Working till 5 AM..Hows that for focus? Or am I just tearing myself apart?

21 replies
Well folks...its 5:30 AM at me now...and I am just finishing the first part of my upcoming conversion rate report...

Since I read that $50K thread by Daniel (thx) I kinda went in some freaky overdrive mode and yesterday and today I worked till around this hour so I can finish my course.

Now...do you think that I am over-focused (if that even exists) or just plain stupid and I should take it easier?

I am usually going to sleep at around 2-3 AM but now I think Im crossing the line... But I cant help it...I just want to finish my product faster...I want to get more things done...and the daytime just doesnt seem to be long enough
#amhows #focus #tearing #till #working
  • Profile picture of the author matthewd
    Well, it doesn't matter how late you stay up if you still sleep the normal amount of hours.

    If you are still waking up early while staying up like that, it will eventually get to you.

    As long as your productivity is not being affected by being tired or anything, go as long as you can.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
    of course Im not getting up early...I wake up...when I wake up

    I don't really feel like my productivity is being affected but some people told me that you can get ill like this because your screwing your metabolism and stuff like that
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    • Profile picture of the author Ivancho
      Originally Posted by Marian Berghes View Post

      of course Im not getting up early...I wake up...when I wake up

      I don't really feel like my productivity is being affected but some people told me that you can get ill like this because your screwing your metabolism and stuff like that

      Well you dont think to worry then. I wake up at around 3pm here and go bed 4am in morning every single day
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      • Profile picture of the author Mark Brock
        My advice, keep burning the midnight oil (or the 5am oil?).

        Some of my best ideas have come to me when I've been insanely tired and in need of a good sleep. When they come to me I just try to get a little bit done on them (which ends up being a lot) and the determination to complete what I'd begun somehow stops me thinking about the need for a rest!

        As long as you aren't halucinating, keep going!

        Mark
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        AWOL

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    • Profile picture of the author Angela V. Edwards
      Originally Posted by Marian Berghes View Post

      of course Im not getting up early...I wake up...when I wake up

      I don't really feel like my productivity is being affected but some people told me that you can get ill like this because your screwing your metabolism and stuff like that
      I've worked in chain restaurants for 20 years. We often have schedules that vary and switch from shift to shift. (Some places I've worked even had a graveyard shift, which is what you just did.) I don't think it will mess you up too badly.
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  • Profile picture of the author AndyCamden
    If you are getting things done and are really productive...I say keep it up. Often times in IM or when you are building a business, you have to make some sacrifices in the beginning.

    Whats the thread that Daniel wrote. I would like to take a second to read it.
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  • Profile picture of the author innocent07
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Marian Berghes View Post

    Well folks...its 5:30 AM at me now...and I am just finishing the first part of my upcoming conversion rate report...

    Since I read that $50K thread by Daniel (thx) I kinda went in some freaky overdrive mode and yesterday and today I worked till around this hour so I can finish my course.

    Now...do you think that I am over-focused (if that even exists) or just plain stupid and I should take it easier?

    I am usually going to sleep at around 2-3 AM but now I think Im crossing the line... But I cant help it...I just want to finish my product faster...I want to get more things done...and the daytime just doesnt seem to be long enough
    Over focused is ok, remember one thing....

    -The MORE YOU PUT INTO SOMTHING - THE MORE YOU WILL GET OUT OF IT!


    So it will pay off- but make sure you get good rest periods at times too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chad Heffelfinger
    I do the same thing on a regular baisis. I have averaged going to bet around 5:00 am for about the past week. Most of the time it is around 3:00 or so however.

    I think it is easier to get things done in the wee hours of the morning/night. There are less distractions and it just is easier for me for some reason. The only problem comes in when you get realy motivated and all wired up and go past the 5:00 or 6:00 mark and the sun comes up, next thing you know your into the next day. Then your system gets out of whack.
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  • Profile picture of the author Spike SpiegelIM
    Yeah same here, I am at my best and my productivity goes through the roof when I am working at the wee hours in the morning. It's just easy to focus without anyone disrupting your mental flow. And I do tend to get carried away with work but now I see to it that I set my a schedule and follow it. And of course I see to it that I get sufficient sleep.
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  • Profile picture of the author trippmarxx
    I almost always do most of my work at night. Like everyone else has stated, there are just less distractions and I can get a lot more work done.

    It's when you stay up until 2am and then wake back up at 6am for a few days in a row is when it starts to catch up to ya.
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  • Profile picture of the author James Schramko
    As long as you 'sharpen the saw' and have a short break at intervals you should be fine.

