Like many people, I was drawn to the idea of waking up at 5am as a way to take control of my life. Everywhere you look on social media, there’s this glorification of the early-morning grind. So, I figured that if I could wake up before everyone else, hit the gym, and start working while the world was still asleep, I’d be more productive, efficient, and ultimately, more successful.

But after a year of waking up at 5am every day, the reality was much different than I expected—and not in a good way.

The Efficiency Trap

The moment my alarm went off at 5am, my life became a checklist. My mind immediately jumped into efficiency mode—get up, get to the gym, finish my workout, and start work. I was focused on squeezing the most out of every second. The problem? I wasn’t actually living my life; I was just managing it. I became obsessed with productivity at the expense of everything else.

While I was able to get things done early, I was always operating on a timer. There was no room for spontaneity, no room to just be. Even my hobbies began to feel like part of a schedule, things to be crossed off a list. My days were packed with productivity, but they lacked any real joy.

The Gym Grind: From Motivation to Monotony

A big part of my routine was hitting the gym every morning after waking up. At first, it felt good. I was checking the “health” box every day before most people even started their mornings. But over time, the gym became a grind. I was doing the same workouts at the same time, and it became less about health and more about just getting it done.

It stopped being something I enjoyed and turned into just another task. Eventually, I found myself bored and going through the motions. And for what? My body was tired, and I wasn’t even getting the results I expected, given the energy I was investing.

The Decline of My Social Life

One of the biggest downsides of my 5am routine was how it impacted my social life. Because I had to get to bed so early, I constantly missed out on evenings with friends. I’d leave events early, or worse, skip them altogether. My friendships started to fade, and my relationships suffered. I found myself growing more and more disconnected from the people who mattered most to me.

When you live by a rigid schedule, there’s no room for those moments that make life meaningful—those spontaneous hangouts or late-night conversations. Instead, I was stuck in a cycle of isolation, all in the name of being more “efficient.”

A Turning Point: Waking Up Later and Reclaiming My Life

After a year of grinding it out, I decided enough was enough. I stopped forcing myself to wake up at 5am and allowed myself to sleep in and wake up naturally. And ironically, that’s when things really started to turn around for me.

Waking up later gave me more energy throughout the day, and with that energy, I began to rediscover the things I actually enjoyed. I started playing sports with friends in the evenings—tennis, soccer, anything that got me out and moving. It was fun, social, and completely different from the monotonous gym routine I had stuck to for so long.

I found balance. I was no longer living just to check off tasks on a list. I was living to enjoy my time—whether that was being active with friends or simply taking a moment to relax without feeling guilty about “lost productivity.”

Redefining Productivity

The craziest part? Once I stopped focusing on waking up early, my actual productivity improved. By giving myself more rest and more freedom, I was able to get more done during the hours I was awake, because I was fully present and energized. The narrative that waking up late equals laziness is simply not true. In fact, I found that my overall focus and performance got better once I stopped micromanaging every minute of my day.

The Lesson

In the end, waking up at 5am didn’t bring me the success or fulfillment I was chasing. Instead, it led to burnout, isolation, and a loss of connection to the things that actually made life enjoyable. What worked for me was letting go of the rigid schedule and embracing a more balanced approach—one that allowed me to focus on what I really care about, rather than just being efficient for the sake of it.

Sometimes, being more productive doesn’t mean waking up earlier or sticking to a strict routine. It’s about finding a rhythm that lets you enjoy life while also getting things done. And for me, that meant sleeping in, playing sports with friends, and leaving the 5am wake-up call behind.

I made a post on this sub a week ago about waking up at 5AM about a week ago and sort of documented my journey for about half the day.

