You’ve been nighttiming baby and it’s out of control
creative | August 25th, 2010 by kiranSomething I always wonder about when it comes to creativity is the quandary over when to do one’s work. I’ve always found that great work doesn’t necessarily mean hours of forced concentration. Sure, that has it’s place when you’re talking about delivering on a project, but more often than not I find creative pursuits to be more about catching a wave – a right place, right time kind of thing. When is that time for you? Do you fancy yourself an early morning lark, a night owl or just somewhere in between? And why do we always use birds for these metaphors anyways? It’s like either way we just want to tell people we’re fly.
I know I’m not a lark. I detest mornings and can’t understand why I’d need to talk to anyone before 9AM. Hit me up at 1:37AM and that’s cool though. Even if I establish a sleep pattern to be functional in the early morning, it never feels as good as starting the day a bit later. The thing I’ll readily admit is I enjoy aspiring to be a night person. There’s a certain sexiness that follows the label and I love how it feels to create something you believe is brilliant in the late hours. I’m about to sound like I’m just getting high every night, but it’s as if the daytime is gridlocked with interference from everyone going about their business. At night, my mind is free to breathe and use any transmission or channel I’d like. But enough about me. Who do you think is the most productive…creative…awesome?
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August 25th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Great ideas strike any time of day for me. AM/PM, in bed, on couch, in car driving…..
Totally feel the AH HA moment is one of the most UNpredictable pieces to my life. If I had a hot spot for good ideas, I’d be “checking in” on the reg…..
August 25th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Yes. There’s the ideas which are really hard to pinpoint. Then there’s being in a productive rhythm, which is also difficult to gauge sometimes. For some reason I’m really good between 10PM-2AM. I get too tired after that window.
August 25th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
I’m totally the early-morning-idea person. I’m talking 4:30am, waking up from a deep slumber and my mind is fresh enough to create. The late night hours are, for me, best for enjoying other’s creativity…watching movies, reading, surfing the interwebs for cool ideas. I’d rather work from 6am-2pm and then have the rest of the day off…sleeping in feels like wasted time!
August 25th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
I like to get chores and tasks done really early, then do the more creative things in the afternoon. If I’m still on a roll, I go into the evening. But if I don’t get up and get my brain working by ticking marks off my task list in the morning, I’m usually useless and end up wasting a lot of the day.
Great post, though — and now I have Coconut Records stuck in my head.
August 26th, 2010 at 1:13 am
Such a great post Kiran! I can definitely relate to the night owls. Also flying. Some of my best ideas are written on napkins at 30,000 feet. Usually after a rum-n-coke and Coconut Records on the headphones.
August 26th, 2010 at 10:23 am
Kiran, thank you so much for the smile this brought to my face this morning. I’m completely on board with Hannah (except that I don’t lament sleeping in if I’ve nothing to do). 4am is my best time to start. Just out of bed, into my chair, cups of coffee and my computer. I can go for hours if no one interrupts me.
August 26th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Yeah I know, we’re all different right? I wonder what determines that – genetics, old habits? But why fight it right? Do whatever is working for you.
August 26th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I feel im a weird hybrid. I will stay up super late just in the flow of things trucking along, then then in the next day or two I crash out really early and bam im up around 4:30-5AM and the cycle continues. But generally most refer to me as a night owl.