Open Thread: What Are Your Most Productive Hours?
Posted March 14, 2010 in Open Thread
Some freelancers work best at night. Others rise early and do their best work first thing in the morning before the sun even rises.
One of the benefits about freelancing that many of us enjoy is that we can arrange our schedule to work during those hours when we are most productive rather than when an employer requires us to work. The flexibility of freelancing is a great perk.
Over on our Freelance Folder Fan Page we asked our readers to share whether or not they were a night owl or worked best during the day and we got a great response.
We’d like to give the rest of our readers a chance to respond to the question as well:
When are your most productive hours to work?
Share your story in the comments.
What work schedule have you set for yourself? Tell us whether you are a night owl or an early riser.
Image by luchilu
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About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 20 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts. Laura is also on Google+.
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50 Comments
Laura Spencer
March 14th, 2010 at 8:39 amI’ll start.
I used to be an early morning person, especially when I was an employee. I’d get up early and start work by 7:00 a.m., finishing everything by mid-afternoon.
Since I’ve been freelancing I’ve noticed that my ideal hours are different. I usually am most productive in the middle of the day. My ideal work day as far as productivity seems to be from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., although I admit that I sometimes have that “really good idea” in the middle of the night that I just have to jot down.
What about you guys?
Sue Jeffels
March 14th, 2010 at 9:55 amI am quite productive first thing, then early evening and again post midnight for a couple of hours. Some of this is due to my own rhythm and some is down to family interruptions.
ivomynttinen
March 14th, 2010 at 10:01 amI normally start working at 17:00 and stop late in the night.
Customized Web Design Studio
March 14th, 2010 at 10:57 amAs soon as I get out of bed, I go with my girlfriend to the gym! My best productive hours are when I go to my office, with the “batteries recharged” in the gym!
Nicole Foster
March 14th, 2010 at 11:07 amI am guilty of sleeping in, so usually it takes me an hour or two after I wake up to get productive. My hours are most likely anywhere between 11am to 4pm.
Sandi Johnson
March 14th, 2010 at 11:10 amAnd here I thought I was unique in working late at night & early in the morning! My non-freelancer friends always tease me about my oddball work hours – but they work for me. Seems they work for alot of other freelancers too.
Late at night for actually writing is great for me because I can work uninterrupted while the rest of the world sleeps. I find my creativity is at its peak when I don’t have to worry about the phone ringing, my inbox dinging, or kids knocking on my office door.
I get back to work way early in the morning (before the rooster crows) for the business side of things like submitting a piece, emailing clients, uploading drafts to publish, etc. I find it puts me on the top of folks’ to-do lists for the day if I’m already in their inbox when they get up and start their day. I’ve found the response times for client input is much faster that way.
During the day I get research done, read my favorite blogs/newsletters, things that don’t necessarily require plugging into my creativity.
I love my sporadic schedule. It’s never boring, and always flexible. I don’t think I could ever go back to punching a time clock for an employer. I’m too spoiled by a schedule that works well for my lifestyle. Granted, I work more hours now than I ever did for a boss, but it doesn’t really feel like work.
Alfred Reinold Baudisch
March 14th, 2010 at 12:00 pmI love to work from midnight to 4-5 A.M.. There is a reason for that: we have like 7 dogs and live near an international airport, being impossible to have any kind of silence during “normal” hours.
Jami Gibbs
March 14th, 2010 at 12:01 pmI feel most productive from 7:00am – 1:00pm. I rarely get much done after 1pm unless I hit the gym or go away from the computer for a few hours. Recharging the batteries is essential! I can probably squeeze in a few more hours after that but the quality and level of work significantly drops off.
Jason
March 14th, 2010 at 12:02 pmI wake at around 3am and find that I am on a roll from about 4.30am onwards. I can concentrate without interruptions from anyone until 9am. Then I can deal with the “can you justs” for the rest of the day without worrying! It leaves time for me at the end of the day to just relax and let things simmer, ready for the next day!
Alfred Reinold Baudisch
March 14th, 2010 at 12:03 pmJust a correction: We don’t have “like” 7 days, we DO have 7 dogs!
Mary E. Ulrich
March 14th, 2010 at 12:19 pmWhenever my husband leaves the house. (ps. He is retired. I am looking forward to golf season more than he is.)
