Flying west I shy away from early morning flights due to the long day. Waking up at 5AM to make a 7AM flight is rough when that 5AM is 2AM at my destination. I'm more likely to just devote most of a day to travel and take a later flight. I can sleep in a bit to make the time change more manageable and still get some work done and have a much more leisurely day at my departing city.

Flying east and losing 3 hours is going to take the bulk of the day no matter how you slice it so I usually just plan the day to travel. Mid-morning departure would be my ideal but can't always choose. Don't have to get up too early.... usually land around 6 or 7 and miss rush hour but still have time to eat and unwind a bit.