Waking up before sunrise may seem like a daunting task for many people but a number of successful entrepreneurs and leaders believe that getting out of bed at 4 a.m. increases their productivity. In fact, several famous executives such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, billionaire entrepreneur Richrad Branson, Ellevest chief executive Sallie Krawcheck, Virgin America CEO David Crush, and Starbucks EMEA former president Michelle Glass believe that it is their most productive time of the day.
According to a report in Wall Street Journal, rising at such an ungodly hour increases a person’s productivity since you tend to have minimal distractions, there’s less to see on social media, and no one is texting or emailing you at this time of the day. This time may also be used for non-work related activities such as exercising, self care, personal growth, spiritual connection as well as family time.
However, waking up early means you need to hit the sack much earlier. This could mean having less social time with friends or giving up some hobbies like your weekly series marathon that you usually do at night.
10 Activities that Will Encourage You to Wake up Early
Of course, waking up while everyone else is in deep sleep isn’t exactly something everyone would want to do. Here are some activities you can do that will encourage your early morning shift, according to Inc.
- Make meditation become part of your morning ritual to release stress.
- Use this time to workout and jumpstart your day.
- Do breathing exercises to allow your brain to focus, improve levels of happiness and decrease levels of stress.
- Put your gym clothes within 10 minutes of waking up so you won’t be tempted to hit the sack again.
- Find a reason to get up in the morning. It could be something fun or exciting that will motivate you to get up early.
- Put your alarm clock away from you.
- Set three goals for the day.