NotCreativeEnough

Professional Day Ruiner

The early bird gets the worm! Or do they?

The past few years I've been the guy who's up at 5am and in the gym, at my desk at 7:30, and have a set routine for how I start my day. I feel like in the past, getting an early start was how to be successful when it comes to prospecting or getting in front of clients.

Lately I've been noticing a shift though. A lot of people are starting their days later and later and then working later into the evening instead of early in the morning. My best success window with prospecting is around 2-4pm now. And clients regularly text/call/email back after 5pm. But before 10am are basically non existent.

Likewise, I have a lot of coworkers who don't start their day until 9 or 10am.

So what does the community here think? Does the early bird still get the worm? Or has the work culture progressed past the point of being up before the sun to start grinding right away. I'm looking forward to hearing some opinions.

☕️ Workflow and Daily Habits

💼 Productivity

⏱ Time Management

23

26 comments

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CuriousFox

WR Officer

6

🦊

Adjust to the people. Things change. 🤷‍♀️

Sunbunny31

Politicker

3

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Most of my colleagues are ET, so I get more work things done early.

My customers are on and off throughout the day, but I have also noticed they engage more toward the end of their day. This works for me, honestly. I find I can take time midday for myself and then check back in to connect with my PT customers and close the day out. Personally, I've found if I don't personally start the day with some rigor and attention, I don't feel like working the rest of the day, so I have to have self-discipline. Getting up early and having a routine may still work well for you for other things, but maybe flip your tasks and do your CRM work in the morning instead (assuming that you used to close out your day that way) in order to meet your customers where and when they are engaging.

NotCreativeEnough

Big Shot

2

Professional Day Ruiner

Same. I have to have a set plan going into my day and execute from the start or I end up being lazy and do nothing.

And I agree on the mid day thing, that's something I've started doing more. I'll break from 11ish until 2ish, then work later like 6 or 7 instead. That way I'm around when prospects are.

Tasks like CRM stuff I usually backfill in when I have free time. I don't really allot any set part of my day for it. Although it probably wouldn't hurt to start

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

I don't usually do CRM stuff for real until late Friday (due for mgmt meetings Monday morning) but I will use "free" time when I'm not doing anything else. I'm not good with being patient, so it gives me a task to focus on that keeps me engaged.

FattySnacks

Politicker

3

Senior Account Executive

If you want to be normal, follow the path of the majority.

If you want to be great, fuck what everyone else does.

Does it work for you? Do it

Does it not? Try switching it up

The stoics say “win the morning, win the day”. I fully buy into that. But Im the 5am guy

fuzzy

Notable Contributor

3

CMO (Chief Meme Officer)

Executives will answer the phone before their assistants clock in. So ~7am. Everyone else, 2-4, especially with WFH and most people only (actually) working on average 4hrs a day

NotCreativeEnough

Big Shot

0

Professional Day Ruiner

some of my coworkers and I were talking about this the other day. It's so much easier to be productive at home. I can get as much stuff done at home in 4 hours as I can in 8 at the office.

FormerStartupJobHopper

Tycoon

1

AE

I work on average about 9:30-6:30 because of the exact reason you are alluding to. I get tons of replies from executives and signed contracts after 5 pm ET

Notmyrealname

Politicker

1

AE

Second this. Over the last few weeks I've noticed that I get the highest connect rate after 4pm.

Doink

Opinionated

1

BDR

Very few customers want to respond to messages or calls while working unless that is what they are working on. Adjust to meet your ICP on the level that least inconveniences them. I’d rather send a reply message or take a call from a BDR, SDR or AE at the end of my day rather then in the middle of my work day. But this is just my opinion.

GDO

Politicker

1

BDM

I notice as well. Quite nice since I’m in the late rise rithm

IYNFYL

Politicker

1

Enterprise SaaS AE

Most people seem to have their schedules calm down in the afternoon. Also after talking with quite a few C-suite level people, they mentioned most of their cold calls are received in the morning.

NotCreativeEnough

Big Shot

0

Professional Day Ruiner

because that's when all the "trainers" and influencers say you should do it because its supposedly most effective. In my experience it isn't even close though. Lunch hour or end of the day has always been the best for me

jefe

Arsonist

1

🍁

I haven't noticed this, but I've always had some really solid connects with DM's around 6-6:30

Honch

Good Citizen

1

Senior Account Executive

My day usually starts around 9:00am-10:00am and ends somewhere between 4:00pm to 6:00pm. I work based on my prospects as others have mentioned too.

I don’t find myself behind on the busy work (updating CRM, building out lists of prospects, etc) so I see no need to put in extra hours before or after the times my prospects are responsive.

Salesandcoffeedude

Valued Contributor

1

Business Development Representative

I tried being a morning dude - barely got shit done. Now I sleep later and do more.

Depends on the person I think.

NotCreativeEnough

Big Shot

0

Professional Day Ruiner

definitely depends on the person. For me its all about routine. I'm not a morning person at all but for some reason getting up early and having that structure to my day makes me be more productive

Blackwargreymon

Politicker

1

MDR

Adjust to the people. Things change.

butwhy

Politicker

0

Solutions Engineer

I have definitely noticed this, even in myself as a morning person, that I am now more productive and able to get meetings later from 12-3. I blame WFH - we are all using the morning for personal stuff instead of work stuff and shifting working times accordingly.

Samsamoon

Opinionated

0

Associate

No

Qman

Opinionated

0

Business Development Rep

As many have said here I guess it matters on your ICPs. Hard to describe the feeling when you can finally sign off and then get a bunch of replies

Gasty

Notable Contributor

0

War Room Community Manager

Yep! This is totally happening. My team gets most responses on Emails and LinkedIn post working hours, even weekends. We've discussed multiple times how we can start a couple of hours late than we usually do. 12 to 9 is the new 9 to 6.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

0

Sales Rep

WFM I think causes people to work later and respond to emails very late which help 2-4pm prospecting a lot

Error32

Politicker

0

ISR

agree whole heartedly. the discussion is great for all of us, no matter how experienced we are. I think a lot of the time people use it as a way to procrastinate from just sitting down and actually making the dials or whatever it may be.

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