Why getting up at 5am could be the key to success

If you’re not a morning person, rising with the sun, let alone before it, sounds like a manifested hell. For the man who has alarms in the double figures to make sure he’s not late for work, the thought of getting up at 5am is perhaps unimaginable. However, it could be the key to a more successful life – both personally and professionally. So, what exactly are the benefits of setting your alarm and joining the 5am club?

Make sure you get regular exercise

Despite feeling eye-rubbingly lethargic when we get up, the early morning is the time of day when we actually have the highest reserves of energy – thanks to building them up during sleep – and by waking up early you can use that energy more efficiently.

Most of us tend to save our spare time for the evenings after work. But, by structuring our days this way, once this free time rolls around our energy reserves have been sapped by working a full day – and we therefore use it sluggishly watching TV or mindlessly scrolling through Instagram rather doing something more productive.

Waking up at 5am will give you a good few hours before you need to get ready for work to use on your own projects. Exercise, sign up for a course or start planning your next entrepreneurial venture. You’ll be amazed what you can achieve in a short space of time,

Not many people are up at 5am, so you’ll find it easier to get some uninterrupted, quiet time all to yourself. Use this peaceful time to gather your thoughts for the day ahead and enjoy the moments most people don’t get to see – like watching the sun rise.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get lots done though – this is still your free time after all. Just by getting out of bed and appreciating this time to yourself you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something leading to a more organised, steady start than those jumping out of bed half an hour before they have to leave the house.

It’s never nice to start your day feeling rushed. If you have to skip breakfast, take a five minute shower and don’t have time to read the newspaper, you’ll be stepping out on the back foot.

Wake up at 5am, however, and you’ll suddenly have time to get up to date on current affairs, thoroughly wash and groom yourself and make a hearty – not to mention healthy – breakfast. And, with your pace significantly more leisurely, you’ll also never be late to work.

Researchers from the University of Toronto found that those who rise earlier are both healthier and happier than those who sleep in. Published in the journal Emotion, the study revealed that by waking up earlier, our biological clocks are set to a more beneficial schedule, and early risers have a higher satisfaction overall with their lives.

A caveat here though: rising early does necessitate going to bed early and it’s a lifestyle adjustment. Those who succeed with waking up early every morning do it every morning – so you’ll have to say good bye to those late Friday evenings in the pub and long Sunday lie ins. Trust us, it’s worth it.

Need a little more convincing that the pre-dawn alarm is for you? History is full of incredibly successful people who swear by it. Margaret Thatcher and Napoleon were both fans while modern moguls including Richard Branson, Tim Cook and Jack Dorsey are all known to be early risers. And if it works for them…

Here’s what the world’s most successful people eat for breakfast…

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