The Benefits of Waking Up Early

The Benefits of Waking Up Early http://blog.kanjy.co/advice/wakingupearlyasawriter/“The Early Bird Catches the Worm” â€" Anonymous“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy,wealthy, and wise.” â€" Benjamin FranklinI am sure that you have read other quotes like these about the benefits of waking up early.I have too for years- yet I have struggled with this until my late 20s. I remember my pre-teen and teenage years, when my alarm clock was my father. Each day he had to wake me up at-least 5 times before I finally rolled out of bed.. Groaaaannn..I never realized the value the benefits of waking up early until recently. For the past few months, I have been consistently waking up early The experience has been truly life-altering!!OK I won’t go that far. But I have experience numerous benefits with my new schedule. Over the days,weeks and the months, it has now become an automatic habit.Here are the 7 Benefits that I have experienced by waking up early.1. More Control over your dayI used to be the gu y who woke up just in time to rush to work. You know what I mean right? I wake up 7.30, then get ready quickly â€" skip breakfast and rush to the office in the dreaded commute â€" to arrive just in time for the 8.30 AM team meeting.I kept doing this over an over again â€" until I reached a point where I asked myself the question “Why am I doing this? Am I insane?”. Before even my actual work day began I was already stressed out by the commute evalI am sure this happens to you. You have had a long day at work â€" client meetings, projects, phone calls,emails etc. And you even stay an extra 2 hours just to complete the necessary amount of work. By the time you leave the office and head home â€" you are completely wiped.The last thing you want to do is exercise.This has happened to me many times â€" there have been many occasions I have skipped the evening workouts. And then you feel grumpy again the next morning.When you wake up early, and schedule some time for early morning exer cise â€" this is taken care of.evalFor the past few months, I exercise first thing in the morning.My muscles are tired, my brain screams not to do it but I do it anyway. And you know what? â€" It is completed before most people even begin their day.More importantly â€" Once your exercise is done -you feel a sense of accomplishment right in the morning. You experience a sudden surge of energy. And you can reward yourself with a delicious protein shake.3. Avoid the crazy commuteWhether you drive, take transit or bike to work- commuting is a normal part of your daily schedule “Yes” I said “and all that before 10am”.The benefits the disadvantages of coffee are debatable. There are various conflicting studies on how much coffee is optimum.But if you are like me, who is a converted early riser- then this is a valid excuse to load up on your favourite Java.Regardless of whether it is good for you or not, you can drink more coffee if you are a fan I bet you have had those nights wh ere you are just lying in bed trying to sleep â€" you are either staring at your smartphone or at the empty ceiling.I used to have the same problem. And that justified me waking up late in the morning.Now I don’t have that problem.By the time it is 9.30 PM I am completely wiped. No matter what I want to do â€" read a book or watch Netflix â€" my body does not allow me to do it.I have to sleep , I don’t have to try hard at all. No more sleeping pills or fancy teas that promises good sleep. Let nature take care of itself. Sleep like a baby each night.6. Plan your Day in AdvanceevalAnother advantage of waking up early is that you will be able to arrive at work much earlier than your peers.This will give you some additional time to plan your day.Surprisingly planning your day does not take that much time.It is a mere investment of 5 minutes.However, it gives you clarity in knowing how your day is going to look like. This does gives us a sense of control â€" which helps us become mor e productive.7. Use Quiet time to your AdvantageHaving an extra 30 to 60 minutes in the morning allows you to do things that you might find hard to do during the day â€" for example reading, journalling, goal-setting,etc.I spend 10 minutes in the morning writing down reviewing my goals.This provides me a sense of control in knowing which direction I am going. Also it puts a bit of healthy pressure under my butt to get to work, and start working towards my goals.In the months I have been waking up early I have noticed numerous benefits as described above. Most of the time I feel like I have more time in the day. Perhaps it is because I do not feel overly rushed as before.Are you early riser? How long have you been waking up early?What other benefits have you experienced by waking up early?