Morning or Night?

Are you a morning or night person? There is a clear divide here? Where do you fit in?

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If I am left to my own devices with no boundaries on when I need to go to bed or get up, my sleep clock will eventually slip its way back to being nocturnal.

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I’ve always been that way. I can remember when I was young struggling to go to sleep at night. I would lay in bed and think, dream, and wonder about things.

I couldn’t make myself go to sleep for nothing. Then come morning getting up was horrible for me.

My sweet Daddy would come in and quietly and gently wake me up. I would acknowledge him and drift back off by the time he was out my door. He would actually do this three or four times and then I would get up.

But I would go straight to the kitchen where he was sitting having his morning coffee and crawl up on his lap. I would lay my head on his shoulder and try to avoid waking fully.

It wasn’t until my mother would hustle in with a flurry and get stern that I would get up.

This happened every single day.

I have often been told that we should all get up bright and early and get our day started as early as possible in order to be successful.

I have to tell you, I’ve tried. I worked in corporate America for most of my life and getting up early and getting ready for work was mandatory, so I did it.

But, it was still hard to go to sleep at night.

When I began to work for a company where I officed at home and was on the phone heavily, I would often lay in bed in the morning and only get up when I heard my office phone ring in the next room.

I would rush in there, answer the phone and start my day. I worked far more than 40 hours at that job because I loved it, but also because I could work flexible hours.

So, even though I often didn’t get up until 8 or 9 in the morning, I routinely worked until 8 in the evening.

I also traveled extensively with that job so my hours added up. I was paid well, and loved the company and work that I did.

What I learned during that time was that left to my own devices, I could work harder and longer at something I loved, and was far more productive.

After several rounds of layoffs from that company during a downturn, I worked another business to business sales position on commission only.

I learned to push hard to earn my commission, but I once again found that I worked many evenings doing paperwork, research, and other office tasks.

Fast forward several years later I was in a situation where I took a very good job, but it was a job where I had to go into the office every single day. I was hired as the manager of the company for that city. It was a new branch and there was a lot to do and I needed to be hands on.

But, it had been years since I had punched a clock.

I liked the job - sort of. I liked the people I worked with - sort of. I was very productive and exceeded expectations - but I was not happy.

My next career was being a Realtor. That is a self employed position where if you do not make sales you do not get paid. I needed to get paid so I worked hard.

You are at the demand of your clients, when and where they need to see houses and sign contracts. But, much of my work was late into the evenings at home.

Being a Realtor gave me flexibility and because I had learned the structure of working from home over a decade earlier I did well on my own. That previous company required a set production level, but still allowed me to work at home. There was structure and flexibility.

Through the years, I’ve started several business. I set real estate up as an LLC and ran it as a business.

I also became a Certified Argentium Silver Jeweler and sold the jewelry I made. I made that a business and ran it as a business for years.

When I became an author I knew instinctively that it was best to run it as a business too.

How could I juggle so many businesses on my own? Because running your own business gives you flexibility.

My natural night owl tendencies didn’t hold me back from working in the evenings or late if I so chose.

It has been decades since I have had a job where I punched a clock. I don’t want to ever have to do that again.

I love the flexibility of being an entrepreneur and being able to work when and how I want to, with a few exceptions.

So, when I ask you the question, are you a morning or night person, the answer doesn’t matter. Because whatever the answer is, you can run your own business to accommodate when and how you work best.

There are so many advantages to being an entrepreneur. If you have a hobby you love, lets see if making it a business would be good for you.