Starting earlier and eliminating the graveyard shift is an excellent idea. I know. I'm an international airline pilot. We arrive in London or Paris about 4 a.m. Houston time on each transatlantic eastbound flight. We have a crew bunk, scheduled rest periods, sophisticated cockpit automation, time-tested crew coordination procedures, and fresh coffee and breakfast before landing. But it's still tough.
Backside-of-the-clock work is part of our livelihood, as it is for ambulance driving, emergency room medicine, nuclear power generation, and hundreds of other professions.
But if you don't have to do it, don't. I can't imagine what it would be like if we had to do hard physical labor at 4 a.m.
[This message has been edited by DualAG (edited 11/6/2006 9:30p).]