I Eat Worms

I eat worms.  Metaphorically speaking of course.

I have been an early riser for most of my life.  And, when people hear how early I get up I always tell them I get the worms.  As in, the early bird gets the worm.

How early?  I have been getting up at 4 am for more years than I can count now.  On weekends, I jokingly say that I sleep in.  

Till 5 am!

Why so early?

I get things done.  Once the rest of the family is up that becomes more challenging.  Time alone is quality time.

What do I do?

Much has been said and written about having a morning routine.  It is time you can use to set yourself up to have a great day.  And, it does work.  There are a lot of benefits.

1.  Peace and quiet.  If you have a busy household this is some of the most peaceful time of the day.  I don't start waking anyone else up until 6:30.  So, at two and a half hours a day, I am getting more than 15 peaceful hours a week in my house of four.  How many are you getting?

2.  Exercise.  You can exercise other times of the day.  But, studies have shown that people who workout in the morning are most consistent over the long run.  If you exercise in the afternoon there can be a number of reasons they may come up that make it not work out.  I call that PWS or pre-workout syndrome.  There is no PWS in the morning.

3.  Creativity.  If you do anything creative, mornings are the best time to do this.  A fresh and rested brain and nervous system are ideal for creating.  Some creative people listed below were early risers.

4.  Productivity.  You are rested, there are no distractions, you can focus. You can get more done in the morning.  The military get up early and they have a slogan that they do more before 9 am than most people do in a day.  They have a morning routine.

Who else has a morning routine?

Here are some people who have had morning routines.  Some claim that it helped them to achieve their personal success.

1.  Benjamin Franklin.  He got at 4 am.  His primary focus was what he was going to accomplish that day.

2.  Michelle Gass, president of Starbucks.  She gets up at 4:30 am and goes running.

3.  Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue.  By 6:45 am she has already played tennis for an hour.

4.  Ernest Hemingway.  Rose at dawn each day and started writing.

5.  Beethoven.  Got up at 3 am everyday, meticulously prepared his coffee and then started composing.

What should you include in your morning routine?  How can you get started?  

Check Thursday's Post.