The Social Cost of Being a Morning Person
3 days ago
- #productivity
- #sleep
- #parenting
- The author reflects on becoming a morning person due to parenting demands and now finds mornings sacred for personal productivity.
- Early rising has led to personal benefits like more writing, consistent exercise, and clarity before afternoon fatigue.
- However, this shift has negatively impacted evening relationships, missing out on family bonding and social interactions.
- Teenagers naturally stay up late due to biological changes, making it harder for the author to connect with her daughters at night.
- The author feels guilt for not being emotionally available during late-night moments when her daughters seek connection.
- Evening fatigue affects relationships with her husband, friends, and extended family, often missing out on shared activities.
- The author considers whether this trade-off between morning productivity and evening social capacity is inevitable with aging.
- She experiments with adjusting her routine to better align with her family's rhythms, trying to be more present in the evenings.
- A small victory: staying awake briefly to bond with her daughter over guitar practice, appreciating the rare late-night connection.