Now you may say, it doesn't make a difference if you trudge into the office at 9am and work later into the nights. That way, when most of your colleagues have left for the day you would have the same peace and quiet to work.
That's where our opinions differ. Most productive gurus recommends that we tackle head on the most challenging tasks for the day, the first thing in the morning, so that our task gets progressively easier as the hours tick by. The idea is to face our most challenging tasks when our minds and body are at our freshest. Hence, pair this optimal level of performance you start with in the morning with the complete lack of distractions when you are the only soul in your floor means you are twice as likely to get off to a winning start. The extra 2 hours from 7am to 9am gives you more value than the extra 2 hours from 7pm to 9pm.
Another reason is a matter of perception. Generally, someone who starts their day early is seen as a go-getter, an early bird getting the early worm, but someone who works later into the evenings is perceived as being unable to manage their work load and is staying back to catch up. They both may work the same hours, but somehow the latter will get the shorter end of the stick.
Although general wisdom advises not to place too much weight on what others think of ourselves, the opinion of people around us unfortunately does, to a certain degree, reinforce what we think of ourselves.
So the next time you feel like you should stay up past midnight just to "get a headstart" on tomorrow's task, my advice would be to close your laptop lid, set your alarm to go off before the sun rises, and get some well-deserved shut eye. Start fresh tomorrow and you'll realise what seemed daunting the night before doesn't seem that insurmountable when you are alone in the office, with a hot mug of coffee in your hands, and the sleepy city just waking up right outside your windows.
Laptop closes. *Click
