Getting up early and working.

[Primzi]

Hey there,

I have a question. For a while, I have been trying to wake up early and get to work immediately (I work from home), but I've never actually managed to do it for more than a day. I know that I should just "go and do it" for a week or so and turn it into a habit, but for some reason, I can't. And if I do wake up relatively early, I sometimes get distracted and start doing other stuff, and fail to get anything done. Has anyone had similar problems before and managed to overcome them? If so, how?

Best regards,

Primoz

 

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[Vigilante]

Play to your strengths. If this isn't one of them, design your day around it. I don't care if you are working at 11PM if you need to.

I am an early morning person. I think some people are wired like that, and some are not. If you are not, and are in a business that requires you to be, than switch businesses.

Play to your strengths. You will be happier, and your work will be more significant. Working from home, you can get more done in 6 hours than the average cube dweller can in 10 hours.

 

[theBiz]

You need to be sleeping at 10pm if you want to get up around 6 or 7 IMO to get out of bed.


You should have a calendar or a wall with a GOAL at the top and underneath are mini tasks. There could be thousands of mini tasks. Everysingle day you should wake up, go over to it, look at what you have to do and be excited that TODAY you will be one step closer to your goal. Regardless of how redundant or boring it is remember you are one step closer to that goal at the top. I hope that GOAL up top is worth attaining otherwise your just going through the motions.

I never really knew the power of setting daily goals on my mirror. Its funny too you realize you weren't as productive as you thought you were, you should struggle to complete them everyday. Make life fun, wake up, smile, and be excited about the future.


There are people that HAVE to wake up at 3:30am every single day to be garbage men and have been doing it for 30 years, and im not downing them but realize how lucky you are, dont be a spoiled rich kid (example) make it an advantage in your life.

 

[healthstatus]

I get up at 5:00am every morning. I leave a todo list the day before of what needs to be worked on. I think this helps me in a couple of ways, when I get in I have a definite map of what needs doing, and I believe that in the evening while relaxing and sleeping my mind starts working on that list and most everyday I walk into my office with an idea on how to solve a couple of the things on my todo list.

 

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[rc08234]

Just like Vigilante said, play to your strengths. Does your job have to be done during the morning?? I hate the mornings, and I can't tell you how many times I hear shit about sleeping in.The truth is I'm usually up till 2 or 3 a.m. because thats when I'm most productive. My dad has been, and always will be a morning person, I guess I'm just a night owl. I've learned to stop fighting it and just accept it....even if it does make those mornings where I HAVE to get up at 7 or 8 hell.

 

[caromorgan]

I leave a todo list the day before of what needs to be worked on.

I second that. Decide the night before what your #1 task is.
Then get up and do that, without checking email first, or checking your feeds/blogs, or reading the newspaper.
Just do it, on auto-pilot, do not engage brain (it will kick in once you start the task).

If you find that even that fails, I'd go with Vigilante's suggestion - figure out when your most productive/energetic time is, and block that out for working. No meetings in that time, no reading, no long walks. That's your prime time, and you need to recognise it and use it. It's about "energy management" more than "time management".

Keep us posted on how it goes...

 

[MJ DeMarco]

This is one of my guilts too -- sleeping in and getting up late. Today I awoke at 9am. My productive hours are from 1pm - 1am so while I sleep in, I work late into night into the morning.

Like the others have mentioned, play to your strengths. I noticed the only time I'm productive in the morning is if I leave to go somewhere, like the gym first. In fact, my most productive days are when I work out immediately in the morning ... problem is, getting up at the early hour!

 

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[Steven Williams]

If you're business allows you to work at home where you don't have to interact with people during regular business hours just make your business hours what you feel comfortable with.

The problem you're having is you're feeling guilty about not getting up early and you let that affect the rest of your day.

Tell yourself it's ok to to wake up late so forget about waking up early. And make it a point to get work done. Right now your mind is in two places.

1. Thinking and feeling guilty about not getting up early.
2. Thinking and feeling that because you didn't get up early you have the right to get distracted because work should have been done earlier.

When you get up or the day before make a list of the items you need to get done and when you start working do one item take a break then do the next until done...WITHOUT FEELING GUILTY about when you got started!

For some reason I like getting up early even though I don't have to. I usually get up around 5:30am and 7am on the weekends. I think I got this from my grandmother.

 

[Autonomust]

Play to your strengths. If this isn't one of them, design your day around it. I don't care if you are working at 11PM if you need to.

I am an early morning person. I think some people are wired like that, and some are not. If you are not, and are in a business that requires you to be, than switch businesses.

Play to your strengths. You will be happier, and your work will be more significant. Working from home, you can get more done in 6 hours than the average cube dweller can in 10 hours.

