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Today it's fucking cold in SoCal, so I can't imagine what it's like in places where it's snowing.  Waking up today, my bones were aching (not just from being sick) and I truly didn't want to get out of bed.  Right now as I write, it's 9:34 am, somewhat early for me (although I have no true set hours). I think if it were a little later, I wouldn't feel physically as bad.

But that got me to thinking that the whole notion of 9-5 for work hours is just wrong. I've discussed before how I felt that this idea is an archaic artifact that modern countries need to remove. On top of that, I just realize that for the most part, getting up in the morning be just physically bad for one, at least during any cold seasons.  Most people wake up even before it's sunlight outside and have to deal with issues like removing the icing from their windshields or be immersed in freezing temperatures as their car starts up. Also, some people might live in an old house with bad insulation.  So when they wake up, it's horribly freezing.  Compound that issue with taking an early morning shower or bath and you might be looking at a recipe for a cold.

Now, imagine if those hours could be pushed up a few.  Say from 11-12 pm.  Most people probably would be better fit waking up at a later time.  With sunlight up, one would naturally be able to feel awakened.  It would be slightly warmer.  If given the opportunity to have a few hours to truly "wake up," then they could use that time to get some circulation into their bodies, do some activities that would make them more physically adept.

Naturally, this does pose a counter issue, which is that people would "work later." Honestly, what is the issue of "working later?"  I think most people at office jobs (which is what I'm really targeting here) these days find people working later regardless. There's no real incentive to "see the sunlight" because by the time you leave, it'll be gone anyway.  TV shows aren't an issue either because you have Tivo and other DVR services to handle this. How about dinner or stores? Food can be regulated and limited hour stores, imo, are pointless just as the idea of a 9-5 job. But from a physical point of view, I can't see a good reason why a person would need to leave their office early.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear if the so-called common cold is partly attributed to 9-5 thinking in the winter. Of course, people have kids that are germ houses and that the cold itself somehow contributes to increased sickness during the winter.  But I think part of this can be prevented by swapping out hours during the winter (at the very least). I mean, in the case of America, we have daylights savings time.  Outside of farmers, this system is more of nuisance than anything. Instead, once the cold season kicks in, there should be something for offices to allow for later hours as well. If anything, that might save companies a few bucks on medicine and more productivity from people who don't get sick as a result from this theory.