Recently a couple questions have come up regarding getting up early. Why do I get up so early and how do I get up so early so consistently? It was kind of funny when a client on the east coast said you always seem to be on east coast time meaning I’m for the most part available during east coast business hours. I’m not on east coast time, I’m on what I like to say is United States business hours time. I usually get up around 5AM PST and go to bed around 11PM PST. I’ve done this for quite a long time and it’s worked out pretty well for me.
So what’s the point of getting up so early? For me I feel like I’m the more productive the more time I am able to work. In the morning, I’m able to read and reply to my emails, read news and current blogs, and get a jump start on my day before a lot of people I know even get up. I feel like I can get a lot done between the hours of 5AM and 9AM while others are sleeping or getting ready for work. Most of the people I know that are early riser seem to be able to get more things done. I guess it’s “Carpe diem” a Latin phrase for “Seize the day.” While I spend a lot of my hours working, it just leaves more time to do more things. Some people I know start work early and are done with work by mid-afternoon leaving their afternoons and evenings as free time. On top of that I am able to schedule east coast clients in the morning and west coast clients in the afternoon. It keeps me available to those businesses as often as possible. Since I also work at night I work non-typical business hours. I guess if I had clients in Hawaii it would be business hours during my evening hours.
Now that you know why I do it, some people tell me it’s hard to get up. It’s true. If you don?t do it consistently it’s really difficult to do. Also I feel a sense of productivity. If you feel like you get nothing out of it it doesn’t give you any reason to keep doing it today and the next day and the day after that. After you build some routine, it becomes easier and easier everyday. I’ve been doing this for a long time now. When I was in college I could do it on little or no sleep. Now as time has passed I need more sleep, usually about 6 hours a night. This tends to work out well for me and if I’m tired in the afternoon I take a short nap to get a second wind. The nap helps out a lot for productive evening hours. The nap has to be short probably about half an hour. Any time longer just makes me want to sleep the “entire night.”
I read a tip about getting up and to not keep hitting the snooze button. I put my alarm clock on my dresser on the other side of the room. By the time I get up and turn it off, I usually use the restroom and wash my face. After that it’s still easy to go to sleep but I find it easier to get up and start the day. I take a shower and after that I’m wide awake. I’ve been drinking tea a lot lately and that tends to keep me awake for most of the day.
While getting up early isn’t for everyone, it works for me. I know some night owls that just live their lives only when its dark. That works for them. I’m not a doctor this isn’t scientifically proven. It just helps me be more productive. If you are an early riser and have some tips feel free to post them. If you are a late riser feel free to comment on how that works for you. I’ve got work to do. Until another day.
