The length of the daylight hours is decreasing - soon we will not only fall asleep, but also wake up in the dark. At the same time, most families and working people have to get up early so that children get to school and kindergarten on time, and adults get to work. All kinds of coaches also advocate for early rises - and never tire of giving reasons why waking up early is beneficial. Does your energy and productivity depend on what time you get up in the morning?
Best time to be quiet
The early morning hours are probably the only time during the entire day that you can set aside for yourself. This is the case for many people. The time between five o'clock in the morning and the time the rest of the family gets up is incredibly important.
This is your chance to enjoy precious moments and do things that can easily be neglected later due to various hassles. Whatever you choose - reading, meditation, prayer, yoga or any other quiet activity - enjoy it to the fullest.
For years I refused to meditate because I thought I was too fussy for it. But over the past few years, I've found that spending some time in silence helps me gather my thoughts, reduce stress, and maintain peace of mind.
Getting up early for work
Most enterprises in Russia start their working day at eight in the morning, factories even earlier - at seven. That is, working people have to get up at 5-6 o’clock in the morning. In schools and universities, classes also start quite early, at eight or a little later. As you can see, here too people with completely different needs, desires and physical characteristics are lumped together with the same brush.
In Japan, for example, some companies have the practice of “free attendance”: it doesn’t matter what time an employee comes to work, the main thing is that the required eight hours are worked. Thus, everyone chooses the optimal time for themselves, at which they feel most able to work.
If you have difficulty getting up early, you may want to consider changing jobs. I also recommend reading the article about my experience working from home.
Better and more sound sleep
When you start constantly waking up at the same time, you will have no choice but to go to bed at the same time to get the amount of sleep you need. One of the additional effects of this transition is that sleep is likely to improve.
Various factors affect the quality of your sleep, but consistency is one of the most important. When I started waking up early, going to bed early automatically became a priority, and as a result, I was forced to make finishing work earlier a priority as well. If you set even one clear time limit for yourself, it can have a resonant effect on all your other decisions.
How to learn to wake up early? 10 simple tips
If you are a night owl and usually fall asleep late at night, then it is better not to force your body, but simply rearrange your daily routine, making it more productive. Waking up early isn't for everyone, and that's okay. You should not attack your internal clock to your own detriment. But if you are still determined to change your life, then we have some tips that will help you adjust your regimen without harm to the body.
Rule one.
Don't try to rebuild your body in a night or two. Those who have already gone through this advise: take the period between when you usually wake up (relatively 10 am) and the “early” time you need (let it be 4:30). Calculate the difference in minutes and divide by ten (330 minutes/10=33 minutes). And when you set the alarm, each time subtract this number from the time you get up. In our case, on the first day the call will be at 10:00, the next at 9:27, and then at 8:54, and so on until you reach 4:30. The change in biorhythms should be gradual - this is the most important thing.
Rule two.
Sleep as much as you need to feel well-rested. And go to bed eight hours before waking up - let your body calmly prepare for sleep.
Rule three
. Take a hot shower before bed. This will help you relax.
Rule four.
Think about what prevents you from going to bed and waking up earlier, and try to eliminate these obstacles. The main thing is to resolve all matters before the time at which you plan to go to bed.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Rule five.
Monitor your physical condition. This will help you both fall asleep and wake up normally. Eat right, exercise and be as stress-free as possible. And remember that the last meal should ideally take place three hours before bedtime, and it is better to move physical activity to the morning or afternoon.
Rule six.
Ventilate the room before going to bed. It is easiest to fall asleep at a temperature of 17-18 degrees, but to wake up at 22 degrees.
Rule seven.
Don't drink anything containing caffeine eight hours before bed. It’s difficult, we understand, but this will make it easier to adjust the biorhythms.
Rule eight.
No more “10 more minutes”: get up as soon as the alarm clock rings. Firstly, during this short time you will not get enough sleep, and secondly, you may fall asleep again for a long time. And in the end, you will still wake up tired.
Rule nine.
It is very important that the room is light when you wake up, because light affects biorhythms.
Rule ten.
If you can’t sleep, get up and do something. Return to bed when you are ready.
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More energy and optimism
I know a lot of people who don't look great in the morning.
My hair is unkempt, there's weird mucus stuck to my eyelashes, my breath smells terrible—it's clear that I'm not one of those people who was born with the ability to jump out of bed with a big smile on my face. I used to wake up like this every day, but now it rarely happens. When my alarm clock rings, I literally jump out of bed and enthusiastically begin my morning routine. And it wasn't genetically programmed. I wasn't born this way. It's all about habits, systems and personal choice.
I don't understand why feel tired when you can be cheerful? Why lie on the couch when you can run in the fresh air? Why deliberately hold yourself back when you know that renewable energy will be the fuel to move forward?
Higher concentration
If you wake up at dawn and are the only person awake in the house, you have a great opportunity. One of the main advantages of getting up early is the guaranteed absence of noise and interference. Nothing stands between you and your goal. There are no distractions unless you create them yourself.
Many people start their day with TV. They wake up and immediately turn on the morning talk show, the news, cartoons, or a rerun of the evening comedy program they missed.
