The early bird catches the worm

A long time ago when I started my global business career, I told my American friend that Japanese businessmen were working very hard. They were working from early morning to midnight longer than the “7-eleven”(a convenience store). But he pointed out that maybe the way Japanese businessmen were working was inefficient.

So I reviewed my job style, and I changed to wake up early and took 6:00 a.m.　train to arrive at the office at 7 a.m. which is an hour and a half before the office opening. The setup of the day's work was that I finished most of the job in the first five hours and completed the rest of the over flowing job in the afternoon. Then I left the company at 6:00 p.m., to enjoy the dinner with my family at home.

During the rush hour in Tokyo, in the crowded train jam-packed, people are said to be worn out by the time they get to the office. But if you leave early in the morning, it is possible to sit and read the newspaper while you are riding the train. And later going back home in the early evening train was also less crowded then having to take one later, and it was much more comfortable so.

Because of the high population density in Tokyo, people need to live in the suburb and some people say that it is not easy because of the long distance commuting, such as the jam-packed rush-hour train and also a very long queue to eat lunch. But I think there is a way to enjoy a very comfortable life with a little ingenuity.

Ref. “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-90)