Early Bird vs. Night Owl: Staffers debate about being a morning or night person

Early Bird

Waking up at 6:30 a.m. everyday, however daunting it may sound on Saturdays, always leaves me feeling refreshed and replenished. Much more than staying up until the wee hours of the morning — which always results in waking up closer to noon. I prefer to get an early start to my day. 

It’s part of my routine, and I love having a good routine. Waking up to hear the birds singing with a soft wind and a light chill as I sip a warm coffee on the porch with my mom is the best start to my day. 

Although sometimes it’s easier said than done, the tranquility I find in my morning routine always outweighs whatever party or movie marathon I may have missed out on the night before. I just feel better when I get up in time to give my cat some love and take time to get in a good head space before starting my day. 

Early mornings make me feel like I have a headstart to my day — I’m ready to conquer my math homework, ACT prep work and household chores, so I’m able to get to the laid back and fun parts of my day without any stress. 

As my mom always told me, nothing good ever happens after 11 p.m. 

Even then, I rarely make it to 11 p.m. in the first place. My 9:30 p.m. bedtime has never failed me. 

Didn’t finish my homework the night before? I’ll be waking up early to finish it. Need to work on a group project? A coffee date is perfect. 

I even wake up at 7:30 a.m. at post-WPA and Homecoming sleepovers. I just can’t help it, my internal clock is too strong. 

After all, everything productive in my life happens before noon. 

No matter how last minute the task, I’ll always be checking things off of my “to-do” list in the morning, thanks to my razor-sharp focus and peaceful state of mind. 

Night Owl

I do my best work at night.

Whether it’s a 7 a.m. test or 3 p.m. interview, I do my best cramming — I mean planning, at night. 

I used to be the kid who was the first to go to bed at sleepovers. That is until high school hit. All of a sudden the hours I spent awake while the rest of my family was winding down or asleep became my favorite part of the day. 

Something about the stillness of the dark sky outside my window makes me feel at peace. The ideal time to reflect on my day, read a book or even knock out homework with far-off due dates in advance, just because I’ve got the time.

While I have morphed into a night owl, I still try to hit the hay before midnight. Waking up to the payoff of not only being on top of my work, but ahead will be well worth a “late” night. Then my morning before school starts can be solely dedicated to the only two things that matter: sleep and breakfast. 

No matter how busy my night has been, I never forget to make time for 20 minutes to wind down, when I wash my face, brush my teeth and jot down the highlights of my day in my journal. The simplicity of these rituals before I go to bed make them mindless and relaxing.

Fostering habits similar to these — things that make you feel good mentally and physically — is an important component of your nightly routine. I also encourage you to make an effort to take time off any and all screens directly before falling asleep for your peace of mind.

So let’s leave the morning for sleeping and fueling up for the day and shift our mindset surrounding “the night-time.” Just because the sky is dark outside doesn’t mean you can’t be productive.