Train Yourself to Wake Up Earlier, Naturally

Real estate investing takes time and effort daily. Unless you are outsourcing much of your investor duties required to invest daily than you are likely in the need of more hours in the day.

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For many of us, some of the best hours we have are in the morning because our brains are refreshed and ready to take action and solve problems. You are motivated but sometimes sleep gets the best of us. One secret to developing a new sleep habit is to wake up earlier and earlier slowly, over the course of several months.

Forbes Research Study

In an article found in Forbes Magazine a Harvard biologist discovered that early risers are more proactive and financially successful than those of us that sleep in daily. Additionally, early risers were more likely to agree with statements like:

“I spend time identifying long-range goals for myself”
“I feel in charge of making things happen.”

Start by setting your alarm just five minutes earlier. Every ten days, set your alarm for five minutes earlier. In addition, stop using the snooze feature of your alarm.

As a reminder to your morning-self you may wish to place your alarm or phone near the refrigerator, shower, or coffee maker to help ensure these morning rituals are completed instead of returning to bed. After you are awake, do not forget your morning workout and meditation.

In 2008, a study from Texas University showed college students that identified themselves as “morning people” earned a full point higher on their GPAs than those that stayed up late nights (3.5 vs. 2.5). In addition, waking up early has been shown to:

Increase productivity throughout the day
Increase success at anticipating problems
Make better planning
Provide more time to exercise
Result in a less stressful commute to work
Allow for more spare time.

Pro Tip: If you are using your smart phone as your morning alarm, I encourage you to search for an application that makes you work before the alarm will turn off.

An alarm that requires you to perform a series of fun tasks before the alarm shuts off can be a helpful tool to stay awake and avoid hitting the snooze feature.

Your challenge: Tonight, set you alarm for just five minutes earlier than you normally wake up.

Love what you do daily,

John Fedro

Source: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmj45hjhj/earn-better-grades/

Dru Steeby

Replied about 6 years ago

Hi John, Thanks for the tips! Getting up early is something I’ve always struggled with. I’ll try some of these out!

Hi Dru, Thanks for commenting. I am so glad this article has provided you value. All the best, John

Sam Houston

Hey John, Excellent post. If you want to take your productivity even further try training yourself to get by on even less sleep overall, after all humans spend over 1/3 of their life on average asleep. When I first started my real estate company I really noticed an increase in productivity when I lowered my average nightly sleep to about 5 hours. Gave me both more time to focus on my business and family Many famous people live by this motto as well, such as Thomas Edison and Donald Trump.

Hi Sam, Thanks for commenting and great advice. I really agree with your thought to thrive on 5-6 hours of sleep per night. This leaves 18+ hours of “possible” productive time throughout our days. All the best, John

Melodee Lucido

Great article John! Giving up all but necessary sleep (5-6 hrs) is how I built my biz quickly. I also got rid of the tv. Most days I still hate to call it a day and bust out of bed to see what excitement can be created in the new day. I particularly like your point about exercise. I used to opt out of the morning hike & yoga because I had “too much work to do”. I find now that when I get out in nature and take time to stretch the thinking stiffness (I spend a lot of time n my head) away my day is so much more productive. Your article should be part of every new investors start up instructions 🙂

Hi Melodee, Thanks for commenting and for your kind words. I am so glad to hear that you are in control of your time throughout the day, so many of us are not. Also very glad to hear you enjoy the benefits to morning activities like these. Sounds like a beautiful way to start each day. Talk soon, John

Gualter Amarelo

Great post John! I have been thinking about doing something like this for years, but more and more lately it seems like a good idea. My wife quit her job a few months ago to take her wedding invitation business full time, and I just quit last month to do the same in real estate. I feel like even though I can dedicate all day to my business, more and more my schedule is getting booked up by random things. If I start getting up earlier I would like to be able to fit in some time for calling the city and working with other professionals. Also maybe I can start exercising again, lol. Thanks for the great reminder and the helpful tips. My alarm is going next to the sink!

Hi Gualter, Thanks for reading and commenting. First off, congratulations to you both for having the strength and ability to retire from your “employment” life. That is a huge step and I wish you both complete success. Remember to outsource the low-priority tasks in your business and take time to spend time with each other as you move ahead. All the best and talk soon, John Fedro

Sharon Tzib

There’s a difference between getting up early and getting less sleep – the two do not necessarily go hand in hand. I automatically wake up between 5-6 a.m. most days, but my body functions best on 8-9 hours of sleep, so I am usually in bed no later than 9 p.m. If I tried to get less sleep, I would definitely not be more productive. Each person needs to know what their body needs. And for me, I definitely find I am most productive in the morning. It also matters how you use the time you are awake. If you are frittering it away watching tv, playing games, on social media, etc., then you aren’t maximizing your productivity.

Hi Sharon, Thanks for commenting and for your kind words. Great points you add to the discussion. I completely agree with you about us all being unique. The end goal of being happy, successful, and productive is what most of us investors are striving for. However a person accomplishes this ethically and legally is for each of us to discover. I am glad to hear you are on-top of your schedule and work flow. All the best and talk soon, John

Slinky

I hate “how to wake up early and be more productive” articles. Instead of trying to get everyone to conform to “what works best for most people”, why don’t we encourage people to identify their most productive times and optimize those? Do the busy work when your brain isn’t at its best, whether that’s late at night or early morning. Save the heavy thinking for your peak time of day. I’ve had periods of my life getting up early and others where I slept in later. You know what I’ve found out? Time is finite. If I wake up earlier, I go to bed earlier. If I wake up later, I stay up later. Changing when I sleep does not result in more time in my day, unless you start decreasing the amount you sleep, which is a whole different topic. Post rush hour traffic is also just as nice as pre rush hour traffic, but nothing beats 3am traffic!

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