When I first started college, I thought: Should I be a morning person or a night owl? Which one works better for me? Which will make me more successful? Success was the only thing on my mind—I couldn’t think of anything else. Obsessing over it consumed me, and I became fixated on achieving my personal goals in a way that wasn’t healthy. It took me a long time to figure out when I was most productive and how to make smart, efficient decisions overall.
Making good decisions is really hard, especially after leaving your hometown without your support system. I struggled a lot to find strategies to be efficient without relying on others. Deciding whether I should start my day at 6 AM or 10 AM was a tough call. At first, I stuck to a routine where I studied until midnight and then went to bed. This left me feeling exhausted if I woke up at 6 AM. Those mornings felt like I had been hit by a bus! So I thought, Okay, maybe this is just who I am, a lazy person who can’t handle early mornings and will never accomplish anything.
The internet can be full of toxic positivity and misleading advice. I ended up accepting that, the fact that I believed my success depended solely on the time I woke up, was ridiculous. Influencers often promote the idea that waking up early is the only way to be productive, making us believe that anything else equals failure. This mindset completely warped my perception of success.
One day, I sat at my desk, thinking: Is there another way to reach my goals without being so obsessive? Then it hit me: I needed to listen to my body. My mind, my body, my organs, they all need rest. I started creating a schedule that fit my needs, but wasn’t too harsh on my well-being.
Over time, I realized that my good grades had nothing to do with the time I woke up. What truly mattered was how I managed my energy and focus throughout the day. I learned that taking care of my body and mind is more important than forcing myself into an unrealistic routine. Waking up at a certain hour doesn’t make someone more or less successful. As long as you complete your tasks and get enough rest, there’s no need to push your body to the limit by sleeping only four to six hours. That’s not healthy.
To all the students reading this: Put yourself first. Prioritize your well-being. Listen to your body. Take that extra hour of sleep—your body is begging for it. I believe that being a morning person or a night owl is a personal preference, and neither is the “right” way to be successful. What matters is the effort and focus you put into your tasks each day. That’s what will take you to amazing places.