Rental Property Investor · Gilbert, AZ · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
Admittedly, I am naturally an early riser. I naturally wake up at about 5 AM without the need for an alarm clock. This is haw I’ve been since I can remember. I have read several books such as The Miracle Morning and others that talk about how successful people wake up early in the morning. Benjamin Franklin also taught the same concept with his “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” quote.
So hearing all of this reinforces to me the importance of waking up early to be successful. It does this to the point that I get bothered/annoyed/frustrated with people when they sleep in and waste away their morning. Now, my wife says that it is not true. In her opinion, waking up early has no correlation between being successful or not being successful. So I wanted to open this question up to the BP community. What has your experience been? Do the people you know in your life who are successful wake up early (say before 6 AM or earlier) or do they wake up later?
When I was single, waking up early did not matter. There was plenty of time to work 60+ hours, exercise, manage real estate, and have a social life...it was easy. With a wife and kids though, getting started on critical tasks early and priming the day is essential for my mindset and success. It's also a common thread among successful entrepreneurs and executives.
Thanks @Mike Dymski and @Jay Hinrichs. I see both of you as very successful in your fields and that goes to reinforce my biased opinion that a higher percentage of those who are really successful are early risers.
The primary reason I get up early is to have a couple of hours before the rest of the House is up and I get to focus on what I want to focus on. The side affect that I’ve discovered is those 2+ hours I use focusing on and chatting with others about real estate projects my day into a positive supernova that is EXTREMELY addictive because it also puts me in an amazing mood to tackle my W2s day. Addicted to Positivity!!!
I also will say the Early Riser Me is MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL than the Late Riser Me.
There have been countless studies done that show the many benefits of waking up early. When interviewed, successful CEO and entrepreneurs overwhelmingly state they wake up very early. So for people say there is no correlation between waking up early and success is just denying reality. I would say to those of you who are successful night owls, try waking up early and you will see there is even more untapped potential in your day.
I think it depends on what your schedule asks of you. For example if you have a job and have to be at work by 9, if you wake up at 815 you probably will start your day rushing and stressed out which will carry through to everything you do that day and the "I am so busy" mentality.
I like to workout and enjoy a slow cup of coffee without my cell phone to organize my thoughts and what I want to accomplish that day. Usually this means I have to get up around 5. It allows me to be alert and ready and soon as I switch to business mode.