Working in the morning

In May 2010, I decided to try out a morning routine for my personal drawing time. This seemed like a really crazy idea at the time, as I was not a morning person at all. Nevertheless, I was tired of working all day, and most days not drawing until 10 at night - so I figured it was worth a shot. I set the alarm to 5am and gave it a shot. Well, it's July, 2011 and I haven't looked back! In fact, I now have the alarm set for 4:30am and sometimes even 4am.

Here are some pros and cons of my new lifestyle:

Pros

• I draw every day (almost without fail). No matter what happens in a day - overtime at work, family commitments, etc. - I have already logged my time at the board while everyone else was asleep.

• I solve problems better in the morning. I may be a bit groggy when I first sit down at the drafting table, but once I've got some coffee in me and cbc classical in my ears - I'm ready to tackle the page.

• It's quiet. The phone isn't ringing. The house is still. The internet is even boring at that hour. It's a great work environment.

Cons

• I'm kind of a square at parties. I get pretty tired around 9:30 and If I can I'll go to bed by 10.

• If I have some good flow going at the board - come time for the day-job - I have to stop. I do miss the ability to be able to keep working (through the night)

• Conversely, if I had bad flow at the board - living with that all day can be quite painful. (although the brain often works away at solving these problems when I'm away - so maybe this is a pro as well)


I still wish I had more time to work with, but that's a common complaint. If you are a creative who waits til late at night to do your thing - I recommend at least trying a morning routine. Give yourself a few days or weeks to get used to it - It could be worth it!