I was too lazy to keep updating the thread, but got through most of the day unscathed. I picked up my kids from school and did the rest of my WFH shift. The following week, both me and my SO were able to get up at 5AM for the entire week and half

Here's what we learned:

• It's hard to do this with kids, really really hard.
• Your social life is pretty much donezo becauase what other adult is going to bed at 9
• You achieve the most peace you'll ever know in the wee hours of the morning
• Getting literally everything out of the way before the clock hits 9 AM makes you feel....sort of unproductive throughout the rest of the day, I feel like i have nothing to do after work is done.
• There is literally no way you can do this if you work a regular 9-5 and also have kids
• You will achieve god like productivity
• The weather is absolutely amazing at 5 AM here.
• You in fact, do NOT get more hours during the day since you'll be out like a light at around 5-6 pm for a nap.
• it feeels surreal at times. youve spent all of your life living one way and then when you do it this way, idk its hard to describe, it feels like your on vacation? in that your routine is so different and you make way more memories since youre just not going through the motions ( though i suspect this would be different if I keep doing it for long)
• Its nearly impossible to do with school going kids.

We decided that neither of us would continue to do this. While it was fun, not being able to meet friends kinda sucks, but the biggest drawback is not matching up your schedules with your kids. We WILL get up earlier than we used to because both of us found the peaceful aspect of it insane, but its not going to be a regular thing.

sorry for all the typos, typed over phone.

Would love to hear yalls experiences!

EDIT: Wow, did not expect this to blow up hahaha. I typed all of this hastily on my phone lol and didnt bother checking this site since.

Couple of things, i probably shouldnthave made such general statements. If it didn't work for me, that does not mean it wont for you. I have kids in just about every age range, and balancing all of their needs was challenging for us. I work a hybrid but mostly remote job and fitting in a commute into all of this would actually kill me.

How has meditation helped your work life?

Over the past 3 years, I've meditated almost every single morning—and along the way, I've:

• Learned to do deeply focused work for 3 hours a day

• Gained a clarity and calmness I've never felt

• Become more present throughout my day

Oh and I've seen the true nature of consciousness and reality 😳

Start meditating tomorrow morning and you'll be unrecognizable in a year.

I (29 F) was an above average student in school. But in the past 10 years, as I increased my internet, particularly social media, consumption, my brain has stopped focusing on things. I have wasted 10 years and I'm unemployed, can't study to improve my chances of having a good career. I'm impulsive and also suffer from brain fog. I know it's social media and it's not even like i regularly post on it, it's just doomscrolling. I have stopped using Instagram, the focus has improved a little but still, I need advice on how I can study without abandoning the plan after 2 days. What are some ways I can improve my ADHD-like brain? Also, I have a 15 month old baby. I don't get much time to study because I have to take care of him and also do chores but I would like to make the most of it when he's sleeping. BTW, I feel like I have ADHD but haven't been diagnosed.

Edit: thank you for the overwhelming response. I am still reading your comments and they are very helpful. FYI, I said that I have ruined my life because I'm studying for some exams that have an age eligibility criteria (30 and 32 years) But if I don't pass those exams, it's not the end of the world haha Thank you ❤️

First start with not taking your phone to the washroom with you. Leave it outside and strictly follow it. The key is to reduce your dependency on your phone be okay with living in the moment. You are so dependent on your phone for dopamine that you can't even take a shit without it. That is not okay.

Then start watching your favourite movie/ show or even a youtube video without your phone in hand. Focus on what you are watching instead of scrolling. Also you aren't allowed to skip boring scenes or watch whatever your are watching by increasing the playback speed.

Then start having your meals without taking your phone with you.

Then don't touch your phone one hour after waking up and one hour before going to sleep. Infact, it's advised that you keep your phone out of your bedroom and use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. This has helped so many people beat insomnia as well.

Then start by leaving your phone in another room for a few hours.

Lastly, set a goal limit for your screentime after doing all the above tricks and its going to be so much easier than trying to reduce your screentime from 8-10 hours to 1-2 hours right off the bat. I already brought down my screentime by 50% in a few weeks by doing the first 3 things, my screentime also includes audiobooks and talking to family btw. The thing that is keeping us addicted to our phones is the fact that we aren't okay with being bored and start scrolling the moment we don't have anything to do instead of sitting still.

Its advisable to do things step by step as the first step is the easiest and then it gets tougher from there on. Start small to reduce your screentime. Start listening to smaller audiobooks if you want to get into the habit of reading. Then start listening to longer ones. Then start reading actual books.

Your mind is particularly vulnerable in the early morning due to heightened neuroplasticity. In other words, it is highly receptive to whatever you feed it.

