The Perks of Being An Early Riser
How Waking Up Before the Sun Breaks In Can Change Your Life
Are you having trouble finding time to do the things that you planned from a long, long time ago?
Maybe you have read or heard that waking up 1 hour earlier is the best time.
You follow the advice but it was not that easy.
Maybe you have tried to set the alarm 5 times, every 5 minutes, only to snooze it 5 times.
You tried getting off the bed but the gravity is strong enough to pull you down and still.
Or you set the alarm at 5 but still wake up late. Instead of setting it at 5 A.M., you set it at 5 P.M.
If you are guilty in any of those, well, you are not alone. Almost everyone, including myself, suffers from this from time to time.
Successful People Wakes Up Early
I tried researching online to find out some famous personalities who wake up early. Here’s what I’ve got.
Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert wakes at 4 A.M. He said, “Typically speaking, I’m happiest, smartest, most creative and most optimistic between the hours of 4 A.M. and 8 A.M.”
Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz wakes up early at 4 A.M. and go for a bike with his wife.
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, wakes up at 5:45 A.M. in the morning to exercise before an early breakfast and getting to work.
Does it guarantee you that you will be as successful as the people I mentioned? Nope. There are still many factors to consider. But I am pretty sure, you will get a headstart.
Now, the question is, “If they are doing it, why should you do it?”
The Morning S.T.E.P.
It is obviously hard when you are a night owl or if you are a parent you have kids to take care of. Despite that, there are a lot of reasons why waking up early is beneficial for you.
I listed four major reasons why I choose to wake up early. And why it is worthy of your time and effort.
I come up with the acronym The Morning S.T.E.P. It stands for Silence, Thinking Time, Exercise and Prayer. It includes my morning routine I practice every day and why I do it.
Let us start digging into it.
Silence
Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. — Cal Newport
I don’t know about you but I do work well in silence. No distractions. No T.V. No Noisy Neighborhood. No Singing Brother or Sister. Everybody is still sleeping. In short, I can focus on.
In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport said that “to learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction.” That is the primary reason why early morning is the best time for me to focus on any cognitive task. It is when my productivity is at its peak.
Thinking Time
Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. — William Blake
With zero to least distraction, I dedicate my early morning time for mind stuff including:
Planning for the day. Early morning, I sat down in my study table, get my notebook and pen, check my to-do list and not-to-do list and organize things accordingly.
Reading chapter or two of my favorite books. I love reading personality development books. (I hate calling them self-help). I read books about habits, leadership, goal setting and productivity. Since I commit myself to be better 1% every day, I make sure I spent time studying practical advice that I can apply in my daily life.
Writing anything (Not typing). By writing, you can improve your creativity quotient (if there is a thing). I usually do my brain dumping on a sheet of paper. Either writing crappy ideas for an article, my personal journal, summarizing books, or writing anything that pop outs my head.
There is no sequence into it what I do first, as long as I fulfill my tasks, it is fine with me.
Exercise
An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. — Henry David Thoreau
To be honest with you, I am not a hardcore fitness man. I am not the type of person who loves going to the gym to pump some irons and run 10km without leaving the place.
But I love slow-paced walking before the sun breaks in. I love the feeling of being one with nature. The cool breeze. The chirping of the birds. The barking of the dogs whenever I passed the neighbor’s house. (And it doesn’t feel sticky. )
While walking, I also wear headphones and listen to inspirational mp3s to make myself motivated and positive. I usually listen to talks of Jim Rohn, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink and Bro. Bo Sanchez.
Prayer
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. — Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
My parents taught me the most important habit in my life — prayer.
The moment I wake up, the first thing I do is to say a Thank You Prayer.
It is my way of showing my gratitude to God. For giving me another day to pursue my dreams and for second chance to recover from my mistakes and failures.
It can also be your meditation time. Your yoga. Your daily mantra. Or any way of connecting yourself to the Supreme Being.
How to Be a Morning Person
Ok, Reality Check. Not everyone is a morning person. Some people find the most productive at night. And I don’t have a concern about that.
I know a person who can work until 3 am, wide and awake, and it works well for him.
If you are working night-shift, of course, waking up early is not even probable for you.
But if you are a person who wants to experiment being an early riser, either for the sake of being productive or just not being late at work, here are my tips that I personally practice, and hopefully, you will find it helpful as well.
Note: After reading the tips, you will notice that it all comes to preparation before you go to sleep.
1. Start Small.
Start setting your alarm 5 minutes earlier than your usual waking time. As you become comfortable waking up 5 minutes earlier, adjust your alarm 10 minutes earlier. Continue the incremental progression until you can wake up the desired time.
2. Put away your alarm.
Ok, this doesn’t mean that you need to ditch your phone or alarm clock. What I mean by this, is to put your alarm far enough that you will be forced to stand up to hit the snooze button. Remember, waking up on the bed is different from getting up off the bed.
3. Use habit stacking.
Habit Stacking is pairing a new habit you want to develop with an existing habit. Example, getting up and brushing your teeth. Before you put your alarm away, put a toothbrush and toothpaste next to it. With this, your mind will tell you that the next thing to do cleaning your teeth, instead of going back to bed.
4. Sleep early.
There is a big correlation between sleeping early and waking up early. When you give your body enough time to rest and recover, the more energetic and lively you become when waking up early. As the saying goes, “Early to bed, early to rise.” So shut down your computer. Unplugged your Netflix.
5. Visualize Waking Up Early.
I found this technique helpful (and cool.) As you close your eyes, imagine yourself waking up at 5 a.m. According to research, the subconscious mind plays a big part in this. I don’t what to be scientific about it, but sure it works like magic!
Final Thoughts
Of course, it will be hard at first. But as soon as you get the hang of it you will enjoy the benefits of waking up before the sun breaks in.
When you become frustrated, remind yourself “that having the discipline to wake up early isn’t something you’re born with. (Thanks, Jocko Willink for that) It takes time.
If you used to complain that there just weren’t enough hours in the day. By waking up early, you will find a way to create the time you’ve been missing.
So go ahead and set your alarm. Experiment and practice the tips that work best for you. Enjoy the benefits of the Morning S.T.E.P.
And remember what Hal Elrod, author of The Morning Miracle, said,
“How we start our day determine how we create our life. Are you snoozing through the morning…snoozing through your unlimited potential?”
Originally published at https://www.briandelacruz.net/the-perks-of-being-an-early-riser/
