Are you an early riser or a night owl? Personally, I’ve embraced early mornings ever since my days starting at 5:30 am at Goldman Sachs back in 1999. Fast forward over two decades, and I’m still loving the early starts. The secret to financial success? Work while everyone else is asleep or playing. It’s not about being the smartest; it’s about doing what most won’t, like waking up before dawn.
One night, after a long tennis game, I crashed on my sofa around 10:15 pm while watching “The Blacklist.” But like clockwork, I was up at 3:30 am, ready to write until 5 am. Curious about who else was awake, I turned on my Uber driver app and drove from 5 am to 7 am, meeting some interesting early risers.
Here’s a snapshot of the morning crowd:
– A grandmother headed to the airport at 5 am, catching a flight to avoid higher fares later in the morning.
– Several workers, including one opening a sporting goods store at 6 am and another a bagel shop, with pay ranging from $8 to $12.25 per hour.
– Another grandmother was off to help her family with a newborn at 6:21 am.
– And a property manager and a nurse starting their shifts early.
These encounters paint a picture of the typical early riser: often women, many working as caregivers, and generally earning below the median income for San Francisco, except perhaps the registered nurse.
From these rides, it’s clear that women dominate the early hours, often as grandmothers or workers starting their shifts before dawn. They’re not just working these hours for extra cash but also helping their families, demonstrating incredible dedication.
Why not use those early hours more productively? I’ve found that just two hours of extra effort each morning for a couple of years can lead to significant achievements. For example, it helped me grow Financial Samurai, allowing me to eventually leave my day job. The lesson here is consistent effort during quiet hours can lead to great success.
And it’s not just about the extra money. Early risers tend to procrastinate less and are generally happier, while night owls might indulge in less healthy activities and exhibit slightly higher intelligence.
Whether you’re an early bird or a night person, the key is to use your natural tendencies to your advantage. Get ahead while others rest, and you’ll find it much easier to see your efforts pay off. So, what type of person are you? Let’s skip the quotes and dive straight into the discussion.
