Every time the alarm clock rings in the morning, you have that weirdest of all feelings. You draw a pillow closer to your ears, and swipe the alarm to its snooze mode – simply because you are not an early morning person. The efficiency and productivity of “late to bed, late to rise” category has always been debated across all geographies. While a major category of people believe that rising up early in the morning can bring about a whole lot of positive differences in their lives, the fact is that most of them fail to implement it practically in their day to day life. Not to blame, factors are numerous for a person to fall in the category of night owls – those late night parties, never ending chat sessions with friends, last minute preparations for the university examinations scheduled for the next day, business meetings and conferences with your clients in different time zones…the list is endless.
But then, keeping apart all these excuses, it is often found that successful people always manage to fall in the category of early larks -in other words, they wake up early in the morning. But does waking up early alone is their secret to a day full of energy and enthusiasm?. No. Instead, there are many other traits that make the mornings of such successful people productive. Here is a list of 7 habits that most of them follow in their everyday life.
Rise and Shine!
Having said so much, it is pretty much evident that most successful people fall under the “Up at Dawn” category. And now, this is a practice that they stick to on a daily basis, no matter how late they are to bed the previous night. It is said that Margaret Thatcher sleeps for only four hours every night and wakes up at 5 am. While it may not be possible for everybody to follow this, it is always recommended that a person wakes up early at least during the work days. This can help them ease a little, and plan the day accordingly. Early mornings leave a lot of room for your benefit; not just for your professional life, but also on a personal note.
Now that the importance of being a lark is evident, the next biggest question is how early you should rise. Though there are no parameters to gauge this uniformly, the best answer depends on the time your body can handle. A time can be set after a self analysis, wherein you can evaluate the time you would take to complete your usual chores and commute to office.
Do some exercises
So, will waking up early alone do all the good? What if you chose to get up before the sunrise, but then do nothing to boost your energy level? Perhaps it is at this point that the importance of exercise comes up. You might be genuinely pushing hard too much in order to prove yourself at your place, and it is vital that you have a sound body as well to stand such stressful situations. As it is rightly said “A healthy mind in a healthy body”. Physical fitness is something most successful people pay ample attention to, particularly in the western world. Irrespective of the age, they make it a point to work out every day before they actually start to work. This helps them in building a healthy body, which in turn helps in spreading positive energy in everything they do.
Read good stuffs
So, once you are done with your daily exercise, do read for about twenty to thirty minutes. There is nothing like a cup of coffee and a good book to rejuvenate your senses completely. To read doesn’t mean you can pick up a detective novel for the early morning. Nor does a flashy magazine stuffed with filmy gossips would work. Make sure to play wise while selecting a book for a morning read. The topic can range from anything motivational to religious books or even self help books relevant to your domain of work. Again, make sure to quickly glance through the daily newspaper or listen to the news so as to keep yourself acquainted with whatever is happening around you. A common trait seen among successful people is that most of them are well informed. They make it a point to read what their contemporaries have to say and even express their perspectives by writing.
Map out your day
This is perhaps the most important trait that clearly distinct successful people from the common crowd. They have a clear cut understanding of what their agenda for the day should be. Once a plan is laid, it becomes easy to execute the tasks better by avoiding last minute chaos and hence saving time a great deal. The stand of visionaries such as Steve Jobs have always emphasized upon the necessity of such planning in the day to day life.
Mapping out your day isn’t just applicable for your job matters alone; instead it can be related to anything and everything that make your day. It can be as simple as deciding on what your outfit for the day should be, what you can pack for the lunch, or even the shopping that you need to do after office hours. While it may not always be practical to implement your plans as it is, such “to-do lists” can help you organize the way you live.
Prioritize your work
Once a “to do list” for the day is made, there are chances that there is a big, difficult, or stressful job in it. The best way to tackle this is to tag it as the most important task for the day. Make sure you complete it first before you move on to the other tasks in the list. This can be of great help as you could execute it when your mind is still very fresh, thus ensuring adequate attention that it deserves. Also, this can be a great stress buster as you would not have to spend the rest of the day worrying about it. It is better to allot the easier tasks for the later hours as chances are that your energy level would decrease towards the end of the day. This model of prioritizing the work with the heavy ones on the top is commonly employed by most of the professionals, particularly those involved in corporate decision making processes.
Have a healthy breakfast
A healthy diet is again a habit that most entrepreneurs endorse for. Doctors and nutritionists all over the world warn about the adverse effects of skipping a day’s breakfast. No matter how prepared you are for the day’s work, it is integral for you to have a healthy breakfast before you head to start your work. This can help in providing your body with adequate energy to stay strong and alert throughout the day. However, if you plan to take a quick bite from a nearby stand on the way to your office and call it by the name breakfast, then it is for sure that it would do more harm than good.
Spend quality time for your family
With your family at home, mornings are the best time for you to connect and interact with them. Studies have proved that involving your family in your morning routines can boost the family bonding a great deal. You can go for a morning walk with your spouse, give your kids a lesson or two on tennis, sit down for a breakfast together, or even ask your partner’s opinion while setting the day’s plan. These can play vital roles in boosting your spirits and thus provide a positive attitude towards everything around you. Examples show that most successful people are supported greatly by the love and warmth of their families.
