Poll: Are Mornings for Work or Play?

1 points by surprisetalk 2y ago ↗ HN

Of course this is all a false dichotomy, but I get a few hours each morning before the rest of my family (and coworkers) wake up.

Sometimes I think it's better to use these hours for writing and personal projects. But then it becomes super difficult to pry myself away from fun stuff to work on stuff that pays the bills. In this arrangement, I often end up shipping subpar work to my employer.

When I start my days with work/chores, I find that it's less stressful, because afterwards, I have a full day open for whatever I please. The problem is that I'm usually too tired to make progress on my personal projects.

Anyway, I was wondering how others tackle this dilemma! Is it better to start the day with work or play? How do you handle work momentum? Are there any better mental models to consider? etc

2 comments

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elawler24 2y ago ↗

For me, mornings are my most productive time - I can get a whole day's work done from 6-9 if I really focus. So I use it for whatever I need more time on. Right now I'm trying to build a 0-1 startup, so it's almost always about fitting in extra deep work time to keep up momentum. But in a more balanced time, I'd prioritize it for working out, reading, taking my dog on a walk, and meditating.

ijxjdffnkkpp 2y ago ↗

I get burned out for the day easily so I just knock out the work as early and fast as I can to stay productive, then chill. After meetings I'm useless productivity-wise so that 4 hour block is really important to me. I play after work, pursuing whatever without feeling a way about it.