Successful People Wake Up EARLY

This isn’t just for entrepreneurs. According to many studies and research done, there may be some truth to the old phrase, “the early bird gets the worm”. I just recently made it a goal of mine to wake up at 5 am everyday, whether it is to workout, read, or just get a jump start on my day. After setting the goal, I wanted to do a little more research on early risers.

According to Business Insider and the many interviews they have done, it’s hard to find a successful entrepreneur that wakes up late. Most of these early birds’ alarms go off no later than 5 am, some even as early as 4 am: AOL CEO – Tim Armstrong, founder of Virgin Group – Richard Branson, Virgin America CEO – David Cush, Apple CEO – Tim Cook, Starbuck CEO – Howard Schultz, and Disney CEO – Bob Iger, to name a few. Many of these highly successful people say they are able to workout, read books, pray, meditate, catch up on emails, read the paper, and plan out the rest of their day, all before anyone else has even opened their eyes.

Successful people don’t waste time. They understand that “time” is one of the most precious things we have, because we can never get it back. Time only moves forward. So if you’re one of those people who is always complaining that you “never have enough time in the day”, perhaps it’s time to change your sleeping patterns and set that alarm clock for an earlier time.

Here are a few reasons you may want to start getting up earlier and ways to transition into being that “morning person”:

How you start the day, is how the day will go.

You’ve been in that situation where you hit snooze and then wake up 45 minutes later, right? You have to rush to shower, get dressed, eat your breakfast, send the kids off to school, but then you were in such a rush that you forgot their lunches at home, left your brief case in your office, and forgot to turn off the burner after making breakfast. How your day flows after this experience is completely different compared to how it flows after you’ve woken up right at 5 am, read a few pages of an inspirational or personal development book, got a 45 minute workout in, was able to check your emails in peace and quiet, and got in a great 2 hours of “alone” time before everyone else woke up. It seems that the earlier you start your day, the more productive, clear minded, and happier you are throughout the rest of it.

Less distractions.

By waking up earlier, you usually have a lot more time to yourself. This gives you the ability to get more things done without being interrupted. If you wake up later and don’t get those “personal” things done in the morning before work, they are more likely to take a back seat to other things and be put on the “to-do” list for tomorrow. And most likely, if the next morning is like the previous, those things will be put on the other “to-do” list for the next day… and the next day… and the next day. You get the picture.

Winners wake up early. 

It is very easy to hit the snooze button in the morning and get up an hour later. Your bed is just so comfy right?! Well, you’re no competition for those who have been up 3 hours prior to your waking call. Waking up early develops discipline and a strong mental mindset. For you to defeat that inner voice telling you, “It’s okay to hit snooze. You’re too comfy. Just a few more minutes!” – proves that you have control over yourself and your life and that you will take no prisoners when it comes to getting up and getting stuff done. “Those early to bed and early to rise, makes them healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

How to transition into becoming that “morning person”:

Start slow.

If you consistently get up at 7:30 every morning, setting your alarm clock for 5 am tomorrow will be setting you up for failure. Just like gradually increasing weight every week to increase strength in your workouts, you have to gradually wake up earlier and earlier so you don’t just quit with the whole “I’m a morning person now!” mantra. Set the alarm clock for 20 minutes earlier than you normally would for tomorrow morning, and start there. Continue to add 10 minutes to that wake up call every week until you can’t help but wake up naturally at 5 am every morning.

Get to bed earlier.

The reason most people want to sleep in longer is because they get to bed so freaking late! Obviously if you get into bed at 12 am, that 5 am wake up call just ain’t gonna happen, or maybe it will, but you’ll feel groggy and like you didn’t get enough shut-eye. The key to waking up early is to get in bed early! Just the same with starting slowly on your wake up call, get to bed 30 minutes earlier tonight than you usually do. Make it a goal to get in bed and be asleep by 9 pm, and watch how much more refreshed you feel at 5 am the next morning.

Have goals.

After reading this article, your excitement to get up and start your day earlier may be enough right now, but it won’t last. You won’t continually get up early if you don’t have a good enough reason. Check out this fact: if you were to get up just one hour earlier every morning, you would gain 15 additional days each year. Crazy right? I don’t know about you, but I have too many dreams and goals I’m trying to accomplish to just waste 15 extra days sleeping for one extra hour a night. Have some compelling goals. Write down your ultimate visions and dreams that you’re trying to make a reality, and keep them nearby. They’ll be your pot of coffee in the morning and your jolt to get things done.

Train hard and train smart.

 

References:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/this-why-productive-people-always-wake-early.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-who-wake-up-early-2015-6