I read a lot of about successful people. Some of my favourites articles are where we get a look inside their lives. Over the last few months I’ve read lots about the things successful people do before breakfast, how early they wake up and even at what times they go to bed. Now, I’m well aware that these are all to be taken with a pinch of sugar and a shot of espresso, but I think they’re very useful. They’ve given me the motivation to nudge my alarm clock from 7 to 6 AM.
I’ve been really pleased with my new early start and I’m even waking up earlier (7am) on the weekends.
If you fancy having more hours in the day then try setting an earlier alarm. Don’t set five different ones (we’ve all been there) but pick a time and stick to getting out of bed. It’s amazing what you can get done while everyone else is hitting snooze.
Here are 5 things I do with the extra time in the morning:
– Get ahead of work – I love being awake 3 hours before the rest of the business world are stumbling into work. It gives me time to catch-up on emails, work without interruptions and really get a head start to the day.
– Exercise – Unless I’m going to an evening class it’s good to fit 30 – 60 minutes exercise into my morning. I won’t lie, it’s a bit of an effort but well worth it because you can forget about it for the rest of the day.
– Breakfast – Many argue that it’s the most important meal of the day, so it should be enjoyed, right? I’ve been trying to take some time to chill out with P in the morning. We pop the Nespresso machine on, boil some eggs, slice an avocado and have a chat about our weekend plans. Sometimes it’s just a quick slice of grapefruit but it’s much better than running ‘round the house getting ready whilst eating.
– Work on a personal project/hobby – Whatever your hobby may be you can spend the extra hours of your morning preparing posts and getting organised. I like to spend some time on Indiecana in the morning and do some work on Prettygreentea. Then I can get on with my other work (the ones that pay the bills) and return to my personal work in the evening.
– Read – I keep seeing people tweet and blog about their lack of time to read (myself included). Waking up a bit earlier gives you the chance to enjoy a cup of tea in bed, read a little or even watch a few YouTube videos. If you don’t fancy reading in the morning your new routine will soon see you getting into bed earlier in the evening. So turn off Modern Family, stop scrolling through your timeline and try opening your book. I’ve really enjoyed getting back into books, I’m just about to finish The 4-Hour Work Week and reviewed #GIRLBOSS the other day.
I guess I’m lucky that I don’t need hours and hours of sleep. I’m good to go with about 4 – 6 hours, depending on what I’ve been doing during the day. So I’ve recently been going to bed between 11 – 12 and getting up at 6. I’ve had a few nights where I’ve been fighting insomnia but I’m finding that my new routine alongside the gym is helping to control that a lot more.
What time do you usually set your alarm for?