I Changed My Daily Rhythm. Early Morning Silence Is When I’m Most Productive

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’s just how it works for me. Calm, silence, and a fresh morning mind have a big impact on my thinking and productivity.

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

The view from my room before sunrise

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’d 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.

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 don’t bounce between extremes—like waking up at 3:00 one day and 8:30 the next.

That quiet time in the office between 7:30 and 9:30—when most colleagues are still on their way in and my inbox isn’t 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’s identifying a weak point in our approach or catching a data issue. That way, conversations with colleagues throughout the day are far more meaningful.

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’s 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’s just how I work.

Right now, this model works best for me. But I don’t claim to have it all figured out. If you're reading this and see a weak point in my approach—or have something that works better for you—I’d 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’re thinking “just don’t wake up that early,” I appreciate the thought – now please go convince my brain to stop working at 3 AM.