How I Became a Morning Person and Built a Productive Morning Routine

This morning, March 21, I woke up around 4 AM. Looking out over Prague, more than ten new blog post ideas rushed through my mind. I quickly reached for my phone and noted them down before they disappeared. That is just how it works for me. Calm, silence, and a fresh morning mind have a big impact on my thinking and productivity.

How to focus? In my case the answer was not a tool but a rhythm. I fixed my workday to begin at 7:30 in the morning, I kept the quiet hours between 7:30 and 9:30, before most colleagues arrive and before my inbox fills, for the work that needs the deepest thinking, and I moved interviews and check-ins to the afternoon. That single change to my daily rhythm did more for my focus than any productivity trick. What follows is how it happened.

Waking up in the very early morning, or basically at night, is nothing unusual for me. About half of the posts I have written this year started this way: I would wake up around 3 or 4 AM, start thinking about something and tell myself, “Richard, your brain is already working. You are not falling back asleep anyway.” So I would start writing.

The view from my room before sunrise

How I Changed My Rhythm to Focus

But these early starts used to make my days pretty inconsistent. Some days I showed up at work at 9:30, others at 6:00. One night I would get eight hours of sleep, the next only three and a half. I started to feel the consequences. So I told myself: I need structure. I decided to fix my workday start at 7:30 AM. Since then, unless something truly unexpected comes up, I stick to it, arriving at the office between 7:20 and 7:40 every morning.

Waking Up at 4 AM, and How I Became a Morning Person

My mornings fall into two categories: I either wake up around 6:00 and just make it, or I wake up earlier, around 3:00 or 4:00. When that happens, thoughts start spinning, and I get into a productive focus mode that lasts until around 6:00. Then I eat and head to the office. But unlike before, I do not bounce between extremes, like waking up at 3:00 one day and 8:30 the next.

The Quiet Deep Work Hours: How I Focus at Work Before Colleagues Arrive

That quiet time in the office between 7:30 and 9:30, when most colleagues are still on their way in and my inbox is not overflowing, has significantly improved my focus and, I believe, my value to the company. Sure, leading a team means being there when people need me. But I think I can contribute the most when I use my most productive hours to solve problems, whether that is identifying a weak point in our approach or catching a data issue. That way, conversations with colleagues throughout the day are far more meaningful.

My Productive Morning Routine: The Most Demanding Work Before Noon

Part of this new rhythm is also making sure I tackle the most demanding tasks, those that require deep thinking on my part, before noon. Afternoons are mostly for check-ins with colleagues and interviews. I now offer interview slots almost exclusively in the afternoon. That is when I tend to absorb and process information rather than work through complex problems on my own. Interviews and consultations often raise critical questions, but I prefer to reflect on them in the morning. Even if I try to solve something immediately, the answer often comes to me the next day. That is just how I work.

Right now, this model works best for me. But I do not claim to have it all figured out. If you are reading this and see a weak point in my approach, or have something that works better for you, I would love to hear from you. To me, getting your rhythm and energy right during the day is a crucial factor, not only for success, but for actually living a good, meaningful life.

PS: And if you are thinking “just do not wake up that early,” I appreciate the thought; now please go convince my brain to stop working at 3 AM.