up earlier than usual can be tough at first, usually for a few days. But it also tends to make us sleepy earlier in the evening, and going to bed when we feel that sleepiness helps shift the body clock to an earlier rhythm. Bringing the wake time forward gradually – say, by 15 minutes every few days – can make the transition easier.
2. Morning light. Morning light helps set the body clock, making it easier to feel sleepy earlier in the evening and to wake feeling refreshed. Getting outside for 10–30 minutes early in the day is a simple, low-risk, low-cost way to support better sleep and more energised mornings.
One important caveat: rising earlier should never come at the expense of sleep. An earlier start only works if it’s matched by an earlier bedtime. Cutting sleep to create ‘me time’ is a false economy that will likely cost us in energy, mood and performance.
For many of us, the days are now getting shorter and the mornings darker, which can make these changes a little harder than at other times of the year. But it also means morning light matters more than ever – and if your morning energy tends to dip in winter, now might be the ideal time to start.