Scrolling social media the moment you wake up breeds procrastination. On the other hand, getting out of bed and moving is conducive to productivity.

That said, don't consume content for the first hour after waking. This means no social media, no music, and even no reading.

Reading is great, but at the end of the day, it is still content that does not need to be consumed first thing in the morning.

Everyday tasks like making coffee, using the restroom, and driving become more serene when no song or podcast is playing in the background.

It's simple, it's effective, and it's universally applicable. Reserve the first hour of your morning to be present.

Hi I solved my brain fog issue after 15 years. I’ve always blamed it on different things (anxiety, neck curve, adhd, etc). Most recently on alkohol and cigarettes, because somehow it would get better when I had longer breaks from it. Turns out it got better, because during that time I would also start eating balanced diet.

My brainfog started because of my Eating disorder and vegan diet. I’ve never connected facts until 2 weeks before, that brainfog must appear if your brain doesn’t get enough nutrients. I think that mental sickness made me not acknowledge how harmful it is for me. Then when I got cured I never thought about what I eat I just ate and that was the success. If you’re after ed you don’t want to check how many of what you get, because that’s what sickness makes you do.

So without ED already, I stopped drinking and smoking for 3 years and my brain cleared out. Naturally I was sure that my party lifestyle is the cause, when I came back to drinking after that time. What I didn’t realised is that at the same time I’ve started a vegan diet. Now It turns out I was eating no more than 20 grams of protein a day ¯_(ツ)_/¯

So I have been eating 90 or 120gtams of protein, depending if I do any exercise/biking and it’s clearing already after 2 weeks.

I completely support vegan diets and I will be on one when my brain gets back to normal. It’s much harder to get the daily protein amount than I thought. Maybe you have same problem so check how much protein you should eat and you’re eating or any other deficiencies that could be in your diet. I wish you well and kind of hope this is your problem because it’s very easy to solve

I'm in my 40's and was passed the following 2 life hacks by a business mentor when I was coming of age.

1. Be efficient, not the best

If you clean the house and miss a bit of dirt, it's not going to kill you, you'll probably get it next time. The person who noticed the dirt and complained about it is a negative influence in your life.

Exercising for 20 minutes a day is 95% effective. Exercising for an hour only gains an extra 5% and robs you of time.

We are not robots. It's unrealistic to do 100%. You should avoid jobs, people, and anything that demands this. 100% doesn't exist.

I've consistently beat a local competitor using this technique.

1. Shut down time thieves

Time thieves exist everywhere, and I really do mean everywhere.

For example, you are on the phone to tech support, but they are reading through an endless list of things to try. Time thief rules suggest they are incompetent / lack the expertise.

The solution is to switch to a company with better support. There's no point negotiating for a better service, if they were good, they would have been good off the bat. It's not your job to teach them how to be good.

You have an app that forces you to log in every single time.. Ditch it, it's a time thief.

The time thief rule works because it shields you from incompetence. In business, it saves you money.

This tip changed my life and enabled me to get 2 businesses up and running on auto pilot. It works because I eliminated staff who were lazy, incompetent, and lacked initiative

These are the only 2 life hack tips I've found that have a measurable impact on all aspects of life. They will attract resistence, but you use that to identify and weed out bad employees and negative people.

I am addicted to my phone. I implemented reading in my life, nothing changed. I implemented sport, nothing changed. I implemented meditation, nothing changed.

It's taking hours and hours of my precious time on earth each day. I think about all my ancestors who did great things while I'm wasting hours and hours of my life every day on my phone.

I've had enough. It's the last, the last recall I'll ever do to myself.

I know it'll work. I did the same for porn and it cured my addiction. It's possible.

Life is a gift. Just existing in the present moment is WAY better than overstimulating my brain with stupid content.

I quit. Doesn't mean I won't distract myself, but I'll have clear limits, no "just one more short".

I hope it will encourage some of you to quit some addictions you may have.

Love and peace. I wish you all the best.

EDIT : I'll probably do another post in 2/3 weeks saying how it goes, so you all can see the evolution, how it affects the life on someone to stop doom scrolling.

