Lark or Owl?

I have spent the last few days (and every weekend) getting up at 6 am to let the puppy out for a wee. And it got me wondering, am I a lark or an owl? A lark will go to bed early (in my case no later than 10 pm), and rise early, where they will be at their most productive. Whereas an owl will work late into the night, checking emails, surfing the net and even doing housework, before they crash into bed and dread the alarm going off the next day. Which one are you?

I have been at my most productive in the mornings. I manage to update my blog, check emails, put a wash on, empty the dishwasher and make many cups of tea. But the point being, although I feel tired, it's quieter and there are no demands made of me.

Since I have been trying to break into the wonderful world of writing, I have noticed that I am not really able to function well past 7 pm. 7 pm is my watershed, my cut off point. I don't know why, it just is. I prefer to do nothing taxing after that time. Anything that requires concentration needs to be tasked for earlier in the day.

There has been a fair bit of research conducted, primarily in the States, and it is suggested that your lark or owl status is genetic? Not too sure about this, as I have swung from being an owl throughout university, to being a lark once shift work and children arrived. And when I was nursing, I fluctuated between both. Shift work tends to take all choice away. Up all night, sleep all day. I functioned fine. Or did I?

I have discovered a new category - the hummingbird. The hummingbird occasionally rises at dawn and can often stay up late at parties. I think I am now a happy hummingbird! I like that. A little bit of both, in the middle, a happy medium.

As a species, humans are not really night people and we are programmed to function better in the day. I mean we can't see in the dark and have no need to hunt at night (tell that to all the 24 hours supermarkets). However, despite all that, some people do function better at night, and some people function better in the morning. We adapt and compromise our natural schedules depending on life's commitments.

As NaNoWriMo is creeping up on me, (less than a week to go), I really hope that I can learn to function past 7 pm, as I have a feeling that I am going to have to!