If we want to have a successful day, we have to get up early, right? After all, the early bird catches the worm. But one initiative in Denmark shows us a different perspective. One that ensures we can tune into our natural rhythms and maximise productivity. And one that can be good for our productivity, health, companies and schools. We spoke with Camilla Kring: This is the story of the B-Society.

All over the world there are people waking up to the abrupt sound of an alarm clock. They do this almost every day, without giving it much thought. It is based on the idea that getting up early is key to success in life. Getting up early has a status, and we view people that get up early as morally superior. That they are lazy and will have an unproductive day when they do not. After all, the early bird catches the worm.

Some experts say though, that our views on getting up early versus late is a form of stigmatisation. That we have bias against night owls and for early birds. Instead, we have the choice to wonder: Are we naturally all early birds? What is the effect on our health, work and life, when we force ourselves to be one? Are all early birds successful because they got up early? Are all great achievers successful because they are early birds?

Early bird by nature?

As scientists are now increasingly telling us, not everyone is an early bird by nature (only 40%). Turns out, we each have our own internal wake time: Our chronotype. They also say that forcing ourselves to be one creates something experts call social jetlag. For instance when getting up different times during the week and in the weekend. Studies are now showing that waking too early can increase the risk for metabolic conditions. These include obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Utopia

But…a society set up for both early as well as late risers would never work, would it? Well, says the Danish B-Society, it not only possible, it is already happening. Their own initiative has been helping schools, companies and workplaces around the world do just that since 2006. It calls early risers A-persons, and late risers B-persons. And it is fighting for a paradigm shift away from the classic 9 to 5 model.

Different start times in public life can support healthier, happier and more productive workers and schoolchildren, says the organisation. The B-Society now has members in 50 countries. There are also several employers, as well as Danish politicians and ministers who support the initiative. Its positive results are even being noticed by Danish and international media.

Early bird status

B-Society’s founder and leading expert in applied chronobiologyCamilla Kring, told us: “Ten years ago, research in chronobiology was sparse. Today, it is scientifically proven that genetics play a large part in determining biological rhythms.” Kring, a B-person herself, thinks she has been verbalising what many B-persons have been struggling with in silence. Late risers often feel as thought they are not accepted. That they do not fit in with stereotypical ideas we all have about the time we get up.

This is something Kring experiences in her own professional world. “I’ve often met dedicated and nuanced journalists,” she explained, “who cite the problem that editors cling to the stereotypical portrayal of A-listers as heroes. And B-persons as sluggards who come to work late and have to learn to get up early.”

“It made sense to reward A-persons in the agricultural societies, where productivity depended on activity during daylight hours,” she continued. “But why should an A-person have a competitive advantage in a knowledge-based society? Where an increasing number of work tasks can be solved with or without sunlight?”

In other words: Why are all of us getting up early when we no longer need to? When we can be just successful when we get up later, and feel better for it?

“Why should an A-person have a competitive advantage in a knowledge-based society? Where an increasing number of work tasks can be solved with or without sunlight?”

Early Bird: A vision

56% of the world’s population lives in a city, and Kring believes that all cities can adopt the model. This will take time, she adds. It will rely on changes in mindsets, structures and institutions. It will also depend on complex integrations of family, schools, work and traffic politics. But, she adds, it would have a huge positive impact on many lives.

“Imagine that you can have the power over your time and over the social time in the community. How would you tackle this? I would give the population as much opportunity as possible to control their own work time. I would also throw out countless alarm clocks,” she explained.

“And my battle cry would be:

“Calm mornings for better quality of life and more productivity when we work in sync with our biological clock. That would be my battle cry. A biological rhythm is not something you choose,” Kring concluded. “You are born with one, and I will fight for equality between both early as well as late risers.”

“Calm mornings for better quality of life and more productivity when we work in sync with our biological clock. That would be my battle cry.“

Camilla Kring

Camilla Kring is the founder of the B-Society (2006). She supports companies attract and keep talent by creating flexible and attractive work cultures through Super Navigators. She is the creator of Life Navigation, a toolbox to improve work-life balance. And also of Navigators ApS (2005). Plus she has founded the information site Center for Applied Chronobiology.

Early Bird, or Wise Bird?

Many of us get up early. But is it something that comes natural to us? This way of thinking is now entering the public arena more and more. Take ‘Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and Health.’ In this book, Russell Foster tells us how experts are increasingly pointing out that not living in tune with our inner clock is affecting our health. Diabetes, heart disease, depression and obesity may be the result.

Some more MindBody perspectives? Check them out here.