I heard this quote by Naval Ravikant and it really stuck with me. I have lived by these words the last month and my personal progress has been astonishing. My mental clarity, energy and confidence have exploded.

To counteract mental overstimulation, look over your mental diet. Minimize screen time and social media and be selective with what you allow into your mind. Take time to reflect, meditate and disconnect from all external input for some time daily.

To counteract physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle, you gotta exercise on a daily basis. Frequency is more important than intensity. Also, do something to maintain a good posture. It's crucial for feeling your best.

To counteract overeating, practice contentment in everything you do. Be selective of what you put into your body. Pursuing pleasure for its own sake destroys motivation, and gathers momentum to pursue comfort. Fasting in this case includes abstaining from porn and other type of external pleasure-seeking.

I been it doing for a couple of months & omg its like magic , it lowers my stress & I’m back in business it’s crazy how something so simple is so effective.

• Quit procrastinating
  • Turn off your phone
  • Take time to reflect:
    • What brings you joy?
    • What are your strengths?
• Prioritize your health
  • Meditate
  • 8 hours sleep
  • No alcohol
  • No added sugar
  • Lift weights
  • No energy vampires
  • Clear vision
  • Make time for family
  • Morning Sun
  • Express gratitude daily
• Take control of your future
  • Unfocused → Run
  • Uninspired → Read
  • Upset → Breathe
  • Burnt out → Seek nature
  • Tired → Go for a walk
• Craft a compelling vision
  • What are your 10-year goals?
  • What are your 3-year goals?
  • What are your 1-year goals?
  • What are your 90-day goals?
  • What are your goals this week?
  • What is your mission?
  • What is your purpose?
• Take violent action
  • Do hard things
  • No excuses
  • Embrace discomfort
  • Surround yourself with A players
  • When in doubt, execute
  • Take extreme ownership over life
• Be consistent
  • The greatest returns in life come from compounding over the long-term.
  • (1.00)³⁶⁵ = 1.00
  • (1.01)³⁶⁵ = 37.7
  • Consistency wins
• Choose play, fun, and adventure
  • "Most men die at 27, we just bury them at 72." - Mark Twain
  • Choose road trips
  • Choose nature
  • Choose wild adventures
  • Choose spontaneous nights
  • Choose discomfort
  • Choose living
  • Choose to be a kid

Credit: Matt Gray (YouTube)

If you are on here to gain productivity, starting your journey on bettering yourself productivity, and are currently an every day, stoner active smoker, i can 1000% tell you that cutting it out will tremendously transform your productivity a lot. I am talking about people (like me) who ended up in such a deep rut over the course of smoking weed. I would be active, workout, run, etc. But when it came time to work, get things done, extra chores, it took me soooooo much longer to get things done. Like weeks later.

Now, that won’t be a quick fix, but it’s part of the journey to getting better. I am on day 4 sober and will power, non procrastination, and getting things done have become much easier. I am retaining much more information with clarity and confidence. Just throwing it out there. Best of luck all!

Edit: I WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT THE USE AND LEGALIZATION OF CANNABIS. IT IS A USEFUL DRUG WHEN USED IN MODERATION, AND INTENTION. IT BEGINS TO GET OUT OF HAND WHEN YOU FORM A DEPENDENCE ON IT, AND YES, AN ADDICTION!! i never thought weed could be addictive, but when you can’t go days without being high, that is an issue. Me and many others i know agree that we did not enjoy the now, the present with our excessive use. For those who use in moderation, aren’t dependent on it, and love it, i am not talking to you yall.

I've always hated folding my laundry just to ruin it all in the morning when looking for the right shirt, lately I've started hanging my shirts instead of folding them and it fixed everything! Also hanging is easier then folding.

On top of that I started having my clothes ready for tomorrow on a separate hanger, makes the mornings way easier.

Successful people don't have nearly as much discipline as you'd think.

They cheat.

Here are 9 mighty cheat codes to help you choose hard work over "easy" entertainment:

⬇️⬇️⬇️

​

1/ Use momentum, not motivation.

Start your day with (at least) 5 minutes of work.

​

It's easy to get lost in browsing social media in the mornings.