^^^^This. I think peoples sleeping habits are wired regardless of how much they try to change their sleeping habits. I personally can get up early if I have to but it won't sit well with me. I'm far more productive on days that I sleep in and I find it best to schedule the day around it like you said. Plus my productive hours are similar to MJ's anyway lol.

 

[TadMoore]

This used to stress me out hard. My father is one of those guys that is up at 5:30am and at work at 6:00. He is always giving me a hard time, "what time were you at work" kind of thing.

The amount of work that I get done from 10 pm to 1:00am is ridiculous. The phone isn't ringing, the emails aren't coming in... and the office is quiet. On that note 10pm to 1:00am is not set in stone... If I get into a flow, I won't stop until my eyes hurt and my ideas and creativity suck. I find I have a magic work zone, if my brain gets there I can get what the average person would do in a week. Maybe your crunching a problem in your brain, and you have solution, I will ride that wave until my eye's are bleeding...

Where does creativity come from? Who knows... When it strikes I don't care what time it is or what I'm doing. There is a bubbles car wash near my office, I was watching them clean my car, suddenly I had a really good idea so I ran back to my office. I left my car there for 2 days. We pitched the idea to the client and I got 6 figure contract. Creativity is special, you can't just turn it on and off, so you have to take advantage when it happens.

Society has taught us to "work" from 9-5... I don't believe our brains are designed that way.

 

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[Rickson9]

I rarely wake up earlier than 10a. I don't think it's important for me to wake up early.

 

[Autonomust]

I rarely wake up earlier than 10a. I don't think it's important for me to wake up early.

lol this describes me perfectly.

 

[GlobalWealth]

This is one of my guilts too -- sleeping in and getting up late. Today I awoke at 9am.

Same for me. I am rarely in bed before 1am. Frequently I am even on client calls at 2-4am due to timezone issues, so i will sleep even later.

I've never been a morning person. For years my father tried to tell me that unless you were in the office by 7-8am every day, you would find success very difficult to obtain.

I took me years to become comfortable with my own habits and not feel guilty about sleeping until 9 or 10am. Personally I get my most productive work done after 11pm.

 

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[damien275x]

Working from home is the dream, but I simply cannot do it.

My room is the only place I can work, and I have parentals, siblings, visitors, just pissing me off with constant interruptions. Also, if I work on my laptop on my bed, I find i'm too comfortable.

my bed is where I eat, it's where I watch TV, sleep, have sex. It's a recreational space, so work just doesn't happen as well as it should when I am sitting here. You need a designated work space.

I get up and go to the local library and work there. Sure there are screaming kid and loud people, but they aren't my concern and I can just stick earphones in and ignore them.

 

[theBiz]

health, rickson, global, MJ i have got to say im surprised to hear you guys do not wake up early.


Would you all agree that when you are pushing to get somewhere in life you need to wake up early? Maybe not because its mandatory but it keeps you inline in startup/learning phase. Your energy is spent working and building and your shot by the time you would go out be unproductive. But if your up until late its easy to get dragged out. Did all of you wake up early before you had money or achieved the long term goal?Ive got the same classic dad story and im up early otherwise i feel guilty. My business will eventually force me to be at office by 9am unless i am not managing employees so getting up at 6-6:30 only seems fair? Need to plan out the day and get things ready. Although i am not in that current stage i like to operate around the mail goal. Right now Im putting in about 14 hours so 6-8 just on launching business. To me it seems past 8pm unless it 100% internet based you cant be effective.

 

[Pat]

I am a night person as well.

For about 6 months I got up at 6am every morning. It didn't help. I could not even think straight until 9am. I always had enough sleep though.

Now I get up at around 9-10am, depending on when I went to bed, usually between 1am and 2am.

I still take about an hour to fully wake up but I am much more productive. I really like the hours when everyone else is in bed, perfect for coding.

Another good reason to not get up early for me is partying. I don't do it often at the moment, but if I do it doesn't affect my sleep as much.

 

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[Pat]

Would you all agree that when you are pushing to get somewhere in life you need to wake up early? Maybe not because its mandatory but it keeps you inline in startup/learning phase. Your energy is spent working and building and your shot by the time you would go out be unproductive. But if your up until late its easy to get dragged out. Did all of you wake up early before you had money or achieved the long term goal?Ive got the same classic dad story and im up early otherwise i feel guilty. My business will eventually force me to be at office by 9am unless i am not managing employees so getting up at 6-6:30 only seems fair? Need to plan outthe day and get things ready. Although i am not in that current stage i like to operate around the mail goal.

If you have your own business no need to get into the 9-5 rhythm. Who decided anyway that everyone is most productive between 9 and 5?

I believe getting up early comes from times when most people were farmers. They have to get up early to get everything done and they can't do much after dark. Things like that can form habits and be passed from generation to generation.

Of course if your business has to interact with the 9-5 world, then you will have to get into that as well. If not, play to your strengths.

