Any number of successful people will tell you that they put part of their success down to being an early riser. Many people argue that early in the morning is the best time of the day as it’s quiet and serene and is a great time to get things done.
If you have a busy lifestyle and find it difficult to get everything done, then getting up a little earlier could be the answer. You may argue that you have just as much time at the end of the day if you stay up later, so why go to the extra effort of dragging yourself out of your warm bed to do the jobs you can do late at night? The answer is that once you have acclimatised to your new regime, you will find you are more creative and better able to perform your tasks to a better standard. For many people, going to bed earlier and rising earlier has some great health benefits too. It is known to be good for your immune system, enabling you to fight off illnesses quicker or even not come down with them at all.
New Habits
If you want to improve your lifestyle, stop wasting your mornings and start getting up and achieving things, there are a number of habits you need to adopt to make this happen.
Firstly, you need to get a good night’s sleep. A good bed with a good mattress is a great place to start. Then you need to get to bed earlier at night. If you are used to going to bed in the wee small hours, there may be a period of a few days or weeks when you have to force yourself to go to bed when you aren’t tired. Go to bed anyway and read a book or just relax sleep will come.
Don’t try and go from getting up at 7.30am to getting up at 5.30am in one go. Do it incrementally, perhaps 20 minutes at a time until you reach your required target. Do, however, make sure you are getting your required hours of sleep by going to bed earlier. This is difficult to set rules about as people differ widely. Some need a good seven or eight hours, whilst others get by just fine on four or five. You will probably know what is right for you.
Discipline
You need to expect that this will be difficult and you will need discipline and a plan. Don’t set yourself this challenge unless you have something to do. Getting up early to do nothing will soon see you back under the duvet out of sheer boredom. If, however, you have things to do and need to get up, a great tip is to put the alarm clock further away from your bed. If you need to get up to turn it off, you are less likely to hit the snooze button. Once you are up, stay up. Getting straight in the shower is another great tip. Water on your face has a refreshing effect. Looking forward to a good breakfast is also a good incentive.
Follow these simple tips and you could quickly go from being a late riser to an early riser. You can get your life organised and you will feel much healthier.
An excellent blog post, courtesy of Health writer, Lindsey from www.verywellbeing.co.uk