Waking Up Early: We Avoid This Productivity Tip But It Does Work

Yes, the early bird gets the worm. But wouldn’t it be nice if the early birds slept in a little later? Waking up early is proven to be better overall for everyone, despite this.

Of course it would. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. There’s one main change you can make in your life to get more done — wake up earlier. Today’s top CEOs wake up long before anyone else’s alarm clock is going off. The fact that they’re highly successful is no coincidence.

There are many advantages that come with rising early.

Benefits of Being an Early Bird

The idea of getting out of bed before the sun has fully risen isn’t an appealing thought for anyone. However, you’ll see many benefits for waking up early, such as:

• Early risers are happier, healthier and more productive than people who stay up late.
• Early birds are harder workers.
• Early birds are more likely to be successful.

Becoming an early bird is more than just changing the hours of the day you’re awake. It changes your work ethic, personality and quality of life. There are a few specific reasons why being an early bird makes you more productive.

No Distractions

An advantage of waking up early is no one else is awake. That means you won’t get urgent phone calls, emails or time-consuming requests from clients.

There aren’t any distractions that’ll take you away from your work. You can sit at a quiet desk and focus on being productive.

More Time

Does it always feel like the day has flown by? You might not be getting anything done because you aren’t giving yourself enough time to work.

Waking up early gives you more time to get stuff done. Not only will you have more opportunities to get work done, you also can afford to take small breaks throughout the day without feeling guilty. Breaks can refresh your mind and make you more productive as the day goes on. You’ll have time to do this when you wake up earlier.

Right Mindset

Becoming an early bird will get you in the right mindset to get work done. Sleeping in late makes you feel lazy, which will lead to an unproductive day. But when you’re waking up before most of the population, you’ll be more motivated to do something.

Waking up early is already an accomplishment. You won the fight against the part of your brain that’s telling you to go back to bed. Now you’re starting your day with an accomplishment, and this positive feeling will keep rolling into a productive workday.

Quality Sleep

You’ll get better sleep when you’re used to waking up early. Going to bed after the sun sets and waking up as it rises gets your body in a natural circadian rhythm.

However, it’s important to get quality sleep in order to be productive the next day. It’s going to be difficult at first since you’re used to sleeping late. Here are a few tips to get better sleep:

• Expose yourself to sunlight throughout the day.
• Avoid bright screens before bedtime.
• Don’t watch TV late at night.
• Keep your room to about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Perform deep breathing exercises to relax.

Turn Off Your Inner Night Owl

It isn’t easy to adjust to being an early bird when you’ve spent most of your life as a night owl. You’ll be tempted to stay up late and hit the snooze button every morning. Don’t do it. If you truly want to be more productive, you have to ignore your inner night owl. Here are a few tricks that might help you:

• Disconnect from all electronics 1-2 hours before going to bed.
• Meditate before going to bed so you’re relaxed.
• Create your to-do list for the next day so you aren’t worrying about what you have to do.
• Read a book or listen to calm music.

If anxiety keeps you awake, then try to realize whatever you’re worrying about is never as bad as it seems. It can wait until the next day, and you’ve made it far worse in your mind than it really is.

Becoming an early bird will change your life and make you more productive. So set your alarm clock and get ready to get more done.