    I stayed up till 3.30 am every night and woke up at 7.30 am for the last few months of my day job phase because I knew I was leaving it. It was a short term price I was prepared to pay to ramp up my business.

    Now I just wake up when I want to and work according to my productivity urges. Like most things now, I do almost the opposite to 'conventional' people and I get different results too.

    Do what you know is right for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kelly Verge
    It really depends.

    If you're "in the zone," it's good to ride that wave as long as you can. If you're not really productive, there's no benefit in staying up late.
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  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    You are inspired. WORK.

    When you're spent, stop and recharge.

    Most importantly, note how it FEELS when you are banging away in the wee hours. You feel POWERFUL and ALIVE, not tired or exhausted, right?

    Brian
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
    Ivancho...thats kinda what I do now. Almost the same schedule. Plus that I usually stay this long because I can get all you americans online then
    If I would go to bed at 11pm-12pm I would just barely have time to talk to american people.
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  • You should try other things and see what works best, after all thats the only real way to know for yourself.

    I used to do that, and after my body got into that pattern, I had some serious sleep issues.

    My body didn't do know when it should be sleeping, working, eating, or anything. My body didn't know if dark was time to sleep, or if sunlight was time to sleep.

    If you find that it works best for you, get into a sleep pattern. You don't want to be going to sleep just because you are so exhausted it's all you can do, that's not healthy for most people.

    For me personally anyway, being able to fall asleep easily, and wake up easily are arguably the most important things in my life. Not being able to do so can quickly turn into a living hell.

    This is the part of the equation where you look at your available capital, level of skill of the work being done, and calculate if outsourcing is a better method for your madness.

    I'd look at it like this: You could outsource, and get on a healthier sleep cycle and have more free time, or you could outsource and keep on like you are, and get even more done.
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    Money isn't real, George. It doesn't matter. It only seems like it does.

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  • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
    I am outsourcing some stuff but I don't like the idea that others should write my ebook/course/report whatever...I just outsource the small things like writing a couple of articles or bookmarking but thats all.

    I still do my own graphics, write my own copy, write my own product.
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  • It's hard to get out of that cycle I'll admit.

    I never wanted to outsource anything. First, because of capital and money constraints.

    Secondly, because I didn't feel comfortable doing it.

    You need to find a way to break that cycle. Outsourcing for me has already turned my business around and may take me to a much higher level than I am currently.

    You can buy friends, buy love, buy objects, but you'll never for a second be able to truly buy more time.

    The closest thing is to cheat and make your time worth more.

    I got myself out of that thinking by telling myself "Am I really so cocky, that I don't believe there is anyone out there, that I could hire to do my salesletter, that could do it better than myself?"

    I'm not calling you cocky, but that is how I personally got over my initial resentment to outsourcing.
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    Money isn't real, George. It doesn't matter. It only seems like it does.

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  • Profile picture of the author MarcusXavier
    as long as your hard work is paying off then more power to ya.

    as for me, I'm one of those, "work smart, not hard" kinda guys.[]
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
    Well...I do kinda consider myself a "smart working" person in general...its just that when something comes up in my mind and I need to do it really fast or something I go in overdrive just to finish it.

    Because of my "overdrive mode" I managed to finish the report last night and soon I'm gonna start working on the actual course...Witch to me means that I worked kinda smart because I did it fast and now even if I do stand up till 5 AM I'm not gonna stand up writing but instead maybe doing some planning and stuff since its much easier than writing...at least to me..cus I'm the type of person that doesn't really like to write alot
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  • Profile picture of the author Easy Cash
    Work as hard and as smart as you can.

    Good on you for putting in the hard yards.

    Top level results don't come from putting an average effort in.

    Look at World Champions or top level sports people.

    Do they sit around everyday?

    You want to be the best you need to put a massive effort in consistently everyday.
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  • I've read a lot of reports on real productivity and the consequences of overworking. A lot of professional authors only write 4 hours a day because thats around how much good mental clarity the average person has per day.

    I've experienced this myself, a lot of productivity studies show that you can work crazy hours but you will eventually hit a wall where you have to stop and recover. Of course with a bit of planning you can do that recovery in hawaii while your hard work generates passive income

    I've also noticed a very steady decline in my ability to pull crazy hours as I've gotten older. And for some reason I can't work in the dark anymore cause I can't focus at all, although this is how I always worked just a few years ago.
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