What's the earliest you've had to get up for work?

[FellowGlower]

I've just got a new job and two days of the week I have to get up at 4:30am. I've been staying positive about it but now thinking have I made a mistake. Im usually up at 6 on a normal day so hoping the 1.5 extra hours won't make too much difference.

Would like to hear of others experience with early starts and any tips to make it more manageable.

I worked in a factory at 16 (til I was 19,) @FellowGlower and did 6am-2pm, and 2pm-10pm shifts. Monday to Friday. On the early shift, I had to leave the house at 5.30am, so was up between 4.15am, and 4.30am. It was brutal. Even then!

Even when I was much younger and fitter and had a lot more energy, it was hard work getting up at that time. I was full of energy in the evening though, and used to go to the pub 2-3 nights a week at around 8pm, and stay out til 11pm, and still get up at around 4.15am!

Tell ya what, I couldn't do it now. So glad I work from home, and get to pick my own hours, and am able to get up at 9am if I want to. (Or later if I have had a late night/not gone to bed til 2am!) No more super early starts!

TickingAlongNicely · Today 09:17

DH has a five hour drive, to start work at 9am.

FIVE HOURS? Why on earth would anyone drive five hours for work? That's around 250 miles! Surely he would be better just staying over at where he works (during the week,) and coming home at weekends. (Unless he does work away, and that five hour drive is once a week.)

03 30 for an 04 30 start, split shifts too so I didn't finish until 16 30.

I have been getting up at 4.45am for the last 18 years, you get used to it after a while. I can't even sleep in at the weekend anymore because my body clock has changed 😔

Had to get up at 2am or even earlier sometimes due to being theatre nurse on call then usually work til 4 or 5 pm ...used to leave my clothes ready ..some food in my bag eg bannana ..drink water or tea to stay hydraded xxxx good luck xxx

I did an international job for a long term and catching the first flight out to a anywhere in Europe meant getting up at 3am.

But I viewed it as shift work and would be sound asleep on the plane after my breakfast. I couldn't do a 3am start and have to drive/work straight through to 5.30pm more than once a week. Any employer that expected you to work more than 12 hours straight every day would be on dodgy ground if there was an accident.

I also get up at 4:30 twice a week when I need to commute in. I find it quite easy, I just go to bed early. But I'm a bit of an early bird anyway.

2am once a week for a client based at a university in Australia.

@LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway

Not five hours every day, it’s in the post:

Fortunately its just Monday mornings, he gets home on Thursday nights.

I used to be a supervisor for a team of people handing out newspapers to commuters in the mornings. So we started at 6am. I had to wake up at about 5 then straight to work. Shower the night before! Finished at 10 then went to my day job at 11am across town.
Glad I'm not doing that anymore!

Do you have kids?

Are you being paid more in this new role???

I start work at 5am so alarm is 3.20am.

I had to get up at 4.30am for nearly 15 years. I work from home now though and am self employed in so rarely get up before 8am

I spent five years getting up at 4.45am for work, three days a week. I was doing condensed hours to save on childcare and I really struggled with it TBH - especially if the kids woke in the night or my ExH came home at stupid-o'clock after a night out.

The earliest I ever had to get up for work was 3.30am - I'm usually an early riser, but I never got used to getting up that early and was constantly tired and grumpy no matter what time I went to bed.
It's not something I could do on a regular basis again.

I used to have to get up at 3.30am for a 5am start when I worked in breakdowns. Breakdowns have no respect for a 9 to 5!

No, I wouldn't do it again either.

Ooops sorry! That'll teach me to skip read!

@LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway did you get up too early?! 😆

I have to get up at 5 when I worked sets of early shifts and honestly it really knackered me, I was useless when I got in which isn't great when you have tea to make / kids to look after

When I was nursing I was up at 4.30 to do the horses, thenshower, dress 30 minutes drive to start shift at 7. Nearly killed me as often the late shift didn’t finish until 10 so barely 5 hours sleep between shifts.

I really did! 😆 7am! Early for me! Had a GP appointment at 9.45am (and didn't need to leave the house til 9.15am.) But because I was worried about lying in and missing my appointment, when I woke at 7am I couldn't get back to sleep!

01:30, working on breakfast TV 😴

@FellowGlower as others have said, you will get used to it. Go to bed earlier. Do your prep. Breakfast, lunch, clothes planning the night before or at the weekend. It’s easy when you are in the routine.

Back in the 1960s I was a Fireman on steam locomotives & we had shifts start every hour of the day and night, it was a job where you needed good sleep before starting your shift.

01.50am. I was cabin crew and had to drive to LGW, check in, then get a crew bus to LHR.
i was young and I loved my job so it was no big deal - I couldn’t do it now though!