Waking up before the sun rises is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself. Waking up early has been a mantra for success for thousands of years. The legendary philosopher Aristotle was even quoted as saying, “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.” The vast majority of the most productive and successful people are and have been early risers.

Benefits of Waking Up Early

Increased Productivity

The world is very quiet from 4-6am in the morning. You can use this early morning time to get a head start on your day. Plan out your day, read, exercise, do whatever you need to get done before you even think about work that day. Almost every single person who successfully started a business while working full-time would give themselves a few hours in the morning to focus on the business.

Increased Creativity

Many writers and artists find they are most creative in the morning. Tim Ferriss, author of Tools of Titans, says that he does all of his creative work during the morning, while doing menial administrative tasks such as e-mail later in the day.

Decreased Stress

Throughout the day you will realize that you are less stressed out than if you were to hit snooze a couple times and not give yourself anytime to prepare for the day in the morning. By preparing for the day, you will feel more organized and in control, thus reducing stress. But, by waking up early, you can devote time to meditation. Virtually every single successful person practices some type of mindfulness/meditation in the morning. Meditation induces relaxation, which increases the compound nitric oxide that causes blood vessels to open up and subsequently, blood pressure to drop.

Increased Fitness

Waking up a little bit earlier to fit in a workout is one of the best choices you can make for your productivity, health, and overall happiness. Many people struggle to find the motivation to go to the gym after a long day at work. An early morning workout will leave you feeling full of energy and ready to tackle the rest of the day. Plus, it’s a great feeling to have all day knowing you worked out that morning.

How To Become An Early Riser

Go to bed earlier

Your body needs adequate sleep in order to function. Shoot to get at least seven hours of sleep every single night. This means if your goal is to wake up at 4 everyday, you need to go to sleep no later than 9 o’clock the night before. You will lose the benefits of being an early riser if you are dragging because you only got four hours of sleep the night before.

Slowly wake up early

If you usually wake up at 7:30, don’t immediately try to wake up at 4 every morning. You will likely be exhausted and give up. Instead, shoot for waking up a little bit earlier every week so your body can adjust. Start with waking up at 7, then next week at 6:30, until you meet your goal wakeup time.

Use tricks to get yourself out of bed

You can be creative with this. For example, you could put your alarm clock on the other side of the bedroom, forcing you to get out of bed. Get an automated coffee maker that will have coffee ready the second you wake up. Be creative.

Have a routine established

You will likely be groggy upon first waking up. By having a routine in place, you will be on autopilot, making your morning stress free. Prepare your clothes the night before, and map out some important things to get done before the sun comes up. Also, be sure to hydrate upon waking and eat a healthy breakfast.

Discipline

Waking up early, like any other habit, requires a strong amount of discipline. Remind yourself why you are waking up so early and how it will positively impact your life. Remember, it takes at least 21 days to form a habit. By letting yourself sleep in until 10 on Saturday will make your routine that much harder to keep in place.

The Brainflow Challenge

For the next week, try waking up an hour earlier than usual. Use this extra hour to do what you deem important, whether that be working out, reading, working on your business, or maybe just relaxing. Let us know how it goes in the comments!

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