I’m not a morning person. In my ideal world, I’d go to dinner at 8, stay up until midnight or later writing, and not get up until 8 or 9 the next morning. The times I’ve been able to stick with that cycle, I was healthy and happy and didn’t suffer from insomnia.
Oddly, though, I also didn’t get much done, especially writing. The day was half gone by the time I got up and moving, and while the late-night words always seem to be high quality, they don’t come easily. I get the most done when I get up early, no later than 6:30. When I started getting up that early, years ago, it was a forced decision based on work and kids. Now it’s either such a habit that I can’t throw it off, or my body rhythms are changing with age. Be that as it may, an early morning seems to work best for me now.
I used to use the morning time for writing; when the kids were in school, that time before they got up to get ready for school was the only writing time I had. I wrote well then. As they’ve grown up and left home, the schedule has kind of come apart. I’ve kept irregular hours and battled insomnia.
About a year and a half ago, I started getting up again. I’ve been using the early morning time for errands and online stuff. I get up, read my mail, read and reply to Forward Motion posts and my blog, check Facebook, etc. You know the routine. ๐ Then I’d try to write, or I’d go to the gym to work out and then do the housework for the day and try to write afterward. I wasn’t losing track of loose ends that way, but I wasn’t getting a lot of writing done, either. It’s hard to sit down and get into the story when I’ve already been buzzing around for several hours.
I thought about going out to exercise first thing in the morning, but the gym is crowded then with people working out before they start their job. Besides, experience has shown that I will exercise at other times of the day. Afternoon may be the easiest. I can do chores and errands any time. I can edit, for myself or for Moongypsy, at any time of day. I can read any time.
The only thing I don’t seem to be able to do at any old time is the writing. It goes well first thing in the morning, and it goes well late at night, and it struggles against fatigue, distraction, and interruption the rest of the day.
I was reminded of this rhythm while I was on vacation, oddly enough. We visited my parents, who are 80-ish and no longer get up early. We were in the mountain time zone, but we were waking up at our usual eastern time. So we had at least a few hours in the morning to ourselves. I was able to use some of that for writing.
Now I’m trying to get back on the old schedule at home. Get up around 6, breakfast, sit down to write. It’s only been about a week but already the writing is flowing more easily and productively. I’m happier. The best part of my day is going to the thing I want to do most. I’m also getting more done in the afternoons when I’ve already accomplished the important goals and don’t have to worry about getting done in time to write.
We’ll see if it continues to work that way but so far it’s a successful experiment.
Hooray for successful experiments!
Sadly, I write best from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., and that just doesn’t work with the family schedule. *sigh* Ah, well. I can write any time, assuming I don’t let other things dis–ooh, shiny!
I’m glad your vacation helped you get back to your writing, and I hope the pattern continues.
Thanks. That used to be my best time, but after raising kids for more than 30 years (the drawback to spreading them out), I’m so used to the other one that I’m not sure I could go back even if I wanted to.
I’m not a morning person either … I find I’m not really firing on all cylinders until at least 11 a.m. so mornings are for tedious mindless chores. My prime writing time is always between 8 & 11 at night – the day is done and cleared away, and I can get down to work in my little writing corner without distractions.
Glad your holiday helped you refocus on what works for you, writing-wise, and that you can get back into a regular writing routine now you’re back home.
The evening is prime chaos and distraction time around here ๐
I think the mindless numbness might be part of why I write well and easily in the morning. The Internal Editor is not awake yet.
Early and late work for me, too. There’s something about my state of mind when I first wake up that mirrors my state of mind late at night when the day’s chores are done. So those are my preferred writing times, too…
I guess the important thing is to figure out what works for the individual and whatever the circumstances of the moment are.
I’ve found that if I can get whatever it is that is the priority for the day (especially if it’s something easy to push off and not get to) done first thing in the morning, no matter what happens the rest of the day, I know I’ve accomplished something.
Exercise was usually the best thing for me to get done first thing, but you seem to have that covered well. If nothing else, write, then head to the gym (after the day-job people have departed for work). Then the rest of the day is yours. Use some of your productive evening time to review the next day’s schedule (to avoid dropping loose ends), so you know what needs to happen after writing. Then your mind will be clear of nagging worries (mostly) to allow for that late night writing productivity and/or sleep.
Well, the thing is, if I get up early to write then, I don’t have productive evening time, because I’m in bed before it happens. I can’t do both.
I’ve been battling mornings. As it is, the kids and I have to get up at 5:45 to start our day. Getting up at 5 to either workout or write is torture. It only works if I have insomnia the same night. Hee.
Good luck with it. (Or not, based on your lastest post…)
Yeah, it was three kids’ worth of mornings like those that got me ingrained in the early-morning habit…