Why do you think getting up early might be good for you? Why do some executives wake up at 4 am?
Some people cite the benefits below waking up before everyone:
- Minimal distractions before sunrise
- Nobody's sending you messages
- There's less to see on social media
But be smart, for most people waking up at 4 am will not work because the big question is not what time you get up, or how many hours you sleep but it is about what you will do while you are awake. I am sure that if you analyze how you are spending your time for a month you will find that in some moments you are wasting a lot of your time.
So if you believe that things are not happening don't think you need to wake up early but think about how to optimize your time. Set goals for your day and try to avoid everything that doesn't contribute to that goal.
If you dream about something, and say you want to achieve something, your actions need to reflect that. If you want to be above average you need to do what the average does not do. So think about it. Your future will simply reflect what you do today.
Top comments (13)
Actually, it's both. Having a slower, more controlled start to the day lowers stress, which helps you make the most of the rest of your day.
I'm up at 5 a.m. every day, and I find it provides me three benefits:
Lower stress (as I mentioned). I can have my devotional time, enjoy a cup of coffee, watch the sunrise, read a few comics. As an introvert, having that "me time" is invaluable.
After the above, I usually wind up knocking out some task I needed to take care of, like reading up on a new technology, or taking care of my DEV tag moderation duties. That's one less thing to try and fit into my day.
Because I got up earlier, I'm sleepy earlier, so I get to bed more regularly. Being a "morning person" helps me keep a natural schedule rhythm with time for work, projects, family, chores, and hobbies.
Getting up earlier isn't a replacement for scheduling by any means, but it is a healthy life habit that certainly helps maximize what time you have.
Don't throw out one or the other.
Thank you very much for your comment, it was certainly very constructive for my opinion.
I agree with that but I don't believe that the big value is in the time we raise but in the attitude we have and what we do to create a great day.
But I agree that people who wake up before most do have more facility to organize the initial moment of their day and start in the best possible way.
I don't throw away early waking, but I also don't believe that this is the secret of productive days.
Maybe not the secret for everyone, but it's certainly a necessary component of productive days for people like me. :) Positive attitude is another component, but it doesn't replace it. They work together.
I fully agree that it makes a big difference to the people who have this practice.
Yes, positive attitude is also very important and transformative, we can see this in the movie The Lion King.
I believe that if we unite positive attitude, good practices and a lot of effort we can achieve many goals.
I guess the bigger problem is how to manage going to sleep at 8. The waking-up-part seems trivial in comparison.
Here in Brazil, an average student has class in the night that may end up at 11 PM and have to work more or less 9h/day to pay the class and finaly you have to wake up at 4:30 AM to be "productive" in the day. In the best scenario you will sleep at least 4h per day. It's impossible.
Doing this routine of waking up at 4:30 AM, you have to sleep at 8:30 PM, but if you work all day and have family, then you won't sleep at 8:30 PM you gonna go enjoy the rest of the day with your family, am I wrong??
I wonder what people do for living to keep this routine.
I guess it's a feasible sleep-routine for a single person with more than average flexibility job-wise.
With family you need to match your sleep to the kids' schedule. For me that's 11-7 Sleep, 7-9 Kindergarden-Run and Commute, 9-6 Work & Commute, 6-11 family & personal-time.
Your comment is very important and really made me think about it.
This actually makes a lot of sense.
I get up at 430 every morning, even on weekends. I love the early mornings and tend to spring out of bed and straight out the door. I hit the gym, then head to work.
Cool, get up early for you allows you to have a special moment right at the start of your day and that's really good. I really can't do this but I find this attitude from people like you amazing.
Yes, I believe that if we questioned why we do certain things and why we do things in this way we could actually improve many aspects of our lives.