There’s a trend taking the business world by storm. Some swear by it. Others claim it’s the secret to their success. Is it attending a fancy college or networking your behind off? Nope. It’s waking up early.
As a self-proclaimed nighthawk, I know this sounds farfetched and potentially impossible, but I’m here to tell you it can be done and the benefits you can reap are immense. For the last two weeks, I’ve awakened at 6am instead of 8am and it’s made me realize that waking up early can greatly improve my life.
Why should you wake up early?
- Time to breathe: Before 7-8am, the world is still asleep. If you take a walk during this time, there’s a sense of peace and stillness. On the flip side, if you were to wake at 8am, like me, (or a little later…hello snooze button!), you would be rushing through your morning tasks—brush teeth, shower, dress, grab something to eat on the way and run out the door. I would be an anxious mess because of this routine – one I created because I so greatly valued a few extra minutes of sleep. Now, even though it’s only an extra 2 hours, it feels like I have the entire day in front of me. I have plenty of time to wake myself up and start thinking about the day ahead of me before engaging in it.
- Uninterrupted productive time: If taking a walk or making a leisurely breakfast early in the morning isn’t your thing, this block of time can also serve a more productive purpose. Several days this week, I’ve found myself thinking about work tasks while drinking my tea in the morning. Instead of trying to bat these thoughts away, I dove in and completed a lot of my work before the workday officially began. This allowed me to get my to do list out of the way and tackle the unexpected challenges that pop up that day. I wasn’t being pinged and emailed by others and could completely focus on what I was doing, which helped me complete my tasks faster.
- A clearer brain: When the workday does begin (typically at 9am), I’ve been awake and thinking for several hours. I’m ready to jump into what the day brings, instead of slumping off to grab a giant cup of caffeine before getting down to work. Part of my workday is no longer spent trying to focus or fight off sleepiness – all of that is left in the pre-work hours and I’m able to perform at 100% from the starting line.
So, it happened. This nighthawk finally experienced what all those early risers have been talking about. Waking up earlier has made me a less anxious and more productive person. I’m able to accomplish personal tasks in the morning before work that were previously pushed back days and even weeks because I was too tired to accomplish them after work. My actual work has also improved due to me being a fully functioning and awake human from the start of the day. From every angle, waking up earlier has improved my life and I think it can improve yours as well.
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