Waking up on time.

[Tommy92l]

I was watching a video by MohammedAbshaun (The guy on youtube who is a business coach with ridiculously good advice) and he said that he goes to his Gym at 5am only to see a bunch of guys that gather there for an early morning basketball game. The conversations they have are never anything small, but always something huge or business related. If I could find the video I would show you.

This got me thinking. When I have days off of work, the night before I stay up working really, really, late, but I end up waking up at around 11AM or 12PM. It really feels like your day wastes away a little bit even though you just had a long day the night before.

So my question is

- Is that really an entrepreneur thing, getting up really early and pretty much not sleeping at all? Not waking up at 11 or 12.

Now, I know you can't put entrepreneurs into a category that will tell this, but I mean in general, the work ethic associated with it.

 

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[theag]

I'm currently working on waking up really early regularly (at 4 or 5am), because I think it will give me an edge to be able to work early in the morning and prepare for the day. It's a big change for me, but success doesn't sleep in.

I find these 2 methods pretty helpful:

How to Get Up Right Away When Your Alarm Goes Off
How to Become an Early Riser
How to Become an Early Riser – Part II

 

[Alana]

In my opinion, I believe it’s not so much as to whether you are a morning or night person that determines your entrepreneurial-ness, but rather whether you’re the type of person that becomes so engrossed in your project/business/idea that you loose track of time ( because you’re in the ‘zone’ if you will).’ It’s more or less how you spend your time and when you are at your best (it sounds like you’re a night person…so if that is when you can buckle down and focus…so be it).
I’m sure there are basketball games being played really late at night too; it just depends on what works for the individual. You know yourself best. Whatever it takes to get that mind of yours whirling: early mornings or late night stretches or some crack (kidding)-- use what works for you.

 

[Dezzamondo]

You certainly start to feel the difference after the first few DAYS. Plus when you do something for 30 days or more consecutively, it becomes habit... and habits are difficult to break

If your time isn't giving you anything of value (lying in bed), wouldn't it be better placed elsewhere (doing something)?

 

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[JSY]

I remember seeing a study showing that people who wake up before 7 a.m. are generally higher earners and have been shown to be more productive than those who do not. However I say work at whatever times where you find yourself to be the most productive and efficient. For some people that is working through the night and up until 6 or 7 am. I prefer to get up very early that way I've already exercised, eaten, and showered before most people are up. To me it just feels good to accomplish multiple tasks while others are sleeping. But like I said do whatever works best for you, and also that time period may change over time. I used to be on almost an exact opposite schedule than what I'm currently on.

 

[Ãœbertreffen]

Do you really need to stay up all night? What you did all night, are you able to do in the AM when you wake up? Work out a schedule. Laying out a plan (time management) will help keep you in line. It will also help you from stretching out tasks at hand.

Along the way, I found what worked for me but it may not work for anyone else. Such techniques gave me a way to sleep only a few hours a night and feel well rested. I could also go a day or two without sleep and still be just as productive.

I wouldn't recommend the schedule I used to have (as an active health nut, it's extremely unhealthy). However, 85% of my customers were overseas (for one of my company's) as well as work on web development and keep VA's in-line. I was up all night when they were around and then I would also need to be around all day for my other customers. Ahh...those were the days.

Waking up late will always feel like the day has been wasted, no matter what. It can also feel as if you didn't get any sleep at all and feel exhausted throughout the day which just drains your energy levels.

 

[InLikeFlint]

Great post, and even greater replies!

Special thanks to theag for the links, opened them in new tabs and they are on my agenda for reading!

Here is my personal opinion (Whether you like it or not )

I love staying up late and working. Like JSY said, he likes the feeling of accomplishing things while others are sleeping, I enjoy it as well. Knowing that all my friends went to bed at 1 AM but I am still up at 4 AM going hard with my business stuff or studying or working out, or whatever the activity. To be completely honest - no matter how weird it sounds - I feel superior staying up late and doing something productive. The next day I feel a little tired, but at the same time I feel refreshed and I have a smile on my face and I can say to my friends "Oh I stayed up till 4...I was studying for history" and then when I get 104% on the test, it makes the feeling even better.

The reason that I prefer to stay up late and do work, rather than waking up early, is lake of discipline. When my alarm goes off, I am groggy and tired and I can try and make myself stay up, but it's so easy to give in. However, when i am staying up late, I am already awake, it's easier to not be tired, and if you are, you have sleep to look forward to as a "reward". Whereas in the morning, the only thing to look forward to is work/school (YUK!) or going to sleep that night!

I feel more productive when I am up late, and I am sure people up early feel the same way. Something about it makes my work more refined, well thought out, and I have less distractions. Maybe it's because my friends aren't stopping by my dorm so I can whoop them in FIFA, maybe not, but I get some weird joy out of being up late. My day is extended and I feel it gives me so much of an advantage over everyone. I am now accustomed to staying up until 3-4 AM so it's second nature, I plan on staying up that late (And can't fall asleep earlier even if I wanted to!) this allows me to organize my schedule in a way that things aren't so jam packed and I can sit back and relax for 30 minutes while I watch Burn Notice because I know that my day is a good 4 hours longer than anyone else's.

