What Is the 5 to 9 Before Your 9 to 5 Productivity Trend?
Lindsay Knake
| 4 min read
If you work from home, you may have found yourself with extra time to spend. Without a commute and perhaps without needing to spend as much time getting ready for a day in the office, what do you do with that time?
Enter the 5 to 9 productivity trend on social media apps such as TikTok, here to offer you some ideas.
What is the 5 to 9 productivity trend?
TikTok users are sharing their morning routines before settling down at their laptops at home or heading to work. Those using this trend are getting up earlier – 5 a.m. – to pack more into their days. From yoga routines to meal prep to skincare to chores to leisure, it’s a way to organize their mornings and showcase their routines before work. It’s also a way of feeling productive and accomplished.
What are possible benefits of the 5-9 trend?
Getting chores and tasks done in the morning when you have more energy to ensure you get them done. If you wait until you’re tired after a day of work, it may be harder to get to them.
Taking care of administrative tasks can reduce stress and leave you with leisure time to spend reading, watching TV, or with family and friends in the evenings. This may be especially true if you have kids. You can take care of important chores before they wake up.
Regular exercise is important for your physical and mental health, and getting your workout done before work ensures the day doesn’t get away from you. As a bonus, the gym might be emptier and easier to use early in the morning.
Creating a routine can be helpful. Going to sleep at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning will help you get better quality sleep. Practicing good sleep hygiene, including limiting screen time an hour or two before you go to bed and keeping your bedroom dark, will also improve your sleep. Routines and structure can help your mental health, as well. Predictability can help reduce anxiety, according to a study. Routines also help conserve mental energy.
The key to building habits is consistency. If you miss a task or a day, don’t judge yourself, shake it off, and keep moving forward. Extra sleep may be exactly what you need.
What are possible downsides of the 5-9 trend?
If you are a night owl and can’t get to sleep early, fear not. The 5-9 trend might not work for you, and that’s OK.
Some people who have tried the trend find it difficult to keep waking up at 5 a.m. or find their internal alarm clocks may not adjust to the new time. Going into sleep debt when attempting this trend and sleeping in longer on the weekends than normal to compensate may make waking up early even more difficult. Getting up early for this kind of productivity also may leave you feeling extra tired in the afternoon.
If you’re up before the sun, you may not get as much serotonin. The hormone, which is triggered by sunlight, is associated with improved mood. You could find it to be difficult to spend part of your day when others are sleeping.
How can I adapt this for me?
Take the idea and adapt it to your own lifestyle and needs, such as creating an evening routine instead. It’s important to remember a rigid routine can also add to stress rather than relieve it. Using different days to do chores, read a book, or exercise may be exactly what you need.
What’s most important for physical and mental well-being:
- Regular exercise
- A healthy diet
- Leisure time for mental health
- Sleep
- Quality time with family and friends
How you organize that is up to you, whether 5 to 9 a.m. or p.m., or something else entirely.
Image: Getty Images
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