I Tried to Be a Morning Person and It Was a Damn Lie Productivity Culture vs. Actually, Living Your Life

The 5 AM Club Can Kiss My Ass

Let me tell you a story.

For six months, I tried to become a "morning person." You know the type — up at 5 AM, journaling with overpriced coffee, doing yoga while the sun rises, crushing goals before most people hit snooze.

I read the books. I watched the TikToks. I bought the aesthetic planners and the motivational water bottles that told me to "drink up, buttercup" every two hours.

I set my alarm for 5 AM like my life depended on it.

And you know what happened?

I was miserable.

Not just tired. Not just groggy. I mean soul-deep, bone-tired, why-the-hell-am-I-doing-this-to-myself miserable. But productivity culture told me I had to do it. That successful people wake up early. That if I wasn't grinding before sunrise, I wasn't serious about my dreams.

Spoiler alert: It was all a damn lie.

Productivity Culture is a Cult (And I'm Opting Out)

Here's the thing about productivity culture — it's not about your life. It's about an ideal that doesn't fit most people.

It tells you:

• Wake up at 5 AM (even if you're a night owl)

• Hustle harder (even if you're burnt out)

• Optimize every minute (even if you need rest)

• If you're not constantly producing, you're wasting time

  
  

But here's what they don't tell you:

Some people are wired to be night owls. Some people do their best work at 10 PM, not 10 AM. Some people need slow mornings with coffee and silence, not a militant routine that feels like boot camp. And that's not lazy. That's not lack of discipline.

That's called knowing yourself.

The Morning I Realized I Was Living a Lie

It was a Tuesday. Alarm went off at 5 AM. I dragged myself out of bed, made the coffee, opened the journal, sat down to "manifest my day."

And I just... stared at the blank page. No inspiration. No clarity. Just resentment.

I thought, why am I forcing this? Who am I trying to impress?

That's when it hit me: I wasn't doing this for me. I was doing it because I thought I was supposed to.

Because social media told me successful people do this. Because influencers made it look easy. Because I was afraid that if I didn't hustle like everyone else, I'd fall behind.

But here's the truth:

I wasn't falling behind. I was falling apart.

What Actually Works: Living Your Life on Your Terms

So, I stopped.

I stopped setting alarms for 5 AM. I stopped forcing routines that didn't fit my rhythm. I stopped believing that productivity = worth.

And you know what happened?

I got more done. I felt more alive. I actually enjoyed my mornings.

Here's what I learned:

✅ Your energy has a rhythm. Honor it. If you're a night owl, lean into it. If you're a morning person, great. But don't force yourself into a mold that doesn't fit.

✅ Rest is productive. Your body and mind need recovery. Burnout isn't a badge of honor — it's a breakdown waiting to happen.

✅ Quality > Quantity. Two focused hours of work beat eight hours of forcing yourself to "stay busy."

✅ Living your life is the goal. Not optimizing every second. Not hustling until you collapse. Living. Feeling. Being present.

The Adorable Savage Take: Do You, Boo

Listen, if you love waking up at 5 AM and it genuinely works for you — go off. I respect it.

But if you've been forcing yourself into routines that drain you, just to keep up with what "successful people" do?

Stop.

You don't owe productivity culture your peace.

You don't owe social media influencers proof that you're grinding.

You don't owe anyone a "perfect" morning routine.

You owe yourself a life that feels good.

So, Here's My New Morning Routine:

• Wake up when my body is ready (usually 7-8 AM)

• Coffee. Slow. No rush.

• Check in with myself: How do I feel? What do I need today?

• Move at my own pace

• Create when inspiration hits, not because a schedule says I should

And you know what? I'm thriving.

Not because I'm hustling harder. Because I'm living smarter.

Final Thoughts: You're Not Behind

If you've been beating yourself up because you're not a morning person, let me tell you something:

You're not broken. You're not lazy. You're not behind.

You're just human.

And being human means honoring your rhythm, your energy, your needs — even when they don't fit the Instagram aesthetic.

So, here's your permission slip (not that you need one):

Do what works for YOU.

Wake up at 5 AM or 9 AM or noon. Work in the morning or at midnight. Rest when you need to. Move when you're inspired.

Live your life. Not someone else's highlight reel.

That's the real flex.

The Adorable Savage Real, Raw, Relatable ⚡💯❤️‍🔥