The Magic Hour

By Rebeldad Brian Reid

As a kid, I hated the end of daylight savings time. I grew up in New England, where the darkness falls noticeably earlier than it does around here, and "falling back" banished much of my waking hours to darkness. Thinking back to my years in high school, I realized I have no memories of daylight during the month of December.

What a difference parenthood makes. Having kids has dragged me, kicking and screaming, from night owl to morning bird. With two kids, there is no such thing as sleeping in. But rather than fight it, I've relished it. I understand that I'm at my best in the early morning, and for nearly two years, I've been trying to get up even before the kids for an hour of pre-dawn me time -- my magic hour. But it was hard to get into the magic-hour groove in October, knowing that the sun would rise at 7:30 a.m., long after the kids were bounding about.

Now that we've fallen back, I'm back to enjoying the twilight, and the magic hour has again become my best and most productive hour -- with no threat of anyone disturbing me. Here's how I can spend it:

1. Correspondence: Not only are e-mails and voice mails sent at 6 a.m. impressive in their own, slightly sick way, but you're not likely to get an instant response. Middle-of-the-day e-mails often mean a quick reply, and the ensuing back-and-forth just kills my rhythm.

2. Writing: I am shocked at how much I can get done with zero interruptions -- I must write five times faster. I know most of you aren't writers, but I'm sure you all have little personal or professional projects that would take off if you could just string together 45 minutes of calm.

3. Reading: If the newspaper doesn't get read by 7 a.m., it ain't gonna happen. But before the sun rises, I actually have a fighting chance to read -- at the very least -- the comics (can't miss "Frazz").

4. Breakfast: It takes about 10 minutes, start-to-finish, to prepare a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and apple slices (same goes for pancakes). By the time the kids are up, there is no way I can spare those 10 minutes. (Eggos anyone? Cheerios?) But get started just a few minutes earlier, and I can be Martha Friggin' Stewart.

5. Exercise: OK, I'm a year removed from my early-run habit, but there was something powerful about working up a brisk sweat first thing -- it really set a nice tone for the day.

I'm sure some of you out there are also early risers -- how do you make the most of your morning?

Brian Reid writes about parenting and work-family balance. You can read his blog at rebeldad.com.

By Brian Reid |  November 30, 2006; 7:00 AM ET  | Category:  Tips
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