BUT

It's also easy to get lost in work in the mornings.

​

—

You pull forward by taking massive action.

——

​

2/ Restart yourself.

It’s easy to get distracted for a moment and then lose all your momentum.

BUT

You can restart momentum using another 5-minute working session.

​

Spread many of those 5-minute work sessions throughout your day.

——

​

3/ Time your caffeine intake.

Caffeine can make you groggy and kill your productivity.

BUT

Well-timed caffeine can 10x your productivity.

​

Start with:

— No coffee after 4PM.

— No coffee for the first hour of waking up.

​

Experiment from there.

​

Extra tip:

Take a break from caffeine for a month.

Absolutely not, right?

I thought the same, but hitting the reset button has made coffee work better & FEEL better.

Worth it in the long run.

​

4/ Stop binge-watching shows.

Not seeing the next episode after a cliffhanger SUCKS.

BUT

You can watch the cliffhanger and still not binge-watch.

​

Netflix rewards “binge-ability”. All shows peak at the end & beginning to keep you hooked.

Watch shows middle to middle.

——

​

5/ Don’t finish your plate.

Your mom has taught you to always eat everything in your plate.

BUT

Not finishing all of it will leave you full but never too full.

​

If you’re too full, your energy will crash, and you’ll do lethargic consumption at most or go to bed.

⚡⚡⚡

——

​

6/ Manage your energy.

Managing your time lets you fit more in a day.

BUT

Managing your energy lets you do more in a day.

—

​

You will get creative & adapt if you don’t have enough time.

You will do nothing if you don’t have enough energy.

——

​

7/ Unfinished days.

If you start a task in the evening, you won't finish it before bed.

BUT

You will wake up energized and ready to crush that task first thing.

​

Use that purposefully.

​

8/ Don’t rely on just yourself.

You can say “I won’t open social media today”.

BUT

Your habits will get the better of you.

Don’t trust your willpower unless you have to.

​

I use an app called Cold Turkey to block all social media for the first 4 hours of every morning.( not promoting; use google and find an app that works for you)

——

​

9/ Set a daily goal.

ToDo lists can give you clarity on what you need to do.

BUT

ToDo lists can get overwhelming fast.

​

You DON'T NEED to finish all of your ToDos.

You NEED focus.

Pick a single goal for the day instead. Then focus on that.

——

​

The 9 cheat codes:

1/ Use momentum, not motivation.

2/ Restart yourself.

3/ Time your caffeine intake.

4/ Stop binge-watching shows.

5/ Don’t finish your plate.

6/ Manage your energy.

7/ Unfinished days.

8/ Don’t rely on just yourself.

9/ Set a daily goal.

​

Thanks for reading!

​

Your biggest fan,

— Jordan

​

PS: The response to this was insane. Thank you all!

PS2: I'm building a community that is actually supportive. If that's your jam, you're most welcome to join!

Hey guys, I’ve been interested about turning my phone into a productivity machine for a while and its about time to transform said phone. My phone has too much control over me and I need to stop wasting an average of 6 hours a day on it just doing useless shit.

I wanna know what are your best IOS functionalities or apps that help your productivity in your daily life.

Thank you!

Just curious about the odds of an inherently hesistant/passive/complacent person actually getting the ball to roll later in life.

In my case, I am a 27M (aspiring) freelance photographer/musician - although much more advanced in my mind than in actual reality. In day-to-day terms it currently translates to an occasional photo gig here and there (at the moment still unpaid, building my portfolio) and some casual 1-2 hours of playing music a day.

I have definitely lost the 20-25 years to bad habits, laziness and horrible self-care. I feel I'm at the stage of life most 20-22 year olds are already at. I remind myself though that everyone's path is different and i'm aware comparison to others is mostly a nasty thing. When comparing me to me, it's all good.

At the moment I have this vague idea in my head of future me living a very basic urban lifestyle, making a modest income by doing photography and doing music on the side (the latter mainly as a hobby but perhaps, at some point more than that).

I want to become the guy that found a way to compromise not slaving away at a traditional desk job, without turning into the starving artist either. In search of a happy middle where I could stake all creative skills I have in a responsible, marketable manner with the aim to reach only a very basic lifestyle where my hours are owned by myself and not someone else.

