The early hours and productive work

Why is it that the hours after midnight, i.e., the hours between 1 and 5 am, are often the most productive?

The creative juices flow, most of the world is in bed, and the stuff that happens is truly amazing.

For myself, this is when I handle the budget, fill out the Amazon order, and things like that (if I don't hide that HOSS catalog I will be wearing pizza boxes.....

So tell me, what do  you get done if you find that magic hour, or few, that you can actually work?

I'm an early riser. I get most of my work done before anyone else is the house even gets up. Of course, everyone else that I live with is in their 20's and they sleep half the day if allowed.
I'm up at 4:30, and do most of my gardeners between 6:30 and 10:00, this time of year. Part of it for me is that I hate the heat, I prefer 50-60 degree weather for working. And, part of it is a habit from when my 4 kids were young, and I had to get things done before they got up.

I'm also an early riser. I tend to wake at 5am, give or take 15 minutes, and I don't have an alarm. I'm similar Stacy and mornings are my most productive time. I get most of my daily chores and tasks done by noon. I wish I had more energy in the afternoon, but I don't. Most days, about an hour after lunch, be it salad and veggies or pasta with sausage, I crash. I feel exhausted, but if I doze off for 20 or 30 minutes, I'm generally good to go til dinner. I wish I had the same energy I have at 7am at 2pm, but it's just not there, and maybe it's because I'm not 20 years old anymore. To answer Deb's question, I cannot function after midnight, let alone 9pm which is when I'm in bed. I have to sleep when it's dark and be awake when the sun is up. On the rare occasion I don't wake up till 6 or 6:30 I'm pissed off at myself cause I've lost time.

Here I'm the night owl. The end of my day is between 1 and 5 am, but. The world is quiet, going for a walk in the moonlight is amazing, and other than the internet, everyone else is in BED. I married a morning person, sometimes we pass (I'm going to bed as he gets up) and we have rules about keeping it down and respecting someone else's sleep. It could be too, I like to sleep 'cold' and the wee hours is when it chills off the most and I can get to sleep.

Still, this is when the art gets made, the stuff gets written, the pesky math (bills and budget) get handled, and things like the mending and making happen. Even cooking a big batch of something to get through the week. The yard cats will show up any time someone is moving and a two am-purr in, with love, petting, shed hair and a meal doled out is a common occurrence. Maybe too, my phone is quiet, nobody is bothering me, and I can just do as I please. I think that is some of it. I can't run errands (a big black hole of time and energy) (this is a rural place and things close for the night!!!)  so I can get something DONE.

I get up anytime after 2 AM, just kind of my own unwritten rule. I get a lot of stuff then, but mostly my writing stuff. I got three books in process, my current one being on taking a farm to the next level. I also do budget work, tend to the farm ledgers and do a LOT of farm planning. One thing my computer in my office does not do, is hook up to the internet. No internet, no distractions, so more work gets done.

As for TV, we have one in the house now. Got it about 3 years ago, but I have as much interest in that as I do in knitting socks. Nothing wrong with knitting socks, and nothing wrong with TV, but I only have 24 hours in a day, I must fill it with as much good stuff as I can.

James Freyr wrote: I cannot function after midnight, let alone 9pm which is when I'm in bed. I have to sleep when it's dark and be awake when the sun is up. On the rare occasion I don't wake up till 6 or 6:30 I'm pissed off at myself cause I've lost time.

I am the same way! I can hardly keep my eyes open after 9 pm. I am much happier and more relaxed in the morning, everything seems better and more manageable.  

I'm naturally a night owl, but I'm in transition which means I got the off-site job messing with my natural clock. Right now my best time is when the sun comes up and everyone else is still asleep. Maybe some day I'll be a siesta taker. Work from sunrise to noon, siesta until 4, work until midnight.