Unpacking Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise Part 1
28 May 2026
"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
— Benjamin Franklin (from Poor Richard's Almanack 1735)
Recently I've been questioning the wisdom associated with this quote. I feel like the ideas presented here are similar to many ideas circling in the modern day productivity space, that waking up early in the morning is inherently better. Think of the countless morning routine articles and videos. The fact that the same idea pops up throughout history makes me think that there is at least some truth to it — that starting your day early has a positive impact on helping you achieve your goals, though there are examples of people like Brandon Sanderson or Bob Dylan who successfully makes use of the late-night hours.
Much of the modern day conversation on this topic argues for a rigid form of adherence. For me, this level of rigidity would take away from many moments where I am inspired late at night. Many of my favorite conversations with friends, or long workflows have happened late at night when there is not a clear endpoint in sight. When you are working or talking late at night, creativity abounds because you no longer have to be conscious of the clock. Aside from these moments, there are almost no other times in my day where I can get 4+ hours (i.e. 9pm-2am) of uninterrupted time. When these long chunks of flow are pointed towards achieving goals that align with my identity, this time becomes some of the most valuable. I've dabbled in music composition over the last few years, and almost always my best ideas and work happens after 10pm. Similarly, when I'm journaling or writing, that time feels the most generative.
However, this late night flow state with no interruptions can also be detrimental when channeled towards actions opposed to your identity and goals. For me, this usually comes in the form of short form content consumption. What is particularly insidious about scrolling for hours late at night is exactly what makes it so beneficial for creative work — that there are no interruptions or time constraints. During the day, there is never a time where I could scroll or consume content for four straight hours without experiencing a disruption that would make me think, "Maybe I should stop and do something else now." Derek Thompson recently introduced the concept of "Zombie Flow", the flow state one enters when mindlessly consuming content, the antithesis of the good kind of flow which comes from performing at one's best. This zombie flow is similarly all-absorbπing and makes you lose track of time. These flow modifiers helped me realize how they are related and why I engage in both late at night. For me, late-night work-sessions are conducive to entering into flow. But, this flow can be either generative or zombie.
The Franklin quote does have some general truth, because being rigid about going to bed and waking up early would eliminate many of the zombie flow moments which can be detrimental. However, it would also eliminate the generative flow moments which can be so valuable. The optimal path seems to be to strictly control bed and wake time on the majority of days to limit zombie flow, but to embrace the generative flow moments when they appear.