Frank J. Rumbauskas - The Morning Myth: How Every Night Owl Can Become More Productive, Successful, Happier, and Healthier

Frank J. Rumbauskas

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Cover design: Paul McCarthy

Copyright 2019 by Frank J. Rumbauskas. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.

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ISBN 9781119537755 (Hardcover)
ISBN 9781119537762 (ePDF)
ISBN 9781119537779 (ePub)

To my two beautiful daughters, Agnes and Maeve. I cannot possibly imagine my life without you both in it. You have made me a better person and brought me happiness beyond my wildest dreams. I love nothing more than simply being with you, and your Dad will always be there for you. No matter what.

If youre a night owl, I feel your pain. Im one, too. I know what its like to be judged by others as being lazy, slothful, and juvenile, when in fact studies continually show that night owls achieve more in life and the majority are wealthier and more consistently successful than morning people.

You may find that hard to believe after years of being brainwashed with the notion that morning people are more successful, and somehow just plain better, than we are, but its true. Im living proof of it.

And the endless criticism we suffer can be unbearable at times.

Friends who I call my office neighbors sometimes comment on how late I arrive to the office. What they dont know is how extremely productive and creative I am after the sun sets in the evening.

About 10 years ago, I had a television interview scheduled for 8:00 a.m. at my office. When the TV crew arrived, my receptionist told them, Frank is never here this early! The look on her face as I came through the door was priceless!

Even family and friends get in on the act, when they should be the very people who support us. They simply assume that because Ive been fortunate to experience tremendous success in my businesses that Im fat and happy and sleep in for the sheer hell of it. Nothing could be further from the truth; the reality is that I sleep in later than most because that is what makes me hyperproductive.

Theyre all wrong, as youll learn in a minute, and I have good news for you: If youre a night owl, theres nothing wrong with you!

Take it from Kate Shellnut at Vox.com:

Night owls arent the lazy, distracted weirdos the early crowd makes us out to be. When the rest of the world winds down, we work, create, and tinker on our own schedules. Each evening, I watch the typical bedtimes pass by and wait for that jolt of energy and inspiration that comes well past twilight

For us, staying up late is the easy part. The real challenge comes when we wake up and face the early risers, who still see night owls as lazy, juvenile, and unhealthy. And todays hyperawareness around the importance of sleep has only made our reputations worse

Night owls remain a misunderstood, maligned minority. We defy the conventional wisdom, missing out on the proverbial worm and whatever instincts make early risers healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Both family and friends, aside from my wife and kids, are completely unaware that during my waking hours, I work almost constantly, and produce my very best work after the sun has set and the kids and my wife are in bed; she just happens to be a morning person, and thankfully, one who understands that I perform best on a night owl schedule.

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Ben Franklin

You just learned that Ben Franklins famous quote has it all wrong when it comes to being wealthier.

The news gets worse for morning peopletheyre not healthier, either. Theyre not necessarily less healthy; however, Franklins quote has once again been proven wrong, and to make matters worse, night owls who force themselves to get up early may in fact suffer from diminished cognitive function and decreased immunity, and are at higher risk for depression, anxiety, and seasonal affective disorder. Thats why its insane for nearly all employers to require that employees arrive at 8:00 a.m. First of all, night owls who are forced to work on that schedule may not perform as well, and second, theyll probably have more sick days, which means lost productivity to the employer. (Maybe thats why antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are the most prescribed drugs in the United States and many other Western nations?)

Considering the fact that approximately 32% of people are night owlsalmost one-third of the population, with many estimates going up to halfforcing 100% of employees to be at work early is simply foolish, and the worst part is that a large percentage of employers, who are successful night owls, make their staff come in at 8:00 a.m. while theyre at home sleeping until 9:00 a.m. or later. Its costing employers more money than those employees are generating. If they would schedule workdays around employees sleep tendencies, theyd have infinitely more productive night owl employees if they let them come in from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and allowed them to work from home after dark, when theyre at their very best.