How to Be an Early Riser

I am an early riser. My family knows it. My neighbors know it. And many of my colleagues and Clients know it. I know that in the early morning is some of my most productive time.

Lots of people have asked me about why I rise early and I have always felt that part of it is habit and part of it is biological. And while I have always told people to find their own rhythm, it is hard to question that most of the most productive people I know get up relatively early.

I mention this because I read a very interesting blog post early this morning on Steve Pavlina's blog called, How to Be an Early Riser. Steve writes much about his own strategy and approach, why being an early riser makes sense to him and how to change your own sleep patterns.

I finished reading the post largely agreeing with him - speficially on three major points:

1. Go to be when you are tired, not when the clock says it is "bedtime" He says don't go to bed unless you can fall asleep within 5 minutes. This has never been my strategy, but has always been my practice. Listen to your body and sleep when you need it.

2. Use reading as a gauge. If you can read and keep reading, you probably don't need to sleep yet. If you are dozing after a page or two, it is time.

3. Finding a standard morning wake up time has great benefits. While I am not quite as regemented as Steve, I would guess I am much closer to his description than most people.

If you think about sleep, would like to modify your sleep habits, wonder about the connections between sleep and productivity, I encourage you to read this post. It has certainly struck a nerve with some people as at the time of this writing it has 93 comments (many of them worth reading too).

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