About five and a half years ago, I accepted a position with the US Marine Band. It has been wonderful in many ways, but one way I thought it would change my life never came to fruition: I thought it would make me a morning person.
I'm still at my desk at 0730 every morning and I'm able to be effective during my working hours, but that happens in spite of the hour of day, not of because of it. Instead, I've become a coffee drinker and have learned to value the nights when I can really focus on something into the early morning hours because the alarm clock won't ring the next morning.
I think transitioning from a night person into a morning person or vice versa is possible, but I've learned that change can't be brought along by external factors. I think it's important that we remain aware of the social norms that influence when we choose to sleep when we embark on trying to make such a transition. For example, starting a job requiring a 0600 alarm was difficult when I was 24 because my social circle regularly stayed out past midnight. Changing my routine required changing my social circle. Now that I'm 30, that part of going to bed early is easier. The wanting to stay up late because I'm being productive - that part I still haven't figured out.
I'm still at my desk at 0730 every morning and I'm able to be effective during my working hours, but that happens in spite of the hour of day, not of because of it. Instead, I've become a coffee drinker and have learned to value the nights when I can really focus on something into the early morning hours because the alarm clock won't ring the next morning.
I think transitioning from a night person into a morning person or vice versa is possible, but I've learned that change can't be brought along by external factors. I think it's important that we remain aware of the social norms that influence when we choose to sleep when we embark on trying to make such a transition. For example, starting a job requiring a 0600 alarm was difficult when I was 24 because my social circle regularly stayed out past midnight. Changing my routine required changing my social circle. Now that I'm 30, that part of going to bed early is easier. The wanting to stay up late because I'm being productive - that part I still haven't figured out.