A short talk by Dr. Arthur Brooks describing his shift from a late-night, drinking musician to a sober early-riser who uses a 4:30 a.m. alarm. He explains 'nighttime procrastination'—a self-rebelling behavior that prevents going to bed on time—and recommends metacognition and going to bed on time to improve waking early and overall well‑being.
For the longest time I never saw the sunrise. All the way through my twenties I was making my living as a professional musician and I got up when the sun was warm. I went to bed when it was nice and late and I always thought I was a night owl. Well, looking back on it, no, I was just a musician who drank too much. Now I don't drink at all. And it turns out it's easier to get up. Not super easiest. I'm not one of those people who gets up without an alarm clock. No, I use an alarm clock every single day. I did this morning. It went off at 4:30 and I didn't like it. I said because that morning alarm is something I would like to sleep, sleep through. But winning the day is a big deal as the first battle in fighting negative affect and raising my well being. And it's so effective that I jumped out of bed as I ordinarily do. Now when does this morning at 4:30 start? The answer is last night. The truth is that the most important way to be able to wake up early in the morning is to go to bed on time. One of the reasons that people aren't able to get to bed, especially in their 20s, is called nighttime procrastination. What this is is a phenomenon where you're sort of rebelling against yourself, especially as a young adult. You remember you have this vestig you'll memory being put to bed and you didn't want to be put to bed and so you rebel against it even though you're the one setting the rules. It's unproductive. Remember, be metacognitive, think about what is actually motivating you and you can manage yourself better.
