Do you fall into bed at the end of the day feeling absolutely exhausted? Besides running your own business, you probably have family obligations, responsibilities at home and a million things to organise dancing around inside your head. You may think this sounds counter-intuitive but the solution to your exhaustion is to wake up an hour earlier.
Productive quiet time
This is probably the most obvious reason to wake up earlier – to give yourself the opportunity to be productive. An uninterrupted hour in the morning could equate to writing a short blog post, scheduling a week’s worth of social media or completing three detailed quotes. Even fifteen minutes gives you a head start on writing an action list for the day. That way when you sit down at your desk later, you can hit the ground running. This is far more productive than trying to complete these tasks during the day whilst dealing with clients and other work as it arises.
Important you time
In today’s world we are constantly bombarded with content ready to be consumed. Do you ever truly turn off from all this noise? This constant media consumption, mostly through mobile devices, actually adds to our feeling of exhaustion. Use an hour in the morning to do something just for you. It may be journal writing or meditation. If you give yourself permission to switch off, you will actually be gifting yourself extra energy to face the day.
Connect
An uninterrupted hour could mean that you have the time to be able to watch a webinar or listen to a podcast. It could be business related, or something for your personal benefit. Being inspired is a great way to uplift your spirits and give you more energy.
You may even commit an hour to studying. It doesn’t have to be an MBA, but committing to personal growth through study is a great way to create confidence and knowledge.
Exercise time
This is my favourite use of an extra hour. Twice a week I’m up early to go to a fabulous local sports clinic. I am not only energised by working out, but by the positive attitudes and achievements of the instructors and other clients. Exercise gives you the adrenaline boost to get through even the hardest of days.
If you’re not into sharing sweat and small talk, consider a pilates or yoga class, even if it’s just at home. Challenge yourself to start running or watch the sun rise on a brisk walk. You will be surprised how this can increase your energy levels as well as productivity.
All great entrepreneurs use this exercise trick. They don’t work later, or harder. Just smarter.
The flip side of getting up earlier is that you may need to hit the sack earlier. But if you’ve already achieved more than you set out to do through increased energy and productivity levels, that doesn’t matter! Enjoy your deep sleep and you’ll be ready to get up and do it all again tomorrow.