If your goal is to focus and move towards your goals, such distractions need to be put aside. The phenomenal benefit of focus is that it is always available unless you decide to give it up. To concentrate, you have to let go of everything except the one thing that matters most.
The brain works better
Years of trial and error have confirmed that I think most clearly in the first half of the day, not in the second. This is true for everyone. Willpower is a finite resource that is renewed during sleep. During the day, discipline resources and the desire to work are gradually reduced. As a result, even simple tasks require serious effort.
If you want to take advantage of the natural cycles your brain already has, try to do your best work early in the morning. It doesn't have to be right after you wake up—just don't wait until happy hour starts at the bars to start writing your next novel.
Healthier and more attractive body
Most often, I devote my morning to either an important project or health. If I'm not reading, writing, or finishing an urgent project at 5 a.m., I'm drinking a green smoothie, going for a run, or hanging upside down in gravity boots.
Morning hours are the ideal time to take care of yourself. Most people only budget a few minutes for a quick trip to the gym, or don't have time at all. But of all the things you can do at five in the morning, eating a healthy breakfast and exercising come first.
Waking up early won't be a magic solution that will automatically make you lose weight, but the trend is clear: early risers tend to exercise. And those who do them usually eat more healthily. Those who eat right tend to lose excess weight, which means they gain more confidence and feel more attractive.
Alternative ideas about the daily routine
Research by historian Roger Ekirch, which lasted more than 15 years, reveals an amazing fact. In Europe, at a time when electric lighting had not yet been invented, our ancestors slept completely differently than we do now.
The night's sleep was divided into two parts: the first dream and the second. People fell asleep at about 21 o'clock, then slept for 3-4 hours. After which there was a period of night wakefulness. A few hours later they went to bed again and got up with the sunrise.
The historian studied various historical documents and evidence, thanks to which he came to such an amazing conclusion. Ekirch published his thoughts and evidence in the book “At the End of the Day. History of the Night", released in 2006.
The night hours could be devoted to reflection, prayer, creative pursuits or lovemaking.
Nowadays, an experiment was carried out. 15 volunteers were invited to spend 4 weeks without artificial light. For the first three weeks, they slept - they were active for about 10 hours during daylight hours, and during dark times they slept or dozed in a dark room. The participants' previous lack of sleep had an effect.
When they got enough sleep, the volunteers miraculously began to switch to biphasic sleep. First, sleep lasting 4-5 hours, then a period of wakefulness, and then sleep again until the morning. A total of no more than 8 hours.
They described their free night hours as very quiet. They talked about crystal clear consciousness, something similar to meditation. This condition could not be called insomnia. On the contrary, participants experienced a surge of energy.
Thus, if a very early rise beckons you with a desire to feel the magic of that very time when night gives way to morning, but you are not ready to become an extreme early riser, then take note of the described option of biphasic sleep.
Some of our contemporaries also sleep intermittently, considering it harmful and unable to get rid of the habit. However, don't rush to conclusions. Perhaps this is more natural than continuous 7 or 8 hour sleep.
More likely to achieve your main goals
Being productive means getting things done, but with the Early Morning Miracle, your goal isn't just to get more done. When you start waking up earlier, new opportunities will open up for you. You will have free time that did not exist before, and you will have choices. The trick is to decide in advance how you will spend it. Those who benefit most from the miracle of the early morning are those who wake up with a solid plan for how to succeed in achieving their main goals.
Even one hour a day, five days a week, can be enough to make progress in some things that are valuable to you and your mission.
The most popular excuses
The myth that people are divided into “night owls” and “larks” has long been debunked. The human body and mind are strong systems that can overcome conventions. A person can accustom himself to any daily routine, but those who like to wake up closer to second breakfast or lunch have their favorite excuses. Such excuses and justifications are necessary in order to convince yourself that 2-3 hours of freed up time in the morning is a luxury.
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The most popular excuses for late risers:
- “If I get up earlier, I won’t get enough sleep”;
- “I go to bed late - I can’t help it. That’s why I can’t wake up early”;
- “If I get up early, I will definitely wake up the rest of the household”;
- “I’m unproductive in the morning, my time is late evening.”
Sleep can be controlled. If you start going to bed earlier, then you will wake up earlier. In turn, earlier awakening promotes good, sound sleep, which occurs before midnight. Early awakening is the beginning of a cycle of full sleep and active wakefulness.
If you continue to wake up late, then it will be difficult to fall asleep, since the energy supply will not be exhausted by the evening. Circadian rhythms will be disrupted, and this can lead to many diseases - from insomnia to diseases of the cardiovascular system. Medicines can cost a fortune, so waking up early is also a potential savings.
You will join an exclusive club of highly productive people
What do Howard Schultz (CEO of Starbucks), Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group), Anna Wintour (editor-in-chief of Vogue) and Tim Cook (CEO of Apple) have in common besides amazing business success? All these powerful people get up early in the morning. Richard Branson and Anna Wintour wake up at 5.45, and Howard Schultz and Tim Cook at 4.30.
Let's not forget about such outstanding people as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Margaret Thatcher, Barack Obama and George W. Bush. There is a clear connection between determination and success, waking up early and achieving great results, having a plan in the morning and the ability to change the world.