 

[healthstatus]

I am a morning person, raised on a cattle ranch with chores to do before the bus came around for the hour long ride to school so I have been this way for a loooong time.

My productivity is really high from 6am to 10am, before the phone calls and crap start happening and diverting my attention from what is important to what is urgent. That is also the slow time on my website and the easiest time to make changes and updates. Finding that sweet spot is unique to each person and probably not only an effect of your sleep schedule, but diet, and alcohol consumption. If you think a certain time of day is probably your most efficient and it fits your life, go for it. One isn't above the other.

 

[Sky]

I agree with everyone above me and those tactics do work, but if they don't work for you, try going somewhere outside of the house when you get up, it'll refresh your mind and habit style. For me, getting up early was tough because I always stay up till 4am and wake up after 12, and usually with a hangover so I would roll around for a few extra minutes, reaching for a glass of water and a aspirin to calm my head. Because I knew I needed to get up early to re-arrange my business lifestyle, I had to find a way to make it stick.

When we are at home, it's easy to relax and get distracted because our minds are wired to think that home should be a place to relax and take time to relieve stress. Introducing a home-based business into that mix, it's hard not to get distracted! Like me, in my home, I have the internet, online porn, video games, cable, you tube, and family. One of those things can easily take time away from my business or my study. If by chance, you live in a stressful environment, that energy will leak through into your mind state, circumventing your thought process, and ultimately your success. I found that waking up, throwing on some clothes, forget the shower and shave, jump in the car, and go to a Starbucks or coffee shop with my laptop, totally changed how I perceived the morning. It woke me up mentality. My mind was now like, okay, I'm here so what do I need to do?

Any change of place can work, even taking a walk outside your home if you can't venture too far because of certain arrangements. The crisp, morning air with the scent of fresh cut grass, and friendly landscapers working the leaf blowers, will open your senses and there you can plan out your day. So by the time you get home, you will feel refreshed and able to jump into what needs to be done.

But like the posters before me, does your success depend on waking up early? If so, then try this. If not, then use the night time to your advantage. I think the goal of everyone here is not to having the need to wake up early or stay up late, but having the "choice" to. Stay fly.

 

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[FastNAwesome]

I am also a morning person, but also sometimes when I start at late night, I can work until early morning and forget about time...guess peace and quietness help concentrating.

 

[Primzi]

The problem you're having is you're feeling guilty about not getting up early and you let that affect the rest of your day.

Tell yourself it's ok to to wake up late so forget about waking up early. And make it a point to get work done. Right now your mind is in two places.

1. Thinking and feeling guilty about not getting up early.
2. Thinking and feeling that because you didn't get up early you have the right to get distracted because work should have been done earlier.

When you get up or the day before make a list of the items you need to get done and when you start working do one item take a break then do the next until done...WITHOUT FEELING GUILTY about when you got started!

This describes my problem perfectly. During the last week, I have started writing stuff on my whiteboard (even though this doesn't exactly go hand in hand with the method I am currently trying to adapt to - Getting things done), and it has helped me to be more productive.

But the most important part was not feeling guilty about when I wake up. Steven, you were completely right about my mindset. I then threw that mindset out of the window, now I wake up whenever I wake up (usually at about 10 am), sleep for about 8 hours, take an hour in the morning to eat some breakfast, relax in a bathtub and do some pushups, read a few pages of a book on my kindle. After that, I am extremely creative and productive.

Later on, I take a couple of hours to spend with my friends/girlfriend, and after midnight, when everyone is asleep, I can get some more work done. It works like a charm. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread, I have learned that I can use the fastlane to my advantage and that I should look at this as a strength, not a weakness.

Primoz

 

[Skys]

You need to be sleeping at 10pm if you want to get up around 6 or 7 IMO to get out of bed.

The sucky thing about this: I have a traineeship and I am done at 5, so when I finally am able to do stuff its maybe 6/7 o clock, depends on if I go work out or not. If I go to bed at 10, I only have 3 hours to do something.

I can not set my own time at the moment, so time is using me instead of me using time. But, I do need to get productive as possible to escape that trap.

It's a struggle and I do feel lots off guilt about it. I should get up early (around 6), work some, then get to my traineeship, and when I get home work further on my upcoming company.

Reality: Getting up just in time to get to traineeship. Getting home, tired.. Little bit of productivity .. and repeat.

I also don't think we are made for 9 till 5. Most of us are just working bees.

 

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[Runum]

The sucky thing about this: I have a traineeship and I am done at 5, so when I finally am able to do stuff its maybe 6/7 o clock, depends on if I go work out or not. If I go to bed at 10, I only have 3 hours to do something.

Dude, do you want some cheese with that whine?

