Start waking up before dawn.
It’s the time when it’s still dark out, your bed is warm, the pillow is exactly in the shape you want it to be, there are drops of rain hitting your window, and everyone else in your neighborhood is still fast asleep.
Did I mention it’s also the time when you’ll be cranky and wonder, Why do I have to drag myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth and splash my face with cold water to open my eyes? Why would I do that to myself? Is it really necessary?
I have been wondering the same things myself. This is a new habit I’ve been practicing for the past few months, and even though I am a morning person it’s been an adjustment. I started going to bed just a bit earlier so I don’t miss out on sleep. I started eating dinner earlier too, which is unusual for me. But these small shifts in my nighttime routine aren’t that big of a deal.
What I get is all this extra time — such a luxury.
Here’s what I realized I gained by making this change.
More time in the day. It’s as if someone gave you the gift of time and all of a sudden your day has expanded and feels much longer than usual. Just enough to be able to relax and not worry whether you’ll have time to get your work done. The whole idea of time management doesn’t seem as daunting. Also, there’s no need to constantly rush from one thing to the next, nor do you feel you need to multitask to stay on top of everything.
Silence. If you live in a noisy household or neighborhood, you know just how much noise can be distracting. Whenever you’re working or studying from home, you’re trying to find a corner where you can do your work quietly, and you crank up the music to drown out sounds of traffic. You might even put in ear plugs to get some peace and quiet. But when you’re up early, none of those things are a problem.
Better focus. Not just because it’s quiet, but also because your brain is well rested — provided you got enough sleep the night before. The early morning hours are that golden time when you haven’t yet inundated yourself with new information coming from all sides — the news, phone calls, scrolling through Twitter or Instagram. It’s calm. There’s more space to concentrate on what’s in front of you.
Doing deep work even earlier. As I have written before, I’m a big advocate of doing deep work early in the day because it’s easier to problem-solve, read, write, and do other complex cognitive tasks when you do them while your energy and willpower levels are still high. The sooner you tackle these difficult tasks, the better you’ll start feeling about your day. Which brings me to the next point.
More confidence in skills. Extra time means you can practice whatever is important to get to a specific goal. It can be creating a study plan to prepare for exams, writing an article or research paper for work, or finishing a section of a large project. The more you spend time on something, the more steps you can take towards a goal. You find yourself problem-solving, learning, managing your time better, and improving the way you work. The result? More confidence and willingness to keep practicing this habit.
It’s a new year — and like most people, you’re probably wondering what is a good new thing to try that will improve your life in some way. I recommend this one. Try it for one week and see what happens!
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