Loveleen Kaur
March 14th, 2010 at 12:19 pm10:00 am – 2:00 pm best time to work
Niki Harless
March 14th, 2010 at 1:00 pmI fought it for a very long time because of the feeling that jealous 9-to-5ers have that “sleeping in” is lazy. However, my most productive hours are from around 2 PM to midnight. If I’m lazy for “sleeping in” and then getting more work done later in the day, then so be it!
Syed Sumair Zafar
March 14th, 2010 at 1:37 pmmidnight till morning when outside is quite and no one disturb me
Amanda Lincoln
March 14th, 2010 at 1:42 pmIt’s so refreshing to hear your comments, I am a night person too, I get up around 10.30 in the morning and check emails and blogs for the first few hours of my day, if I need to do anything really creative like surface pattern design then I do it best in the evenings and find I have to force myself to go to bed (around 1.30), however I live near my parents and my dad (a farmer) has never been impressed with my work hours and always winds me up. He just can’t accept that I am different to him, as he is productive in the mornings.
Crystal
March 14th, 2010 at 4:43 pmMy most productive hours have always been by night, usually in the wee hours of the morning 12am-5am when it’s really quiet. I’m lucky I can still do these types of hours, in the future I may not be able too!
Ints
March 14th, 2010 at 4:49 pmUsually I start working at 20:00 and stop 01:00.
Andrew Keir
March 14th, 2010 at 5:29 pm7:00pm – 11:00pm or so?
I’ve always been a nightowl.
David H
March 14th, 2010 at 6:02 pmI’m not a freelancer, just a student. However I find my most productive hours are between 10:00pm and 2:00am. I have always been a night-owl and like to sleep in. If I cant sleep until 10am I feel horrible all day long no matter how much sleep I get.
Adam
March 14th, 2010 at 10:18 pmIf i manage to get up in the morning, 7am-10am. Then usually 4pm-7pm, and then if I’m up late, 12am-3am
Ziya
March 15th, 2010 at 1:24 amI’m start to work mostly at 11 pm till 5-7 am.
Mike B
March 15th, 2010 at 5:27 amI think you have to be really disciplined as a freelance, its easy to fall in to the trap of getting up when you like, regardless of when you are at your best. Personally for me I find I need to stick to a routine and getting up early gives me the best chance to make the best of the day without getting up ridiculously early.
David Margolius
March 15th, 2010 at 6:16 amWithout a doubt mornings are my most productive period (particularly after a swim). When I really need to concentrate on a creative writing task, I hole up in my office around 8 AM and draft without interruption until about 1 PM. Then I check emails, phone messages, etc. knowing that the bulk of “thinking” work is behind me.
Andy
March 15th, 2010 at 7:34 am8pm–1am, then cranking some z’s for the day job from 9–5. No working in the weekends though unless it’s a specific photo shoot or something. Helps keep you fresh.
Milo
March 15th, 2010 at 7:46 amWell, I work Mo-We + Fri + Sat so I’m most productive from more or less 8 p.m. until 1-2 a.m. : ) of course, there are days or even weeks when I’m not in the mood of designing.. and when I’m “on” then it’s virtually whole day (e.g. free Sunday or Thursday).
Milo
March 15th, 2010 at 7:47 amI meant I have my main job in these days, and freelancing is just an advanced hobby so I don’t have to be effective and creative all the time : )
Jignesh Patel
March 15th, 2010 at 8:25 amI do my full time job in the day time. So I do freelancing later in the day from 9:00 pm to 12:00 pm & day timings on weekends.
Heather Villa
March 15th, 2010 at 8:25 amMy most product hours have changed. Use to be late at night, between 11pm and 3am. However, lately I’ve been sleeping during those hours and my most productive time is between 5am and 9am.
Life has a way of changing up those productivity hours for you. lol
Annette
March 15th, 2010 at 8:29 amI’m an early bird. My best hours are from 4am – 11 am. And then it’s time for a nap! LOL. I’ve always found it easier to write first thing in the morning. Something about the magic of having just had some sleep creates a clear mind for me. I wish I could work overnight hours, but by 9pm I’m exhausted.
