The Benefits Of Rising Early

As daylight savings time approached this morning I found myself getting up an hour earlier. I quickly felt the benefits of getting up early and they were felt throughout the rest of my day. Now, let me first explain that I’m usually a night owl and that’s fine. However, switching from being a night owl to an early riser has many benefits. It has helped me in so many ways, here are just a few:

Greeting The Day: I love being able to get up and greet a new day and think about all the opportunities that lie ahead. Getting up earlier also gives me time to give thanks and count my blessings.

It’s Quiet: No dogs barking, no doors opening and closing, no phones ringing, no cars, no television noise. The early morning hours are so peaceful and so quiet.

The Sunrise: I never want to miss one of the greatest feats of nature, The Sunrise, especially in Colorado. I love how the day slowly gets brighter and when the midnight blue turns to lighter blue. It’s incredible when the vibrant colors start to seep into the sky and the incredible mountain peaks etch their definition within that color.

Eating Breakfast: Rise early and you actually have time for breakfast. Without breakfast, your body is running on fumes and  your brain processes information at a slower rate. Eating breakfast while drinking my coffee in the quiet of the morning is eminently more enjoyable than scarfing something down on the way to work or at my desk.

Amazing Start: I used to start my day by jumping out of bed, rushing to get myself ready, and come in late to work. I would walk into work, looking rumpled and barely awake, grumpy and behind everyone else. Getting up early allows you to take your time while getting ready for your day so it’s not a huge surprise.

Exercise: Your exercise can be as light or invigorating as you choose, but by waking up earlier you actually have time to do so. For me, my exercise is a simple stretch with some pushups and situps. This routine gets your heart beating faster and gets your mind & body ready to tackle the next objective.

Productivity: Mornings, for me atleast, are the most productive time of my day. I like to do some writing, check my email and site stats. I get so much more done by starting on my work in the morning. Then, when evening rolls around, I have no work that I need to do, and I can spend it with my family.

Goal Time: There’s no better time to review your goals, plan for them, and/or complete your goal tasks than first thing. You should have one goal that you want to accomplish this week. Every morning, you should decide what one thing you can do today to move yourself further towards that goal. And then, if possible, do that first thing in the morning.

We know it’s hard to wake up in the morning, especially with the cold winter months approaching. Luckily, there are some easy changes to make the transition easier. Here’s what we recommend.

Don’t Make Drastic Changes: Start slowly by waking just 15-30 minutes earlier than usual. Get used to this for a few days. Then cut back another 15 minutes. Do this gradually until you get to your goal time.

Allow Yourself To Sleep Earlier: You might be used to staying up late, watching TV, cruising Facebook, or going down a YouTube rabbit hole. If you continue this habit, while trying to get up earlier, sooner or later one is going to give. I suggest going to bed earlier, even if you don’t think you’ll sleep. If you’re really tired, you just might fall asleep much sooner than you think.

Put Your Alarm Clock Far From Your Bed. If it’s right next to your bed, you’ll shut it off or hit snooze. If it’s far from your bed, you have to get up out of bed to shut it off. By then, you’re up. Now you just have to stay up.

Go Out Of The Bedroom As Soon As You Shut Off The Alarm: Don’t allow yourself to rationalize going back to bed. Just force yourself to go out of the room. My habit is to stumble into the bathroom and go pee. By the time I’ve done that, and flushed the toilet and washed my hands and looked at my ugly mug in the mirror, I’m awake enough to face the day.

Do Not Rationalize: If you allow your brain to talk you out of getting up early, you’ll never do it. Don’t make getting back in bed an option.

Have A Good Reason To Get Up: Set something to do early in the morning that’s important. This reason will motivate you to get up.

Make Waking Up Early A Reward: If you make getting up early pleasurable, soon you will look forward to rising early. A good reward is to make a hot cup of coffee, watch sports highlights, or a tasty treat for breakfast. Find something that is pleasurable for you, and allow yourself to do it as part of your morning routine.

Take Advantage Of All That Extra Time: Don’t wake up early and waste that extra time. Get a jump start on your day! I like to use that time to get a head start on planning for the rest of the day, reading, and setting goals. By the time 6:30 rolls around you will feel like you’ve done more than many people do the entire day.

I confess, daylight savings and waking up an hour earlier gave me the idea for this article. I found myself completing most of the tasks I had planned today by Noon. It all began with getting getting my body and mind ready at sunrise. Although it’s a Sunday and I didn’t have many things on my agenda…….waking up earlier gave me the time to write this article.

Thanks For Reading.

DZM