Just my personal opinion, I really look forward to seeing what other people think, and how they manage their time!

 

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[Ãœbertreffen]

Managing your time is the important factor. Everything else is irrelevant if you're being productive. I used to run on fumes because I chose to. If you're satisfied with your schedule, that's all that matters. If not, do something about it to change it.

 

[Tommy92l]

[video=youtube;aIjAWooka70]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIjAWooka70[/video]

Found the video!

 

[Scout]

Just reading through this post and wanted to dump in what I posted on a similar thread as it may be more applicable here:

Here are the tricks/habbits that have helped me get up in the morning:

Check Lists: Got this one from Zig Zigglar and David Allen ("Getting Things Done") also re-strengthened by Kerry Patterson (et all) in "Change Anything". A simple bedtime and morning routine check list can do wonders to keep the willpower up and stay on track.

Example: My current bedtime checklist is simple:
Fill the wood box
20/20 (pushups/sit-ups)
Brush/Floss
Layout Clothes
Journal (5min)
Review Goal Sheets
Set top three next actions (these are the top three things I need/want to accomplish the next day, Tim Ferris drilled this one in 4Hr-WW)



I just printed the lists on card stock and have one next to my bed at night and the other down stairs. In "Change Anything" he uses an example as a the check list is like the flight check plan, after a while you just go through the motions but you never skip a step. Also you find that after a few months the time length/slot becomes set and defined, making it harder to skip.

Opportunity Clock: My all time favorite Zigglar quote, ~"it's not your alarm clock it's your OPERTUNITY clock" not sure if I read it here on the forum or figured it out myself but it clicked one day that every time I hit the snooze button, I just extended my slowlane road by 15min. Time is continuous, so 15min wasted in bed puts me 15min farther away. Try it tonight tape the word OPERTUNITY on your alarm clock and see if you hit that snooze button...

Rewards: In the book "Habbit" by Charles Duhigg he breaks the creation/ritual of habbits into three parts, Trigger (alarm going off), routine (hitting snooze) and reward (extra few minutes of sleep). What they found is the trigger and reward can be really hard to change, the routine you have the most power over if you can replace it with a better reward. Trigger (alarm going off), routine (get out of bed) and reward (extra cream in my tea). The trick is the reward needs to be a real reward custom to you and one you will keep.

Environment: 2nd to last part that has worked is having the environment setup so when I'm done getting showered/dressed, tea made, dogs out and sit down at my desk, it's ready to go. cleaned off, inboxes empty out the night before ("Getting Things Done" fundamental). This makes it easy to focus...
which sets up the last part...

Top three Next Actions: Don't do anything else till you have completed one of the top three action from the night before. If they are the most important things from the night before then, checking e-mail, paying a bill, researching an idea you had in the shower must wait. Of the actions I try to do the one I least want to do (I've heard that in a bunch of places, if you need to fire someone don't wait till the end of the day, do it be done or it will distract you the rest of the day). I struggle with this all the time I always want to do the easy one first. I should also note that going to bed with your top three next actions is key, you will rehearse them in your sleep and when you get up you know exactly what steps you need to take to get them done.

(Side note if "Next Action" does not click it's from "Getting Things Done" and is a way to ensure your action list is actual doable actions to move a project towards completion. [Ex: if you have a action to hang a picture in your living room, the "next action" may be to find the nails to hang it, "hang picture" is to general and if it's to general you may not work at it because your sub-mind knows there are more loose ends to figure out (find nails, find hammer, verify location with spouse...)]

Sorry for the repeat if you saw the older post...

 

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[JasonR]

Example: My current bedtime checklist is simple:
Fill the wood box
20/20 (pushups/sit-ups)
Brush/Floss
Layout Clothes
Journal (5min)
Review Goal Sheets
Set top three next actions (these are the top three things I need/want to accomplish the next day, Tim Ferris drilled this one in 4Hr-WW)

I like this. I think the top three tasks, reviewing goals are excellent.

However, I HATE waking up late. I currently wake up at about 7:30 Am on the Weekdays and 8:30-9:00 am on the weekends. I typically stay up until 11 pm to 12 am. That's just the schedule I'm on.

I know entrepreneurs and business owners who do NOT wake up early, and are still worth millions. I don't think you have to wake up early to be wealthy. You do have to make the best of your time, and not sleep all day.

 

[Vigilante]

Waking up "on time" is a function of reporting to someone else.

I aspire to not be required to be on a schedule.

That being said, I get up at the crack of dawn.

I am intrigued by the fact that Donald Trump only sleeps 4 hours a night.

He says this gives him an edge... by the time you are having your coffee at 9AM, he has already been thinking, working, strategizing, and learning for several hours.

