Does getting up early make you more successful?

Photo by Tristan Colangelo on Unsplash

Updated February 9, 2020

Is there a link between getting up early and personal success? Before we dive into that, let’s first make sure we’re on the same page about the definition of the word success.
 
(What is success, really? This post discusses that in more detail.)
 
For the purpose of this article, I define success as being personally productive and prospering financially. These seem to be the most common ideals of what success means for most people, or at least it appears that way to me and is what I’ve aimed to address here.
 
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a look at these facts:

In 2008, Texas University conducted a study and found that early risers consistently maintained a one-point advantage in GPA over night owls. 

Another study showed that people who get up early are less likely to procrastinate. 

A doctor from the University of London found that getting up at 6 a.m. (or earlier) can make your day less stressful because you’ll get more done.

Convinced yet? 

​I’m not.

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There’s no question that getting up early is a habit shared by many successful people. But that’s likely because it’s a requirement of the life they lead. As an example, when I worked in Corporate America, I had to be at work by 8:30 a.m. Getting up earlier gave me more time to prepare for the day, which did help me have a more productive day overall (when I did it).
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But it should be that way, shouldn’t it? In theory, if we’re going to get up earlier, we should have more time to do get more done.
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The Real Key to Productivity

In my view, getting up by 6 a.m. doesn’t mean you’ll make more money than the person who doesn’t. But there is something you can do that is even more important that might.

Use your time wisely.

It’s not how much time you have but how you use that time. I’ve known a few people who could set world records for The Most Ways to Waste Time. Heck, I’ve been guilty of attempting to set that record myself.
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Perhaps time is our most valuable commodity. Unfortunately, many of us don’t realize it until it’s too late or at least until the pressure is on to make up for the time we’ve lost.
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How do you spend your time?

Only in recent years have I begun to keep track of how I use my time. I don’t have a journal, nor do I block it out on a calendar. But several times each day, I pause to ask myself if what I’m doing at that moment will have a positive impact on my life.

I apply this principle to everything. While this may sound harsh, I also apply it to my relationships, regardless of who that person may be—stranger, friend, or family. If I find myself engaging with people who don’t contribute to the quality of my life in a positive way, I create boundaries or cut them off altogether.

That doesn’t mean I don’t care about people. Sure, I’ll take time to talk with someone if they really need to talk or are in need. But what I don’t do is spend hours and hours in a cycle of relationship insanity, having the same time-stealing conversations over and over.

I once had (notice the past tense) a friend who called me often to talk about starting a business together. No fewer than two to three days each week, he’d call me to talk about the plan he’d devised that would be our next big venture. And every time he called, it was the same conversation, again and again, about how we could start, how many customers we could get, and how much money we could make.

Guess what?

His plans never amounted to more than a drawing on a napkin. No proof it would work, no action steps, and no results.

I liked this fellow as a person, but one day it dawned on me that all the time I was investing in my conversations with him was not only going to waste, it wasn’t really advancing our friendship either. We weren’t getting to know one another better or better friends for having those talks. That’s when I realized that if allowed it to continue, I’d be talking about phantom businesses into my retirement years.

​So, I decided to cut my ties.
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My Success Habits

I won’t be writing a book on productivity any time soon, but I do have some suggestions if you’re looking for them. Here’s how I approach each day:

Pray
I thank God for all of my blessings first thing in the morning, or at least most of the time. Rather than getting up with just enough time for a quick shower and a cup of coffee, I try to spend some quality time with God. Do this and you’re more likely to have a better attitude throughout the rest of the day. I definitely notice a difference when I don’t do this.


Read the Bible
After I pray, I take time to read some scripture. Some days, I read more than others, but even five minutes a day makes a difference. Keep doing this and you’ll soon start to understand the life-changing power of God’s word.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “...the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

Reading the Bible is key to learning about God’s character - who He is and how He works in our lives. When we understand more about God, we're more comfortable trusting Him to lead us.


Eat Healthy and Get Some Exercise
I didn’t know just how much the food we take into our mouths can impact our lives until I had an incident with my health that required me to make some lifestyle changes. I can tell you from experience, a severe food allergy can change your attitude about the food you eat.

We only get one “temple” and it’s always to our advantage to take the best care of it we can, which includes monitoring what we put in it.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

And of course, most of us could use a little more exercise in our routine. I’ll admit it’s not my favorite thing to do but I always feel better when I do it.


Plan Your Day
I remember when my plan for each day consisted of getting up out of bed, getting ready for work, and leaving my house. In other words, I had absolutely no plan for the day. But now I plan out my day the night before. Even though things can and do change during the day, I still have a definitive idea of what I want to accomplish each day.

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”
(Proverbs 21:5)

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Conclusion

What time you get up in the morning won't matter if you don't manage that time wisely. There are people out there right now running circles around you and I because they're better at using their time.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and give me just one of your time-saving habits. I could use all the help I can get!