The early birds will inherit the earth. At least that’s what a 2009 University of Leipzig study found.
The researchers concluded that “morning people were more proactive than evening types.”
But being an effective early riser isn’t just about waking up before everyone else. It’s about putting yourself in a positive mindset and getting important things done before everyone else.
So there’s no point in setting your alarm clock at a crazy-early time if you’re just going to zone out in front of the television for a bit before slouching off to work.
To start your day right, you’ve got to get into some good habits.
Following are six morning rituals that may seem hard to adopt but will ultimately reap major rewards, if you stick with them.
Make a plan the night before
This isn’t a morning ritual per se, but it’s a habit that’s definitely conducive to a productive morning routine. So make sure to set yourself up for a successful morning by creating a game plan the night before.
Make sure you’re stocked on whatever you need for breakfast. Write out a little schedule on what you need to accomplish the next day.
This all sounds pretty simple, but when you’re getting home at night, it’s very tempting to just crash on the sofa with a glass of wine and leave all the thinking for tomorrow.
Wake up painfully early
Sorry, night owls. It’s time to adapt.
In a poll of 20 executives cited by Laura Vanderkam, a time-management expert and the author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, 90% said they wake up before 6am on weekdays.
PepsiCo chief executive Indra Nooyi, for example, wakes at 4am and is in the office no later than 7am. Disney chief executive Bob Iger gets up at 4.30am to read. Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey is up at 5.30am to go jogging.
Yes, this might sound awful, but if you get to sleep earlier, that’ll numb the pain of such early wake-ups over time. The bottom line: Productive mornings start with early wake-up calls.
Start the day right with exercise Yeah, there are super humans among us who crave that pre-sunrise workout (that, or they’re just really good liars).
Still, for everyone else, waking up at the crack of dawn to sweat and get sore probably doesn’t sound ideal.
But the morning is probably the ideal time to exercise. By starting your day with exercise, you’ll prevent yourself from putting it off.
Think about it this way: If some of the busiest people in the world can find time to workout, so can you. For example, Vanderkam notes that Xerox chief executive Ursula Burns schedules an hour long personal-training session at 6am twice a week.
Former president Barack Obama starts out each day with strength and cardio training while Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey does three repetitions of a seven-minute workout, Anisa Purbasari reported.
“These are incredibly busy people,” says Vanderkam. Tackle your high-priority projects
The quiet hours of the morning can be the ideal time to focus on an important work project without being interrupted. What’s more, spending time on it at the beginning of the day ensures that it gets your attention before others - kids, employees, bosses - use it up.
Work on your side hustle
Your side project is easy to skip when you’ve been in meetings all day, are tired and hungry, and have to figure out what’s for dinner.
That’s why many successful people put in an hour or so on their personal projects before they officially start their days.
A history teacher at the University of Chicago told Vanderkam that she spent the hours between 6 and 9 working on a book about the religious politics of west Africa. She was able to read journal articles and write several pages before dealing with her teaching responsibilities.
Enjoy the silence
Life can get crazy. It’s often hard to find any moments to spare in your busy schedule. If you’re always rushing around in the morning, it’s difficult to imagine being able to spare any time to have a quiet moment.