Kate: Kudos on an excellent read which is very informative and educational.
I can relate to your important points as a “non-morning person” (based on my circadian rhythm). It’s unfortunate that society generally has a biased attitude toward non-morning people, especially within the traditionally accepted workplace paradigm.
The good news for freelancers and others is that we live in a global marketplace and virtual work space. Therefore, afternoon and evening people have advantages — based on international time zones, for instance — which most morning people lack.
As I write this comment, it’s early afternoon on the USA’s West Coast; evening in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and early morning in India, Australia and Japan (Thursday). Thus being a non-morning person does have some advantages in our mobile, digital and virtual 24/7 global work world. Thus more people should put their antiquated biases aside and look beyond Benjamin Franklin’s age-old adage that “the early bird catches the worm” — which is no longer universally the case (as it was during colonial times).
Finally, you might enjoy a piece I previously wrote here addressing some of these issues. Again, thanks for an exemplary read, and applause to Medium Staff for featuring it.
