I. Love. Sleep.
I love laying in my comfortable bed swallowed by my comforter. The room is dark. The temperature is cold. I constantly flip my pillow to the cool side. Just typing this makes me want to go back home and jump between the sheets.
We usually sleep to the very last minute… Rush to get dressed for work… Threaten the lives of our children if they don’t get up and get dressed… Throw cereal at everyone as they run to the car… And then off we go to a crazy day ahead. From start to finish… The days are usually frantic.
But they don’t have to be. If we can force ourselves to get out of bed just one hour earlier… We can gain control of our day. Making them much more productive and a lot less stressful.
Here are 5 reasons you should wake up an hour earlier than you normally do:
1. Time
You have just given yourself the gift of time. How often have you heard someone say… “If I had a little more time, I could have…” Well now you do.
You have a full 60 minutes longer in your day. And what you choose to do with it is your business.
Take this time for you. Do things you enjoy!
Always wanted to write a book? Start it. Want to get back in shape? Work out. Just wish you had some quite time without screaming children? Now you do.
You have just given yourself the gift of time!
2. Peace
Life is stressful. And it moves at such a pace that seems to leave our heads spinning. There are many things we can’t control… But there are also many things we can.
And getting out of bed an hour earlier keeps us from starting our days at a stressful pace. You’re able to get up, grab coffee, take a deep breath, and do something you enjoy before the craziness of the day begins.
When we create space to breath in our crazy lives… Our stress levels begin to go down. And we’re able to see things a little more clear.
3. Happiness
Believe it or not… When you start your day off in a peaceful manner… You’re much more likely to approach your day with happiness. And when you’re happy… Your wife, husband, kids, co-wokers, etc… will all be a little happier as well!
On the flip side… If you start your day off in an aggravated, frustrated, and stressful way… everyone else feels that as well. People will always mirror the image you’re putting off. Always.
4. Production
Science shows that we have limited time to be productive in a day. There is no way we can be our best and most productive selves 16 hours a day. And mornings are typically the greatest time for productivity.
Yet most of us spend that time trying to settle down from the rush of the morning. We drink an insane amount of coffee in an attempt to get ourselves motivated. And by the time we actually start… It’s 10am and our thoughts begin to shift to lunch and what’s ahead for the afternoon.
By waking up a little earlier… We’ve already worked through the tiredness. We’ve had our coffee. We’ve taken time for ourselves. And we’re ready to work hard for a few hours while others are still trying to get themselves together.
And you can bet… Your boss will see this. You will be recognized in some way. And to be honest… Your boss IS your boss because they understand this principle.
5. Sleep
If you’re anything like me… You go through the the day so exhausted. Dreaming of the moment when you can go back to sleep. You slide into those cold sheets… You lay back on your pillow… That’s the moment your brain decides it’s a good time to think about ending world hunger or finding the cure for cancer.
We are so tired… Yet when we lay down we think of everything. We can’t sleep so we turn the television on and watch 4 hours of “Parks and Recreation” on Netflix. Making it near impossible to get up he next morning.
Listen… By making yourself wake up an hour earlier you can be sure that when you lay your head on the pillow at night, you’ll be able to sleep.
You’ve been productive. Your stress level wasn’t as high today. You did something you actually enjoy doing. And that makes you happy. You’ll sleep better at night knowing you’ll do it all over again tomorrow…
That my friends will give you an advantage in this life. And all it took was making yourself get out of bed a little earlier.
Try it. I dare you. See what it does for you. Your family. And your career.
Early to bed and early to rise… Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. -Ben Franklin
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