Why 4 a.m. is the most productive hour

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Most people who wake up at 4 a.m. do it because they have to—farmers, flight attendants, currency traders and postal workers. Others rise before dawn because they want to.

Russ Perry, the 33-year-old Scottsdale, Ariz., resident and founder of graphic design firm Design Pickle, says that 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. is “the most planned, most organized and most scheduled part of my day. It’s a crapshoot from there.”

Once he and his wife started a family, he says, each new addition required an earlier wake-up time to beat the daily chaos. Their third daughter was born in 2015, and he moved his alarm to 4 a.m.

First, he prays. “I’m a Christian. I thank God for boring stuff, frankly, but it’s like a pep talk for me,” he says.

Then he deals with email, business finances and goes to the gym. By the time he gets home at 6:30 a.m. and makes a smoothie, one of his daughters is up. “And that ends my solitude,” he says.

Even though he knows productivity experts say doing email first thing in the morning expends prime mental energy on busywork, Mr. Perry says clearing his inbox curbs his anxiety. “I feel I get a head start on everybody,” he says.

There are trade-offs. Mr. Perry says he’s exhausted by 10 p.m., in bed with an eye mask and earplugs, while his wife Mika is a night owl. He says he doesn’t really feel he’s giving anything up. “I’d probably just be watching TV or on my computer doing low brain activity stuff,” he says.

Executives have often touted the benefits of an early morning start. Apple chief executive Tim Cook, known for being among first in the office and the last to leave, starts his morning routine at 3:45 a.m. And Sallie Krawcheck, chief executive of Ellevest and former Wall Street executive, has written, “I’m never more productive than at 4 a.m.”

Nonexecutive early birds aren’t necessarily workaholic. They hope to avoid the distractions of technology and social media. Those who work from home want a jump start on their day before other demands intrude. Some are seeking solitude and quiet.

“When you have peace and quiet and you’re not concerned with people trying to get your attention, you’re dramatically more effective and can get important work done, so they have that part right,” says psychologist Josh Davis, director of research at the NeuroLeadership Institute and author of the book “Two Awesome Hours,” about using science-based tools to enhance productivity.

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