To be an early bird or a night owl — one of life’s greatest dilemmas, rivaling “to be or not to be.” Let’s take a peek into the daily lives of an early bird and a night owl to see how their lifestyles differ.

6 a.m.

Early Birds: The start of a very productive day. They are likely fully awake, showered and on their fifth cup of coffee. Maybe they’re on their way to puppy yoga or a cafe to study. The opportunities are endless at this hour because no matter what they’re doing, they’ll still be light-years ahead of night owls.

Night Owls: The mere mention of the number six is enough to get a night owl quivering in their boots. Actually, at 6 a.m., some Night Owls haven’t even gone to bed yet. And if they have, they’re probably just beginning to doze off. If things keep up like this, they just might be up and ready to go by 3 p.m.! Truly an accomplishment for any ambitious night owl.

12 p.m.

Early Birds: What’s even left to do at this hour? Early Birds have already conquered their to-do lists, optimized their morning routines and are probably lounging around on their metaphorical high horses by now. Obviously, they’re not allowed to lounge in real life; the grind never stops.

Night Owls: Rise and shine! This is the optimal wake-up time for any night owl out there. After a quick breakfast (or is it lunch…), they can finally begin their day. If it’s a school day, around noon is when they would kick into gear, tune into the lesson at hand and just maybe get something done before 11 p.m. for once. 

Just kidding, a true Night Owl would never succumb to the push and pull of the social construct we call time. Gotcha.

6 p.m.

Early Birds: While others are just starting their evenings, early birds are often found snuggling in to watch TV and polishing their trophies emblazoned with “#1 Most Productive.” Then they’ll set the trophy down next to a three-foot-long completed to-do list, five empty coffee cups, and the worm (get it?). 

Night Owls: At 6 p.m., night owls are either chilling or getting ready for a nap that will launch them into a dimension where their fictional crush finally gets down on one knee. Just as their baby boo starts on “Will you—,” reality hits. They wake up in a cold sweat with a sock missing, drooling onto the pillow. Tragic, but the world keeps spinning. Perhaps tomorrow they’ll take another nap and reach part two of their epic search for love.

2 a.m.

Early Birds: Likely in a deep sleep, with not a single thought in their heads. They are already dreaming about eating the overnight sugar-free chia-oat protein pudding that they meal-prepped for their daily 5 a.m. run. 

Night Owls: Perhaps they are getting in one…or two…make it three episodes of the 30-episode show they binged in one day. Or they’re on their fifth Celsius, swearing they will pull an all-nighter.