Pick up five books on productivity and I guarantee at least three of them will advocate getting up an hour earlier. It’s quieter then so you’ll have fewer distractions. You can start your day off working on your most important tasks without being interrupted. You can start your day proactively.

In fact, I recently presented a workshop on scheduling and setting up a calendar, and one of the participants, Ellen, shared how getting up at 5:00AM has changed her life. She has a morning routine that helps her get centered and focused on her priorities for the day.

Another participant, Loren, stated, “I’m never going to be a successful business owner, because I just can’t consistently get up at 5:00!” To which Ellen replied, “Try harder…part of being a business owner means you struggle.” (Now you know my views on “trying harder”! This is where I stepped in.)

Should you start getting up earlier?

The answer is – it depends!

[Tweet “Should you get up earlier? When is your Biological Prime Time?”]

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Everyone is unique! When is your Biological Prime Time?

If your BPT is later in the evening, getting up at 5:00 is potentially going to be really tough! For example, Loren often works until midnight or 1:00AM. Getting up at 5:00 caused her to be tired, irritable, sluggish, and un-creative. So, of what value is she getting from the 5:00 – 7:00 slot?

On the other hand, Ellen is typically asleep before 10:00. She’s had all the sleep she needs to be productive by 5:00, making this a perfect time for her to work on high-impact tasks.

Now does this mean the night owl can never use an early morning slot for productive purposes? Of course not – it just means she needs to go to bed earlier or take a nap during the day. (If you don’t have the amount of sleep your body needs, you’ll just become less and less productive.) It doesn’t mean she must “try harder” or “struggle.” She owns her own business and can set her schedule – why choose to struggle?!

What Loren decided is that some days she’ll start her day at 7:00 instead of 9:00 and will either take a nap or go to bed a few hours earlier. Other days, she will use her 9:00 start time, and will work until midnight or 1:00, as needed.

What’s your version of Ellen’s 5:00? When do you feel most productive – without struggling?? As long as your system works for YOU, use it!

Curious about how to have a life that has more money, more fun, more time for volunteering, more time for relaxation – while working less and feeling less stress? AND…NOT getting up at 5:00 if that doesn’t work for you!

If so, I invite you to apply for a complimentary Bad Day Breakthrough Blueprint session.

Here we’ll talk about your current life – and the life you want – and we’ll discuss some strategies to help you see your next steps.

  • Discover what’s blocking you from creating consistently productive and stress-free days.
  • Determine what steps you can take so you can stop working nights and weekends (and early mornings!!!) trying to catch up.
  • Identify the one simple step you can take to immediately get into action today.

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(Image credit: jesadaphorn)