Your mom wants to go shopping at 9 a.m., your friends are always scheduling brunch at some ridiculous hour in the morning and of course, your schedule fits in another 8 a.m., as though no one wants to respect the fact that you’ll be passed out until at least 12 p.m. Maybe you could wake up earlier and everyone tells you to just “go to sleep earlier” but you’re always finding yourself up at 3 a.m. on days you promised yourself you’d turn in at 11 p.m. You can always try to rewire your sleep schedule and be that person that watches the sunrise after a restful night of sleep – or you can stick to three cups of coffee and your pajamas like the rest of the night owls you know.
1. Coffee is definitely key.
For once we can overlook whether you prefer Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts and focus on the fact that if you’re up at some insane time of night, you’re going to need caffeine to compensate. Some people start the morning with coffee, but you’re ending your night with it.
2. You don’t start work until late.
Your friends have their homework finished by 6 in the evening, but your brain refuses to focus until the sun goes down. Any work you have isn’t going to get done until much later and you lie in bed until then, thinking about how productive you could be if only you’d get your life together before 10 o’clock for once.
3. Speaking of productivity…
Your work output skyrockets as it gets late. By midnight you’re all settled in, knuckles cracked and computer out. You’re writing two essays at once, searching for an internship and online shopping all in one go. Why you couldn’t have started all this work earlier is a mystery, but you’re glad you’ve got it going on now.
4. At least until the crash hits…
Once the first boost of energy wanes, you’re stuck with too many open projects and a clock that reads 2:30 a.m. Suddenly, your essay is hopeless and you hate the professor, yourself, your computer and the word count all at once.
5. The world is quiet.
You’re overwhelmed by the late hour of night but for once the world is standing still. The house is silent save for your typing and no one expects anything from you until the morning. There are no obligations, no rush and no pressure – nothing but a quiet, dim room and a glowing screen.
6. You still get your sunset.
By 5 a.m. you can’t even pretend that you’re a healthy, well-rested individual, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your aesthetic. Any night owl pulling an all-nighter knows the best part is watching the sunrise. With the world still quiet and the streets uncharacteristically bare, it’s just you and the warm, glowing light on the horizon.
