Success: Does Getting Up Early Make a Difference

Originally published by Cordell Parvin.

I am at a stage of my career and life when I am now able to look back and reflect on what worked for me and what didn’t.

I was recently listening to a James Patterson Master Class Video (link has article about the class. He talked about needing to have the passion for writing and how he got up every morning at 5:00 so he could write for a couple of hours.

Throughout my career, I got up early and worked out. If you are a regular reader, you know that when I practiced law in downtown Dallas, I woke up at 4:30, coffee in hand at 4:45 and arrived at Cooper Aerobics at 5:00 when it opened. By 7:00 I was at my desk and ready to go.

I look back now and I am surprised that not one time when the alarm went off at 4:30 did I say:

I just don’t feel like getting up early today.

Waking up early during the week meant I was also up early on Saturdays and Sundays. I spent those early morning working on client development activities which for me usually involved research, writing or preparing a presentation.

Thinking about what James Patterson said in the class, I guess I was passionate enough about becoming a valuable asset for construction contractor clients, and having energy from working out, that I always had the discipline to stay with my early morning habits.

You’ve read and heard the quotes about the early bird getting the worm, and the famous Benjamin Franklin quote.

Even though I only slept about 6 hours a night, I believe this habit, made a difference in my career. First, I started my day with more energy. Second, arriving at work at 7:00 before the phones started ringing gave me quiet time, or time for client development writing.

I decided to do some research. I found a Life Hack blog post: This is Why Productive People Always Wake Up So Early. I was most intrigued when I read:

If you were to get up just one hour earlier each morning you would gain 15 days in a year.

I found this Entrepreneur Magazine article: The Power of Mornings: Why Successful Entrepreneurs Get up Early I found Laura Vanderkam, author of the book: What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast (Portfolio Trade, 2013) said:

…waking up earlier allows you to start the day with a victory and set the tone for a happier and more productive day.

If you’re interested there is a good list of benefits of waking up early in Why successful people wake up at 5 a.m. I found number 2 to be true in my experience:

2. Get more quality time – People who get a jump on their day, often report that they have more time in the evenings to spend relaxing with family or friends.

How about you? Do you see any advantages to getting up early?

The post Success: Does Getting Up Early Make a Difference appeared first on Cordell Parvin Blog.

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