Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? Between work, working out, spending time with friends or your partner, trying to improve yourself and being productive. All whilst finding time to tidy the house and have some time for yourself. Starting your day an hour early can make a massive difference in your life. It gives you time alone without distractions to do whatever you want to do.

The most successful people get up early and work on their goals and dreams. It gives them extra time to achieve what they want to in life, without any distractions or excuses.

I’ve always been a night owl and the idea of getting up early really didn’t appeal to me. I loved hitting the snooze button and would sleep until at least 11 am most days if not later. I’d blame it on working until late but the truth is, I was unmotivated, miserable and lazy. I was literally sleeping my life away. I had no time to do anything other than get up, eat and get ready for work again.

Getting up even an hour earlier can transform your day and your life. You have extra time to do the things you never seemed to have time to do or get around to and you have more time for yourself.

It gives you a head start on your day whatever you decide to do. Whether it be an early morning workout, yoga, stretching, journaling, or making breakfast. You can use the time to work on a project/dream, read a book, play a game or watch your favourite television programme.

It can also give you guilt-free time to enjoy the things you love to do but always feel bad for doing because you’re not being productive. You would usually still be sleeping so you can enjoy these tasks guilt-free. Furthermore, this frees up time later on in the day for you to be more productive. However, I find the morning is the best time of the day to be productive. You are more motivated in the morning and can accomplish things you never normally have time to do.

Getting up an hour earlier will help you…

Be More Successful

Getting up even just an hour earlier every day can have a massive impact on your life if you use the extra time productively. It gives you a head start on your day and extra time to work on your goals. You can also use the time for your hobbies or dreams without interruptions.

It gives you extra time in the morning, to organise your schedule and plan tasks that will help you to get closer to achieving your goals. Therefore, it’s a great way of boosting your productivity and motivation for the day.

Working on your goals a little bit every day will create massive progress over time. The extra hours that you would normally be in bed, add up over time. Before you know it you will have achieved more than you thought possible.

I also find that giving yourself just an hour’s worth of tasks is far more attainable and doable. Rather than setting yourself too many goals which will make you feel overwhelmed. Moreover, if you try to do too much you’ll be far more likely to procrastinate and not get anything done.

Breaking down your goals/dreams into the easiest tasks first and tackling just one or a couple of these a day is a great technique for lasting success. You’ll be more likely to achieve these goals and push yourself to do even more.

Don’t leave tasks until later on in the day or after you finish work. This is because they rarely get done because you might have had a long and stressful day at work. Therefore, the last thing you want to do is come home and be productive. The chances are you will just want to get in, have something to eat, chill on the sofa and de-stress from your day.

Make the Most of Your Day

The extra free time you have in the morning is the prime time to achieve what you want for the day. It’s time before the stress of the day gets to you or you feel too tired later on and can’t be bothered.

It will help you to feel more prepared to take on your day. As long as you’ve had enough sleep, the couple of hours when you first wake up are when you are most energised and ready for the day ahead.

The old saying is true… the early bird does catch the worm! You’ll be ahead of the game and have more time to work on your projects. You can use the extra time to research, create strategies and make plans. This will ultimately get you closer to where you want to be in life. 

Have More Time for Yourself

Getting up earlier is also a great way to have extra “me time” to yourself, guilt-free. This is time you’d normally be sleeping away. It’s a good opportunity to do anything you like that you normally don’t have time to fit into your day.

Whether it be extra time for your hobbies, playing games on your phone, watching your favourite television programme, or taking a shower. You could start a journal, meditate, do morning stretches or go for a walk, the possibilities are endless. It’s important to have quiet time on your own to reflect on yourself and what you want to achieve with your day and life.

You can use the extra time to be productive and get housework done, do your daily workout or work on an exciting project you never normally have time for.

Or, you can simply use this time to chill and relax before taking on your day. Finding something pleasurable to wake up for is a great incentive to keep this habit going. You’ll look forward to getting up and starting your day. Furthermore, you will have extra time to make breakfast and to set yourself up for the day.

Whatever you decide to use the time for, it’s great to have extra time in the morning to yourself. Then you can dedicate more time after work to your partner, family or friends. This will help you improve your relationships and give your life a better balance.

Exercise

There’s no better time of the day to exercise than first thing in the morning,. It’s when you’re the most energised and ready to go. If you get up and achieve a workout in the morning it sets you up with even more energy for the day. You’ll feel motivated because you’ve achieved a task that makes you feel good straight away.

If you wait to workout after work the chances are that the majority of the time, you’ll feel unmotivated and drained from your day and are more likely to cancel the workout and head straight home.

If you exercise in the morning it also means that you’ll have more time with your partner, friends or family after work or more time for yourself to relax and do things you enjoy.  

The morning is a great time to go for a walk and get some fresh air before you start your day. It will also give you more energy and make you feel less lethargic because you’ve got your body moving straightaway.

Pilates, yoga and stretching are also good morning exercises because they will help loosen your body and improve your flexibility for the day.

Practical Tips for Starting Your Day an Hour Early

If you feel like you will struggle to get up earlier here are some tips that helped me when I first started to get into the routine of getting up earlier…

• Go to bed earlier and make sure you still get the right amount and quality of sleep
• Start by setting your alarm just 15 minutes earlier and then build up to an hour. (Your body will slowly get used to this routine and it will be easier to build up to getting up earlier every day)
• Don’t watch television in your bedroom
• Don’t play/scroll on your phone an hour before bed
• Put your alarm somewhere in your room where you have to physically get out of bed to reach it
• Don’t hit the snooze button. (This is the hardest thing to do but broken extra 5-minute sleeps make you feel more groggy and are bad for your mood and body)
• Unwind before bed/make yourself a bedtime routine. (Have a bath, read a book, meditate, light some candles etc)
• Try a sleeping app. (These are great to help you to relax and switch off from the world)

“Life is getting up an hour early to live an hour more”– Unknown

Summary

Once your body gets used to getting up earlier it will become normal and second nature to you because your body clock will adjust to this new routine. Getting up earlier will also help you sleep better at night because you’ll be ready for sleep when bedtime comes around.

Starting your day an hour earlier is a great habit to adopt and it will help you to improve the areas in your life that you focus on.

If you do this every day, that will give you 7 extra hours a week to work on getting you closer to achieving your goals. This will create lasting results as this momentum adds up.

“Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them.”– Carmelo Anthony

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