It’s one thing to get up early. It’s another to get up early every day of the week.
I’ve kept this up, though, for the nearly four weeks now.
It started when I set a time to meet with a friend early on a Saturday morning. But it kept going when I realized that was one of the best days I’d had in a few months.
I found I’m…
- More productive (because I tend to spent an hour bright and early doing meaningful things as opposed to an hour late at night).
- More up beat (because when I’ve already accomplished something meaningful by 9:00am, the rest of the day feels like a bonus)
- More likely to go to sleep at a decent time (because I’m more up beat, which helps me avoid doing things that are stupid but keep me up late into the night)
- More likely to get up early the next morning (because I know I’ll be productive, feel upbeat, and I’ve gone to sleep early enough to keep the train going)
Of course, we all kind of know this already. What’s difficult is starting the trail. Once the trail begins – that first day or first weekend waking up early – it becomes easier to keep it going.
For me, it helped to get friends committed to keeping me accountable. That first meeting. From there, for me, it was just a matter of planning ahead.
And as it turns out, it’s self-strengthening: knowing I want to get up early means I plan what to do better, and planning what to do helps me get up early.
I’d like to continue the trail. I already have a new friend in mind to try to meet with soon, bright and early…