Jordan Walker
March 15th, 2010 at 8:52 amI am an early morning guy, 4:30am.
cristy
March 15th, 2010 at 12:53 pmMy ideal time is at night. The bad thing is that it is not every night.
Laura Spencer
March 15th, 2010 at 1:55 pmThanks to everyone who shared their most productive hours!
I can see that we’re a varied bunch…which just goes to show that it’s a good thing we’re freelancers who can set their own hours.
Ryan
March 15th, 2010 at 2:54 pmI’ve found that the traditional 9 – 5 slot works best for me.
I was drawn to the novelty of working late nights, early mornings, and in between but the work-home balance is most easily found working during the day.
I also tended to fiddle around more when working late nights. Instead of creating value I tended to fall into competitive practices, which is a no-no for any online entrepreneur.
Diana Ponce
March 15th, 2010 at 6:47 pmEveryone has different times that they function best at so there is no reason for anyone to feel guilty if they are not capable of being an early bird. Circadian rhythms are a natural thing and different for everyone:
http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives13ML3P1A22.html http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/04/on-early-birds-and-night-owls.ars
I am night owl and have been as long as I can remember. I am also very efficient with my work time, delivering work on or before deadline.
In my experience, most people who deal with outside vendors (I’m an illustrator) do not get around to dealing with them until about 10-11am, so this is the time I begin my work day. I often end my work day between 2 and 4 am as I am most productive late nights and have the least distractions then. In between I do mainly business related work and some personal things during my breaks.
My day may seem longer than most, but I get adequate sleep and balance my personal life with my work life… it works for me. My husband also works from home and is a night owl, so we keep each other company.
Daniel Whelan
March 16th, 2010 at 2:33 amI try to get up early, but between the phone and craigslist I’m not all that productive. I probably get the most done between the hours of 8pm and 2am.
Mary Beth
March 16th, 2010 at 12:57 pmMonday – Friday 10 am to 7 pm. I worked full-time for many years and even after working freelance for the past five years my brain still naturally goes into relaxation mode on the weekends. Although, I can rally and work if need be.
Peter Burgin
March 18th, 2010 at 10:28 pmI find that I am most productive from very early morning (about 4-5 am) to about noon. I used to be more of a night person, but I can’t seem to focus as well anymore.
Apri
March 20th, 2010 at 6:15 pmwhen outside is quite and no one disturb me at midnight till tomorow morning
Adriana Munoz
March 21st, 2010 at 7:27 pmI am a night person. I wake up at 9 or 10am, but don´t do much other than emailing, researching, networking, blogging or just do house cores. My mind starts feeling more creative and able to concentrate after 6 or 7pm until 1am or 2am.
Why? Well my university was in the afternoons, 3 to 8 or 9pm. In Spain we live more in the evenings, and because my partner is the same.
Wellington Grey
March 24th, 2010 at 2:20 pmEarly morning, no doubt. I reserve all my most important work for before 10AM (starting between 5 and 6AM) The later in the day it gets the less productive I am.
Koko
April 3rd, 2010 at 2:26 pmI find I’m most productive between 2am to 8am, though I’ve been (really) struggling to adjust my sleep/work patterns since I got married :-/
Andrey
April 11th, 2010 at 1:59 pmAfter experimenting with my schedule I found that I can be productive whenever I want to, as soon as I plan it properly. By planning properly I mean that to keep yourself fresh until say 8pm you need to chunk your tasks in a way you won’t get bored or/and burned out during the day.
I do love working early however. I find it exciting to work starting 5 am and have some great results by the time most people start thinking about having a lunch. I agree – this is one of the great things about freelancing .
Bruno De Barros
May 2nd, 2010 at 7:24 pmFor me, it depends. It’s either in the middle of the night (spending a whole night coding away, and getting to bed at 7/8AM and sighing happily, knowing I’ve just had a super productive night), or when waking up really early in the morning (7/8AM, obviously not on the day after I spent the whole night coding!) and being faced by an incredibly sunny day, and just starting the day brilliantly.
In both cases, however, I feel that knowing what I have to do for the day is extremely helpful. Sometimes, I let my lists run amok, and when I wake up, I know I have a bunch of things that need to be done, but they’re not organized, and it just feels completely different from waking up and knowing exactly what needs to be done.
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