Wake up earlier and get things done. Honestly, whether you are an early riser it’s been proven that humans are most productive in the mornings. Benjamin Franklin himself says in his autobiography that his daily routine meant waking up at 5 am and going to bed by 10 pm.
Perhaps his ability to remain consistent and follow the routine by the hour is the reason for his success. Let’s face it. We all have those days when we manage to get almost everything done on the list. Those are the times when you feel surprisingly motivated. But then the wall hits us, and suddenly we feel tired and low on fuel. It seems to be a constant battle that many of us have, and establishing the correct schedule is easier said than done.
That’s why I’d recommend experimenting with Benjamin Franklin’s routine, even if it’s just for a week. Others have tried it, and it seems to have done wonders to their lifestyle.
Wake Up and Get It Done
Don’t start rolling your eyes yet. Benjamin himself discovered that there are quite a few personal benefits to waking up earlier. Training yourself to rise early – this can be anywhere between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. – is vital to placing yourself first in life. Oh, the irony of it.
When I started to practice this, I began to learn that my brain is full of energy and I am prone to do more productive things in the mornings. I also quite enjoy the quiet time for appreciating life and simply clearing my head.
So, yes. Getting yourself out of bed early may not be for everyone. However, I truly encourage you to attempt it for a week to see if it fits your lifestyle. I don’t necessarily wake up at exactly 5 a.m. every day, but I try my best to get up 1-2 hours earlier than anybody else in the house.
Waking Up Early Is Surprisingly Blissful
Of course, initially, you will feel the grogginess of waking up. It’s perfectly normal to feel sleepy as you’re waking because you’ve been a deep state of rest for a long time. However, stretching slowly and getting up quickly takes this feeling away and replaces it with an energetic booster.
Early Mornings Are Still And Quiet
When you wake up early you begin to notice the beauty of nature and your surroundings a lot more. You are able to appreciate life by spending time just sitting and enjoying the peaceful quietness of the morning. However, it is important that you do this without any interruptions. It’s okay to forget about looking at your cell phone or emails for a while.
When was the last time you sat in a comfy chair at home with some coffee and enjoyed a moment of self-reflection and appreciation?
Slow Down Time And Set The Pace
There is nothing worse than being badgered by work notifications, phone calls, or family demands as you wake up. This only causes you more stress and makes waking up even harder. However, when you decide to rise earlier around 5 a.m. most people are still asleep and there will be less chance of being disturbed by unnecessary demands.
Not only is it more pleasant waking up earlier, but it is also empowering to choose how you start your day. It is just too easy to forget this and get tangled in the chaos and regimes of the day. It’s so easy to do this that you get too caught up in it and if you don’t take a breather your days will pass you by a lot quicker than you’d like. In addition, that lost time probably means a lot of incomplete tasks too.
When you wake up early it helps slow you down a bit to provide you with quality time to reflect and remember what your goals are and what the purpose of your life is! That doesn’t mean you need to be busy 24/7.
You get to set the pace of your day by dedicating one to two hours of your life purely to yourself. This time you can do whatever you feel like. Whether it’s exercising, meditating, praying, thinking, writing, brainstorming, reading – anything except for sleeping.
Get Things Done Effectively And Quickly
A lot of people, myself included, believe that they are night owls. This might be a result of those teenage party years. Ironically, most of us work and think a lot clearer and quicker in the mornings than in the evenings. Don’t be fooled though. Waking up earlier doesn’t necessarily mean you’re gaining more hours or getting longer days because you’re still losing hours waking up. However, what you are doing is swapping out useless hours with more focused and energetic ones! Like rising at 5 a.m. and sleeping at 10 p.m. instead of staying up all night and waking up late.
More importantly, because your brain functions better in the mornings you are able to conquer tons of tasks without them feeling too tiresome. It’s your choice whether you jump straight into your work first thing or take a little time to reflect. At the end of the day, you’re going to get a good start to the day before the chaos begins.
This is also a fantastic time to get rid of those annoying tasks that get pushed to the side, or goals that you are passionate about and never manage to work on.
Switch Your Work-Mind Off
The process of switching off and relaxing is harder than it seems. Sometimes it isn’t so easy to get out of your work state. Actually going to sleep is an entirely different story for another day. That is why it is so important to distinguish the line between professional and personal time, particularly if your work is based online. A place where people never sleep.
Waking up early allows you to get what you want to be finished instead of waiting on other peoples’ schedules. Perhaps if you work for a company this doesn’t sound very attractive because our world is conditioned to work 24/7. However, if you’re an entrepreneur then you will understand how difficult it can be to separate personal time and business time.
More Sleep and Less Anxiety
Who feels anxious as they are about to close their eyes every night? I know that I would often get this feeling when I knew that I hadn’t got important tasks done.
I don’t think we can ever manage to get every single task done on our list of life goals. However, you can put your mind at ease when you get to bed each night knowing that you have an early start and a few hours to get those lingering tasks out of the way. These hours are not necessarily extra hours, but they serve as additional hours to your day because you get that time dedicated to sorting out your life.
Soon you will realize that your days are not as squashed as they once were. This is the most relaxing feeling you’ll ever get!
No More Late Night Snacks
You might not expect this, but going to bed earlier stops the urge to grab a tasty snack.
The simple act of brushing your teeth earlier and getting into bed tells your brain it’s rest time and not snack time. Just the thought of having to brush your teeth again is annoying enough. The point is that everybody is unique, and it really depends on who you are. Once again, this may or may not apply to your schedule. However, if you wake up early it could be the change you need to improve the quality of your life.
I recommend attempting the Benjamin Franklin style for at least one week to explore how it impacts your life. If you notice improvements then keep it up, but if you notice a regression then give it up.
Want to know more?
Nitsa Citrine shares the power of adaptogens. She is a wellness expert and the founder of House of Citrine.