 

[BenP]

Opportunity Clock: My all time favorite Zigglar quote, ~"it's not your alarm clock it's your OPERTUNITY clock"

Wow! This is a HUGE reframe for me! Thanks for sharing. Along with this new reframe, this brings me to my next point,

I am intrigued by the fact that Donald Trump only sleeps 4 hours a night.

He says this gives him an edge... by the time you are having your coffee at 9AM, he has already been thinking, working, strategizing, and learning for several hours.

Donald Trump is utilizing this exact mindset. It's no surprise here.

To support Vigilante, I have to agree. Waking up "on time" is inherently tied to be reporting to someone. To wake up "early" is subjective. 5am? 7am? It doesn't matter. And here's why.

When it's late and you're "in the zone", you are kicking a$$ and getting things done. It's action in it's purest, most raw form. Why interrupt that process if you're getting results, a breakthrough or a checklist item done? If you can finish it and be DONE, then that is the most EFFECTIVE. Waking up early is not inherent with effectiveness. I don't feel bad at all if I wake up at 11 or 12 in the afternoon if I know that I accomplished something big the night before. This sets me up to wake up in a GREAT mood because I know that shit got done.

Theag, those are GREAT articles from Pavlina. I actually took his advice of quitting caffeine. I was waking up still feeling groggy as hell. Pavlina explained that because of the huge amounts of caffeine soaring through me I was basically putting my body through a constant state of "fight or flight". All other systems in the body come second when you're all jolted up on caffeine. So when you sleep, the digestive system isn't given as much attention, etc. Because of this, when you wake up you feel like the floor of a taxi cab.

I implemented the "no caffeine" the 2nd week of December and after about a week of the withdrawal headaches I can tell you that it has dramatically improved my "feeling good and well rested" mornings (Or whenever you wake up). I've also noticed that I only need about 4-5 hours of sleep to feel well rested.

I recommend anyone try quitting caffeine if you're having this same problem (sacrilege, I know!). Even if it's just to try it out. You might be surprised how much it could actually help you feel GREAT when you wake up. Hope this helps.

 

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[Bruce]

A lot of information in this thread!

Having a hardtime waking up is so 2012. You fastlaners need to get this alarm clock.

 

[JasonR]

I am intrigued by the fact that Donald Trump only sleeps 4 hours a night.

He says this gives him an edge... by the time you are having your coffee at 9AM, he has already been thinking, working, strategizing, and learning for several hours.

I am intrigued as well. I would love to be able to sleep only 4 hours a night, but I seem to feel like absolute crap if I don't get 7 hours of sleep a night.

How do people do it!?

 

[Big Daddyhoo]

This is my alarm clock.

[video=youtube;KCzoyMSHrnE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCzoyMSHrnE[/video]

Then it goes to other songs. I couldn't fall back asleep if I tried.

 

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[jackwilder94]

Well, i don't think that having a morning routine and waking up early is the habit of being successful. My brother ALWAYS woke up at 2-3 PM and he is successful already. It doesn't depends of when you wake up but how you utilize your time and productivity.

I'm not successful yet but i also wake up late. It's very hard for me to wake up at 6-7 AM, even when having school.

 

[GuestUser8117]

Speed+ for starting this thread.

 

[Scout]

Sleep patterns...

If you really want to change your sleep patterns thier are alot of differnt sleep cycle you can train your self to be on.

Uberman is the most agressive: 2hrs total sleep per day, six 20-25min naps evenly spaced through the day...

Sleep Methods
(check out the charts and table at the bottom of the link)

Uberman Case Study

I currently use a BiPhasic sleep pattern taking a 30min nap once a day to shave a few hours of sleep at night... would love 22hrs a day to be awake...

 

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[Antonioac]

Early to bed, early to rise; makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise

I've been waking up around 5:30/6 at the latest. This is hard for a lot of self-employed people but I find it helps you prepare and get an advance on the day. I'm a better negotiator, presenter, coach, and boss when I get an early start.

 

[Tommy92l]

This sounds kind of a$$ backwards, but I wanted to try getting 5 hours of sleep. I went to sleep at 5 am and woke up at 10, and stayed up until 5 am the next day. It feels like you're cheating life, haha. "I shouldn't have this much time!", but it's awesome!

 

[hatterasguy]

I wake up around 7 and get going shortly after that. My work excites me so I want to get going.

 

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[Astute]

I get up at 4.30am most days and on the weekends at about 7am. But I usually got to bed by 9pm. There is no point to go all week on 4 hours sleep or something so ridiculous. It is bad for your health and your lack of productivity will really show after a few days.

Waking up early is just something you should discipline yourself to do over a long period and make it as easy as possible for yourself by doing things like ironing etc the night before. I think there is a misconception that it is bad to get up early because it makes you some sort of slave. But a hard mornings work will make for an easy afternoon.

A good diet, regular meals and a bit of exercise go a long way to helping get the right balance and give you lots of energy through the day.