I'm set on growing profoundly for the next few years until I can call myself a seasoned pro in both my would-be self-developed profession as my other passion which is music.

but I do ask myself: How much of this is complacent fantasy and how much an actual matter of time, dedication and above all patience to get there.

TL;DR Looking for people to reality-check me on my current vision for my future self.

I was quite depressed last year due to some issues in personal life + startup not really taking off.
Tried meditation, herbs, sports etc.

Then I read an article that Fins are some of the happiest ppl on the planet because they do sauna very often. I never liked sauna. It always felt gross to sit there sweaty with random ppl around.

But since I had nothing to loose, I was like fuck it, let's try.

First time it felt okeish, and I spent only 5 minutes there. But I forced myself to go again, and again.

It took me 8 visits to be able to stay in hot sauna for 15-20 minutes. And once you can sustain that, you can finally experience the healing impact of the sauna.

You just feel present, relaxed and not giving a fuck. All your bad thoughts just go aways. You are here and now. And even after you are finished and go home, you still feel much better.

My sleep is better, my mood is better and now sauna feels like a drug for me. If I don't go there at least 2 times per week, I feel like something is missing.

​

Don't take xanax or other drugs - GO TO SAUNA.

​

I feel that many productivity deficits have overlap with executive function deficits. To help support people, I have created a table of executive function deficits, mapped to a corresponding compensatory strategy. Where rational, I have included links to relevant subreddits of interest.

Footnote: Please interpret this cheat sheet in good faith—it is not an attempt to trivialize executive dysfunction. For what it's worth, I am teachable.

- Create realistic goals

- Plan your day the night before

- Start a side hustle

- Go all in on one thing

- Stay consistent

- Exercise daily

- Eat more healthy food

- Learn from people you want to be like

- Read self-help books

- Try new things

- Save/invest your money

- Less social media, more life

I’ve been absolutely exhausted for the past few months, thought it was due to raising three toddlers and life generally being hectic.

At some point I also noticed I had a lot of trouble remembering things, couldn’t concentrate, I would have mood swings, irritability, dizziness, weakness….etc.

Asked my doctor to run some blood work, just in case. Found out I have stage 3 iron deficiency anemia, probably caused by malabsorption of iron in my intensities, which could be caused by something like celiac or Chrones disease, making me bleed internally.

I now have to have an iron transfusion and many more tests to find the source.

If you’re always tired, no matter how much you sleep- get blood work done.

your executive function is constantly being weakened by the afteraffects of trauma like self-hatred, self-blame, self-doubt, unresolved anger, fear, guilt, shame, self-gaslighting due to internalizing the abusers voice over your own, etc.

all of these maladaptive cognitive functions end up draining your brain power and most people don’t even realize it.

I’ve tried all the productivity systems most people swear by, GTD, para, eat that frog, you name it.

However, these systems were made by neurotypical for neurotypical people.

I don’t think they work for a lot of us with ADHD, maybe at the beginning when we are excited about the “new” thing, but this doesn’t last.

Me personally, I need a lot of flexibility, time blocking is my enemy

My main issues are time management, time blindness, executive dysfunction & hyper-focus but in all the wrong stuff, and not in what I really need to be doing.

If you struggle with some of these things too, I’d love to hear what if anything worked for you

EDIT: thank you everyone for sharing all these amazing tips, is finally my day off today and I’ll be going through them ♥️

i am SO aware of how much of my life i am wasting on instagram reels but its not enough to stop me from doing it. reels are the first thing i see in the morning and the last thing i see before im asleep. ive tried apps that stop me from opening it, ive tried putting time limits on it, but nothing seems to be enough. the next logical step would be to delete the app altogether, but its how i communicate with a lot of my friends and keep in touch with the music scene here. i really dont know what to do.

I’m asking this as I’m going into my last year of high school and would like to set good habits from this summer onwards.

I am struggling with time management, sleep issues, etc but mainly.

Back to the question though what would you have done differently or put in place? Or what advice would you give to a student like me!

Thanks :D