When many people talk about self-improvement or productivity, they oftentimes talk about going to bed early and waking up early.

Every time I hear this, I struggle to find why this is more beneficial than going to bed late and waking up late, IF you are doing the right tasks at night.

For example, let's say "person A" wakes up at 5am and goes to the gym, and does miscellaneous tasks early. but goes to bed at 9pm. "Person B" wakes up at 8:30am, and goes straight to work. They go to the gym after work, and do miscellaneous tasks late into the night, going to bed at 12:30am.

These people are both getting exactly the same amount of sleep, and completing the same tasks, but person A is seen as more productive since they get up earlier. Why is this?

I'm curious to hear about the small, low-effort habits people have incorporated into their daily routines that ended up having a big positive impact. Maybe it helped you improve your mindset, productivity, or even made it easier to start adding more good habits into your life. What’s that one simple habit for you, and how did it make a difference?

Serious question. I thought about this recently- I don’t think there’s been a day when I wake up at 6 actually feeling energized and ready to start the day. So I asked about 5 of my friends, and they all said the same thing. Virtually everyday they wake up tired and just have to push through that feeling.

So for those of you who actually feel restored and energized upon waking (if you exist), what parts of your day, routine, etc. do you think contributes to that?

The title says it all.

I am a simple man who just wants to:

1) work,

2) do house chores, and

3) have fun (surf net, watch a movie, exercise, etc...)

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It doesn't seem like that much. It seems definitely doable, but I always come short of achieving this on a daily basis. I become too tired to do 1) or 2) satisfactorily, or because I am too tired to do 3), my days just feel like a burden and I get stressed out.

If anybody's pulling this off, I would really appreciate some advice from you and a rough outline of your daily schedule.

I really need to know if I am aiming for something too high up or if I should just man up and shape myself into the schedule.

I am the type of person where i need constant stimulation for example, something to listen to in the background/podcast or watch a youtube video etc, or when im at home most of the time i play video games to pass time.

How did people before 50 years ago live? Like say your at home all day because your sick or theres a snowstorm what do you do all day when there is no screen?

Looking for some good habits to build :)

Do you have any application recommendations to improve your life efficiency? One person recommends one, and would like to hear your opinions

I don’t know the best subreddit to post this in. But after the pandemic, I feel like everyone’s energy, including mine, was just zapped.

My parents are not their social selves again, my friend had to take a mental health leave from work and struggles from depression, my other friend isn’t happy with work, and at least 3 other friends are feeling stuck in life. My sister is depressed. I’m depressed.

And now my boyfriend is feeling hollow inside and work is catching up to him due to a lot of social commitments.

What. Is. Going. On.

The factors I can think of from 5 years ago to today are: 1. We’re getting older 2. The pandemic

My friend group is going into our late 20s but aren’t we supposed to feel more…..excited for life?

My sister is younger than me and struggling even more.

My parents - I can understand. They are getting older but I could sense a real big shift after the pandemic. Them and their friends just stopped going to big events and slowed down their social gatherings.

Don’t get me started on myself. I’m feeling so…numb to the world seeing my loved ones in peril.

Do you feel this too?

Which habits do you have that are small and simple, requiring little effort, but provide long-term benefits?

I wake up between 3:30 and 4 but don’t have to leave until 7am. I’m curious what other early risers do with their morning because I find myself sitting on the couch drinking coffee and staring at my tablet until I have to get in the shower sometime between 5 and 6. After that I start getting things done, but I’m wondering how I can use that early time better.

I’ve been staying with my cousin this week and I can’t fathom how she manages to get so much done - she’s running her own business working 40+ hours per week plus teaching yoga whilst raising 2 kids as well as 2 dogs and a cat, hundred of house plants, whilst also hiking almost every weekend, playing several instruments, playing volleyball, occasionally tutoring English and she’s in the process of writing a book.

Obviously it’s distorted by my being there but in the past week she hasn’t been rushing around and stressed but actually appears pretty relaxed even spending hours just sitting around watching tv and yet still manages to achieve so much.

I asked her for tips but she didn’t seem to think she was anything special nor had any special strategies to offer - what do you guys think?

It’s as if some people just have more hours in their day

I guess I’ve got accustomed to needing my downtime between tasks whereas some productive people apparently don’t?

Edit: I don’t necessarily envy her lifestyle - productivity and busyness for its own sake has never appealed to me and I like having time to chill and think, I think as wth all things it’s about achieving an equilibrium between assiduous productivity and self care and relaxation, but I’m still amazed at what some people can achieve without burning out. However it’s also true that everyone is built differently at the chemical level and receive different rewards from different tasks and so comparison is ultimately worthless.

