When you read about famous entrepreneurs one thing they all tend to have in common is that they are early risers. Richard Branson gets up a 5am every day and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is in the office by 6am. But what makes getting up early so popular among these high achievers?
One of the key benefits of getting up early is that the world is still asleep. This means that there are no expectations, no one to send you an email, no phone calls and no distractions.
This early time of the day is yours to spend however you wish. Many entrepreneurs use this time to catch up on emails, exercise, practice a hobby, spend time with the family or work on personal projects.
Extra time in the morning also means you can get ready for your work day at a much more relaxed pace. You have time to make yourself and the family an extra special breakfast or to read the paper. This extra time really helps to relax the mind and prepare for the day ahead.
How many times a week do you rush out the door with a slice of toast in one hand shouting “I’m late, I’m late!” – starting your day already panicked and stressed doesn’t put you in a great frame of mind for the day ahead.
If you decide to spend the early hours of the morning working on your business you should work on the most important task of the day. This is so you can finish that task before the rest of the world has even arrived at work and then finish your day with a real sense of accomplishment.
Everybody is different and for some people working into the evening is common place and preferable to rising early. The only problem is that by the evening most people are tired, which means that concentration is naturally lower. Add to that distractions from friends, family and time spent cooking dinner and all of a sudden you find that you haven’t got as much done in the evening as you wanted to.
So tomorrow who is going to set the alarm clock a little earlier?