Why I’ve Started Waking up at 5:30 am Everyday and the Noticed Benefits
If you’ve ever read any entrepreneur’s or famous sportsman’s autobiography they will most likely mention that they’re up SUPER early every day
I’ve read and watched videos about successful peoples habits and getting up early is ALWAYS mentioned – (so is exercising actually)
This has always fascinated me
So I set myself a challenge to wake up at 5:30 am every day for a month
Before I tell you what I experienced through my month I want to quickly list 5 benefits I’d read about before starting;
5 Benefits of Waking Up Early
Improved productivity for the whole day
Less stress and rushing
Increased fitness consistency
Quiet time – the rest of the worlds still asleep
High motivation levels when you first wake up
3 Things I Experienced Waking Up at 5:30 am Every day
1. I was SO much more productive!
This was the biggest one for me
I’m a super motivated person
The list of things I want to achieve in my life is about as long as my arm and each one is more challenging than the next
For me to progress and develop I need to study, a lot!
So when my horrible alarm went off at 5:30 am (I don’t know why I picked birds tweeting as my alarm tone?!)
I climbed inside my huge fluffy dressing gown, threw the hood up over my head and hopped inside my Storm Trooper slippers (they also make laser sounds when you press a button) – I’d wander upstairs and press the single shot button on my coffee machine.
From here I’d shuffle (It’s hard to walk in over-sized Storm trooper slippers) to the sofa, open my book and study. I wasn’t ready to face the world, but I could easily sit in the darkness and read.
I was able to get at least an hours study every morning by doing this. This meant that over the month I’d studied for an additional 30 hours extra! That’s amazing!
Now you might not be studying but you can use this extra hour you’ve gained to do something else
If you’ve got children this is the perfect time to get chores done before they’re even awake.
Now when you’ve finished the school-run and you’re tired after a long day, you can actually spend some decent time with your loved ones (or just hide from them with a cup of tea in bed)
2. I loved the Morning Quiet Time
I live right next to a busy road in Chichester, so I hear a lot of traffic during the day. At 5:30 am everything is so beautifully still and quiet
It’s genuinely so nice to sit there in my sleepy state with my hood barely showing my face just sipping my coffee and reading
I quickly realised that I not only loved it, but I didn’t want the world to start waking up. I wanted to hold onto that silence for as long as possible
One of the things I found most interesting about my challenge was that some days I didn’t feel I was up early enough!
I started thinking about getting up even earlier about a week in. I didn’t and I haven’t yet but it’s on my mind.
As an online coach, I preach to my clients about getting a good nights sleep, so I’m mindful about not getting enough Zzzs
(Read next; 8 Benefits of a Good Nights Sleep)
3. Every Single Morning I Considered Snoozing!
I found this really interesting as well
My last two points have very clearly demonstrated that I enjoyed getting up early and instantly noticed the benefits
But EVERYDAY my subconscious brain would try and coax me to stay in bed
Your subconscious brain is constantly trying to “protect you”. This is why it’s so hard to motivate yourself to go to the gym or apply for that promotion
Your brain will try and avoid anything awkward or uncomfortable
To grow and develop you have to actively look for situations that make you feel uncomfortable
I’m currently reading “The 4 hour work week” and the author Timothy Ferriss quotes something that really stuck with me
“A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”
Getting up at 5:30 am or even earlier is an uncomfortable feeling, even more so when you can have an extra hour in bed
So by me ignoring my internal voices to stay in bed kick-started my productivity
I’d count to 5 then fling myself out of bed. It’s now 5:30 and I’ve already overcome a mini obstacle.
Productivity is contagious and it grows the more you feed it
Now relate that to exercise. You know that whiny little voice that bleats away at you when it’s time to put your running shoes on? That’s the same voice that pleads you to stay nice and warm in your cosy bed
Teach yourself to tell your inside thoughts to pipe down.
Use this simple technique of getting up early to snowball your productivity and start making yourself feel uncomfortable!
How You Can Start Getting Up Early
This is pretty easy.
Set your alarm and leave it away from your bed. This causes you to get out of bed which in turn reduces the chances of you wriggling back in
Sure it’s really not full proof, but it does help
I’d recommend setting your alarm for somewhere between 6 – 6:30 am to start. Then every two weeks aim to knock off 15 minutes
Repeat this until you find your early “sweet spot”, you may even discover 5:30 just isn’t early enough!
One Last Thing
Studies have shown that you’re far more likely to stick to an exercise plan if you train in the morning
Mornings are where our motivation levels are at our highest
We’re fresh, we’re alert, it just makes sense that we have more Ummpf to get shit done
Use this to your advantage! I don’t like training in the evenings (especially in a cold English winter!) so try to workout before midday. Get it over and done with and bask in the accomplishment and endorphins for the rest of the day
You can do this!
Thank’s for taking the time to read,
Ben