Multitasking is not real. It may seem like you’re doing two things at once but technically you’re not. Your brain is just switching back and forth at an extremely high rate which makes it appear that you are. Many neuropsychologist can confirm that we are monotaskers.

Maybe this question was asked before, but I'm not here talking about tips that are always mentioned like journaling and writing your to do list... etc I mean something you figured out later in life, made you more productive and you wish you knew earlier because it changed everything.

I was presented with an ad for liven, and the ad was actually pretty compelling and intriguing to me. So I did the online quiz and then I get to the page where I have to pay to get my "plan"... It only promises me how I'll be after I follow their "anti-procrastination plan," with clever charts and lists... but it doesn't anywhere tell me WHAT IT IS. Is it like a game I play in an app? Is it rules I'm supposed to follow? Is it a timer that charts my activity? Like wtf actually is it??

I've been using Chat GPT at work and home to increase my productivity. The possibilities seem endless, curious what's working for you.

Here's a few of my favorites:

• Draft an email, or update email to different tone
• Create a list for brainstorming
• summarize a meeting from a transcript or notes, and produce minutes and action items

An app you recommended to friends to use

I think for me it was eating home made food and fruits. But still I'm unable to stick with it .

But I was able to reduce my HBA1C from 5.9 to 5.2 . And that made me happy .

It may be anything - your habit a device or anything that helped you.

Yes, masturbation can become an addiction and a problem.

Yes, a lot of porn is problematic in sourcing. It is a famously exploitative and gross industry.

Yes, if you have a problem and then stop spending all of your free time wanking and do ANYTHING else, your quality of life will improve.

None of these ideas are revolutionary but can we stop railing against masturbation. It is the same as a former alcoholic saying that no one else should be able to drink since they don't anymore except worse because almost all people have an innate sex drive and no one forces someone to drink.

I whole-heartedly support people going through a porn/masturbation addiction and needing community but the No Fap community has some really cancerous ideas and utilize some heavy shaming practices. I see anyone who deviates from the community line of "all wanking is bad" being accused of having a problem and being in denial. It is a natural urge that there should not be any shame in UNLESS it is interfering with your relationships and/or ability to function in your daily life. Otherwise, live and let live.

No Fap is not ground breaking. Can we please talk about some new ideas for productivity instead of beating this dead horse to a pulp?

Unfortunately I’m one of those people who needs a lot of sleep (7.5 to 8 hours :/ ) , so waking up at a time like 4 AM would necessitate going to bed insanely early if I don’t want to be a zombie the next day.

For those who wake up at 5 or earlier, what time do you sleep? Are you just a naturally short sleeper?

I'm sure people have spent a lot of time on a video game which doesn't even provide that much enjoyment, reward or fulfillment, but it's so easy for that person to concentrate on it all day. But in regards to work, or studying, it is hard for that same person to concentrate even for a while.

I think it's something to do with the mind of that person wanting to be immersed in that 'world' provided by that video game, as long as that world is more fun.

People, if you could go back in time and give your 10-years-younger self just ONE piece of advice, what would it be?

My 2 cents: Totally, non-negotiably, absolutely, keep your finances in order.

Share your favorite productivity technique, and maybe it will help someone else become more productive.

The Pomodoro Technique was game-changing for me. It aided me in staying on top of my studies. Now I am delighted to state that I am one of the top scorers in my class. 

Edited: I'm reading every comment, but there are so many that I can't respond to them all. I've discovered a number of methods that appear to be really beneficial, and I'm eager to put them to use.

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I journal every single morning. It’s meditative, but also helps me clearly set my priorities for the day, making me more productive and focused. It’s been a complete game changer.

What’s the single most important part of your morning routine?

I'm quite young (I don't want to say how young for fear of being ridiculed) and I need 10 hours of sleep to feel well rested.

I get home from school at 5 PM and 6 AM is the only time I can wake up without being rushed, which I don't like when I've just woken up.

This means that I have to sleep at 8 PM, which means that after I eat, rest and shower, I have MAYBE 2 hours of free time in a day, which I guess would suffice if all I did was study, but I wouldn't say that's realistic.

What a terrible dilemma. Please help me.

EDIT: For more context, I'm in high school. I should've put that in the original post.

Hello everyone, I hope you are well!

Googling 'How to be productive' teaches me many different ways of being productive, but I am wondering if there any little things / routines that you do to make sure you have a productive day?