Instead of saying "I only have 3 hours to do something." Why not say I have 3 whole hours to work my a$$ off for the life I want to live. Seriously, you have GOT to start seeing opportunities rather than limitations. Yeah, I know, you will admit to this and say you're looking to change. I have read it on several threads now. How long does it take to change what you see? About 2 seconds if you WANT to. But, I know, it is much easier to sit around like Eeyore and tell everyone how much your life sucks.

Also, cut the small town, nothing to do crap. I live in the country, my nearest neighbor is about a half mile away. The town I live near has 600 people in it. You are not the only one with limitations. EVERYONE here has limitations. Grow bigger than your problems. Grow up or pack up.

 

[Skys]

I love cheese.

My life does not suck. I am working hard, but I would rather have more time to really do what I like and I am working on that.
Super interesting to see how being realistic about my situation is being negative in your opinion. Optimism doesn't make rich dude. be realistic about how your life is at this moment and try to find ways to improve that. I can change myself, yes, but saying you can change in a second is just not being realistic. If you have lived a certain way for a long time you can't just 'tony robbins' yourself and change it. Impossible.

Same goes for the way my carreer is at the moment. I made a mess out of, and I am changing it now.

I know whats wrong with the way most of us live life. I want to change that. Yes.

 

[Skys]

But, since I like this forum a lot and I like how the way people view their wold I will just lurk around from now on. I don't want to get banned for how I feel and think at the moment. I will stop posting for the time being till its changed. I don't feel really welcome.

 

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[Runum]

I did not say you could change in a snap. I said you could change what you choose to see in a snap. Make all the excuses you want. If you don't choose to change what you see you will not get where you say you want to go.

No one has said anything negative about your college stuff and finishing. I think you are smart to finish so that the college costs will be forgiven. I also think you are smart to see that there are other ways to make a living besides your chosen career.

Also, no one has said anything about not liking you or you're not welcome here. It's the total negative outlook that stinks and is not particularly welcome. It's not a Tony Robbins rah rah thing, it's a realistic thing. You will not have success if you don't start seeing opportunity rather than limitations. You can call your attitude being realistic all you want. You keep doing what you are doing and you will keep getting what you have been getting. That's a fact.

Good luck. I wish you the best.

 

[Skys]

I said you could change what you choose to see in a snap.

Is this so? I would love to see oppurtunities everywhere. Seriously. But I don't. Does that mean I just don't want it hard enough? is that the reason I don't see it?
Today I saw an upportunity. I live in a city with lots of negativity. So I only need to keep listening to the complaints, and come with a solution for all those complaints. Its still a very negative, and boring city to live in.

It's the total negative outlook that stinks and is not particularly welcome.

Thats why I will try not to post anymore until it changed. Could be very fast, since you say it can be changed in a snap.

 

[Runum]

Is this so? I would love to see oppurtunities everywhere. Seriously. But I don't. Does that mean I just don't want it hard enough? is that the reason I don't see it?
Today I saw an upportunity. I live in a city with lots of negativity. So I only need to keep listening to the complaints, and come with a solution for all those complaints. Its still a very negative, and boring city to live in.



Thats why I will try not to post anymore until it changed. Could be very fast, since you say it can be changed in a snap.

I don't think you see opportunities because you don't want to. Simple as that.

It will be a good thing for you to take a time out. It's not a kind thing to make light of what a person says that is trying to help you. Maybe you will grow up and be a big boy some day.

I tried. maybe someone else can get through to you. I am out. Next.

 

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[Skys]

seriously? In what way I am unkind to you?

Sorry to derail the thread, topic starter. I am done.

 

[GlobalWealth]

If you have lived a certain way for a long time you can't just 'tony robbins' yourself and change it. Impossible.

Big problem here. It runs deep with most of your posts so far. You have a defeatist mentality. You actually believe you can't 'tony robbins' yourself.

Why can't you? No one said you listen to one cd's or read one book and poof, you 'tony robbins'd' your way to greatness. It takes time. And work.

Your first task now should be to change yourself. How is that done you may ask?

1- read everything you can get your hands one about a positive mental attitude; MJ's book, How to Win Friends..., Think and Grow Rich, The Magic of Thinking Big, and yes Tony Robbins' stuff.

2- associate with people you want to emulate. network to find that group. and actually listen to them. Greg (runum) was giving you great advice, but you dismissed it as impossible. guess what, that's what Greg did (and me too) to become successful. you think it is impossible. we didn't. wanna compare notes?

3- work on your speech patterns. learn to control what you say. negativity breeds negativity. the more you speak it, the more it comes to fruition. there is serious power in the spoken word.

4- create success habits. whatever that means to you. if you have 3 free hours per day, then use them wisely. set a schedule and stick to it. shut down any distraction and get your job done. once you form the habits (reading positive books is also a great habit), they are hard to break. success is also a habit. it too his hard to break.

Now go back and reread my post before you immediately reply with your defensive response. You may actually learn something.