Join ‘the early club’ to find out what really happens at 5am

In the day and age we live in, with the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, do we really have time to do anything for ourselves?

Over the last few weeks we have put it to the test. Does waking up early make a difference? Has it led to more productivity? And if so, what are the real benefits you can expect of giving up those extra comfy hours in bed?

Finding the time (at 5am)

Well, first and foremost, it is not for everyone. Life is habitual, and we live our lives day in and day out without realising what we are doing and why. We set out at a goal of waking up at 5am daily to see if there was any real difference within our lives and recorded the progress as we went along.

The first thing that was truly noticeable came around the one week mark. Each and every morning I could feel myself needing more and more sleep. My body was not used to waking up that early in the morning. Yet, after a week, when that wretched alarm sang at 5am sharp, I was up amd out of bed and ready to begin the day.

For many years I believed that habits were only formed when effort was put in to them, but that was far from the truth. Around the middle of the second week, by 5:15, I was wide awake just in time to see the rest of the world sleeping and some to be waking. I found myself meditating these early hours of the morning to start the day ahead with a clear mind. It also gave me some time to reflect and plan the day ahead.

Nothing beats that early morning smell, especially when seasons get colder. By 6am I was out the door in my running shoes and off for a jog I went. Firstly it started out small, a block or two, and after around three weeks, it’s come up to 6km run every morning.

By 7am I was back at home, showered and ready for the day ahead. This gave me some time to catch up on some reading and that glorious first cup of coffee for the day. This meant that by the standard time of when most were getting ready to go to their 9am jobs, I had already achieved a few goals for the day. I had woken up early, meditated, exercised, had breakfast, did some light reading and started my day peacefully and relaxed which in turn made for the rest of the day relaxing. My mind was clear enough to face any obstacles for the day, as well as allow me to put full focus into my productivity.

Two extra hours in the day

Just that one simple act of waking early in the day has given me an extra two hours of the day for time to do the things we are always “too busy” to do. Doing so has also helped me gain a great some of knowledge from all that I have been reading and, most importantly, it has created a much healthier lifestyle.

I find myself drinking water instead of soft drinks, eating healthy foods instead of takeaways; I have even found myself to be a better conversationalist as I have learnt so much more to talk about.

This lifestyle however does have it’s flaws. I find myself getting tired a lot earlier in the evening and in bed well before 10pm, however, it has caused me to have a much better sleep cycle during the evening. It has also made me somewhat anti-social during the hours of the morning as I have adapted a mindset of what I need to get done and get to work on doing it all.

If the idea of having the extra time in the mornings to do the things that are important to you interests you, then I would definitely suggest waking early in the mornings and getting to work on yourself.

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