Waking Up Before the Sun – How to Readjust Your Schedule to Increase Productivity
It’s no secret that Entrepreneurs wake up earlier than the rest of us to get more things done. It may seem like there needs to be more hours in the day while running a business. Waking up early in the morning, when there are fewer distractions and lesser demands, might give you an edge to increase efficiency. Michelle Gaas, Founder of Starbucks, has been waking up at 4:30am for the past 15 years. No wonder coffee helps chase sleep away! Waking up in the morning can give you extra time to meditate, collect your thoughts and plan your day. Apart from yawning the rest of the day, here are some benefits of being an early riser.
Mornings are more likely to be distraction-free.
If you are an entrepreneur or a homemaker, waking up early in the morning can ensure some me-time that is otherwise difficult to get in your day. As an entrepreneur, your day fills up quickly. There is so much to do, and your hours need to be more. If you think of exercising or reading in the afternoon, it gets pushed off the to-do list altogether. Although, If you wake up at 5am, you might get time to do meaningful things for yourself. You’ll see that your children are asleep, the neighborhood is quiet, and your thoughts are loud.
Your mind is fresh in the mornings, and your willpower is stronger.
It is a common misconception that willpower is the last thing you’d have in the morning if you’re not a morning person. There is a surge in willpower in the early hours of the day. Notable Author Laura Vanderkam says willpower is like a muscle that becomes fatigued with overuse. While you’re working, you end up meeting people that are hard to deal with; you make crucial decisions that take a toll on your mind, and don’t get me started on road traffic! Morning is when your mind is fresh and your willpower is at 100%.
Mornings allow you to set a tone for the rest of your day!
The start of your day may impact how the rest of your day goes. Imagine you get off your bed and stub your toe. You shake your head and move to the bathroom, only to slip and fall. You’re irritated now, and then you notice the time. You still need to pack lunch for your children. That’s it. Your mood has been affected, and experiencing this set of unfortunate events and failure to beat the clock would probably affect your productivity at work. Waking up early can help you channel your thoughts, plan your day, and overcome any failure that comes your way.
Now that some of the benefits of waking up in the morning have been covered, are you considering trying to try waking up early? The following article discusses practical steps to transform into an early bird from a night owl.
Keep a time journal.
According to an expert on time management, the main reason why people don’t like waking up early in the morning is that they went to sleep very late the previous night. A time journal can help track how you use your time. Try it for a week and note down any inefficiencies. You might notice that most of the time you spend in the evening or at night is not for anything productive, and lack of productivity might also seep into the next day.
Visualize your ideal morning.
“You will not get out of bed if you do not have a good enough reason.” It can be helpful to motivate yourself by thinking about what you would do with an extra golden hour. Would you read it? Exercise? Or catch up with current affairs? The possibilities are endless, and the choice is yours. Think about how you would want to kick-start your day.
Plan your morning.
Entrepreneurs, especially those in the 5 am club, wake up early to reflect on their thoughts. They meditate, read or exercise to have positive mindfulness for the rest of their day. Once you have decided to do something for your extra hour, you can plan how you would want to execute it. Try doing it before you sleep so you look forward to waking up on a perfect morning. For instance, if you’re going to read in the morning, try to keep your favorite book on the side table so it would likely be the first thing you see.
Plan your next day before you sleep.
As mentioned before, people sleep late because the nighttime is when they do everything unproductive. In general, scrolling through Instagram or other social media is not only an utter waste of time but also very unproductive. Before you realize it, it’s already way past your bedtime, and you’d wake up late, not knowing what to do the whole day. Instead, try using your evenings or nights to plan what your morning will be like. Try using your nights to unwind, so you do not deplete your energy, willpower, and motivation to get stuff done. Evenings can be a great time for planning and scheduling your day or week ahead.
Build the habit and practice these techniques.
Rome was not built in a day. A night owl cannot become a morning bird overnight. If you are a person who sleeps late and wakes up at 11am the following day, it’s much more likely you’d hit the snooze button if you set the alarm for 5am. Try setting the alarm for 7:30 and reduce half an hour or ten minutes every day until you reach your desired time to wake up.
Similarly, to avoid losing sleep, try to turn in for the day half an hour or 10 minutes earlier than before until you reach your desired bedtime. Setting a bedtime alarm can help.
Early to bed and early to rise is not something you have to do. It is a lifestyle that you have to adapt to. Being an entrepreneur or a productive person has a lifestyle that comes along with it.