6 Tips To Get Up Early Like The Worlds Most Successful People
When that hellish alarm goes off at 7 am, most of us either hit the snooze again and again or we drag ourselves out of bed reluctantly and remain in a zombie state for the first hour of the day. (The stay away from me hour)
But for some people, getting up in the morning is a breeze, and something they actually enjoy. Some people actually jump out of bed in the morning with enthusiasm and a spring in their step and even choose to get up an extra hour or 2 earlier than they need to just to work out or get the day started before the sun comes up.
Morning people account for some of the most successful people in the world and most of the Top CEO’s all get up before 6 am. Richard Branson wakes at 5.45 am sharp, Apple’s Tim Cook gets up at 4.30am Starbucks Founder Howard Schultz starts his day at 4.45am to get to his office by 6.
Jennifer Aniston is one of the world’s most famous morning people, renowned for happily getting up at 4.30am every day, she fits in tons of exercise while most of us are still dreaming. Kim K told Harper’s Bazaar something similar too, getting up at 6am to have time to chat to the kids before getting stuck into some exercise and then her not-particularly-speedy beauty regime.
“Early to rise makes man healthy and wise” — Benjamin Franklin
Benefits of Getting Up Early
You Stand Out at Work
If you’re after a promotion or you want your boss to give you a raise, there’s no better way to prove your’e committed than getting to work before everyone else and putting in the extra hour. Whilst your competition is asleep, you’re getting ahead.
You Get more Shit Done
It might seem a bit simple but it’s logical, if you get up earlier you’ve got more productive hours in the day to play with. If you sleep an extra hour or are slow to get going, you’re losing time which you could be using much more productively. Always being late or doing things at the last minute is a recipe for stress and anxiety.
Your Health Improves
Getting up early doesn’t necessarily mean you have devote the extra time to work. It can actually mean the opposite. Spending a power hour to yourself first thing in the morning to do simple things for yourself can really help your overall health. Whether it’s going for a run, preparing your meals for the day, drinking your coffee in silence or simply planning your day in peace, the first hour of the day sets the tone for the rest of the day.
How to Transform yourself into an Early Riser
If you like the thought of being a morning but you’re a pillow hugger, here’s some tips on how to change your ways…
Get Enough Sleep
Getting up early shouldn’t mean you lose out on sleep and you should aim for 7hours in order to have energy and bounce out of bed come the morning. This means you have to be strict with yourself. Go to bed an hour or so earlier and wind down from TV and technology earlier in the evening so you’re asleep by an early-ish time.
Be Consistent
Don’t have a really good start one day and sack it off the next day, you need to keep it up. Even weekends should have you up at the same time so your body clock gets used to the change and isn’t disrupted every 5 to 6 days. Remember it only takes 21 days to form a new habit.
Get Organised
Getting things in place before you get into bed is the best way of ensuring you’ll get up early. If you wake up and your gym clothes are already laid out ready, you’ll put with on without wasting time finding things and becoming more and more de-motivated. Whatever it is that you’ll do when you wake, plan it the night before so it’s effortless.
Don’t Snooze
Whacking the snooze button on does no good for your body or your mind. This actually disrupts your body’s natural rhythms and undoes all the hard work you’ve been putting in. Instead, be realistic with the time you get up. Start with small steps and wake up 20 mins earlier every week until you’re finally waking up early and it doesn’t feel like a mission.
Big Breakfast
Once you’re up it’s vital you feed your well. Sleepiness won’t be banished by a big cup of coffee and good nutrition is key. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day so get plenty of slow release carbs to give you energy throughout the day and avoid reaching for stimulants like energy drinks and coffee.
Be a Napper
Whilst you might me nailing the early mornings, getting through the whole day with enthusiasm may be hard. Taking a 20 minute power nap in your lunch break will help you to feel energised to get through the rest of the day. Make sure you keep your nap short as anything longer will take you into a deeper sleep cycle and mess up your nightly routine.
Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post encourages her staff to take an afternoon nap in the office and companies like Google and Uber even have sleep pods at the office.
Bonus Tip: Stay Motivated. There’s plenty of apps and social media accounts posting daily inspiration to help keep you track. Try searching #5amClub on Instagram and Twitter and follow as many of the related accounts as you can. You’ll soon be so sick of seeing the motivation that you’ll have no choice but to do it!
It all depends how bad you really want it. Are you going to carry on sleeping with your dreams, or wake up early to chase them?
