Almost without exception, successful people start their day early. Many say they get up between 5 am and 6 am. Rising early is particularly great for those who work from home or have small children, because they can accomplish work tasks without interruption.
Many successful people wake up early so that they are able to use undisturbed time to do stuff for themselves. Waking up early is great for getting organized, strategic thinking, and planning. Additionally, getting to the office first means fewer distractions from colleagues.
But for some of the most successful people in art, business and sports, rising early is key to their success. Apple CEO Tim Cook starts his mornings at 3:45 a.m., Ellevest CEO and co-founder Sallie Krawcheck wakes at 4 a.m. and Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and Indra Nooyi have been known to rise at the crack of dawn.
You'll never be late
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.
Some experts say yes. For starters, getting up earlier can improve confidence, Snowden says, because it can feel like an accomplishment. And there's something to be said for not constantly feeling like you're in a rush, which only elevates stress levels and negatively impacts mental health.
7AM: Wake-up call
After a restful 7 hours, Bill awakes rearing to go. This was easy enough, as 7 hours is my personal ideal number of hours for sleep. Who knew Bill and I were so alike?
The "5 to 9 before 9 to 5" trend has gone viral among young professionals on social media platform TikTok. The concept refers to creating a morning routine in the hours before starting the workday in an effort to create more of a transition from personal to professional life.
Dolly Parton has revealed her morning routine and has admitted she is such an early riser she starts her day at 3am. The singer-songwriter said she doesn't need much sleep, and that if she wakes up naturally, she finds herself wanting to get up and start work because she has “so much to do”.
People who rise early tend to report greater happiness and well-being. Knowing one's chronotype can help identify peak hours of productivity. People's chronotypes change throughout their lives, but quality sleep is always important to well-being.
Some of the most successful CEOs in the corporate world dedicate their early mornings to personal projects that they don't have time for during the day. These projects make them happy, which in turn frees up their enthusiasm for the hard work that's ahead of them during the day. Spend time with family.
According to a new study, the best time to sleep is from 10pm to 4am. People going to bed before 10 or after 11 are at greater risk for heart disease, compared to the average person. In this timeframe people have a 25-percent lower chance of developing heart disease than those who fall asleep after midnight.
What is the Best Time to Wake Up in the Morning? The best time to wake up in the morning is between 6:30 am to 7. Waking up early is considered to be one of the healthiest morning habits that shape the rest of your day.
Start With A Task
I personally love making the bed, opening the blinds, or reading a chapter before I get my day started. You could do a 5-minute stretch, meditate or do a quick workout. As long as you're moving your body, you'll start to wake up faster.
Mornings. Einstein was a man of habit, and his mornings were no exception. He would usually finish his breakfast between 9 and 10 AM, reading the daily newspaper as he ate. Afterward, Einstein would leave for Princeton, where he gave lectures.
After rising, he is known to enjoy "putter" around the house in the morning. He'll brew some coffee, read the newspapers, and generally not start work. When his kids get up, he prides himself on making them breakfast.
But the majority manage to get at least 6 hours, as you can see in the list below detailing the sleep habits of 10 highly successful people: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX: 6 hours (1am — 7am) Tim Cook, CEO of Apple: 7 hours (9:30pm — 4:30am) Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft: 7 hours (12am — 7am)
While some billionaires are genetically fortunate to require only 3-4 hours of sleep, others force themselves to sleep less, and others sleep the typical 8 hours a night. Is sleep worth it? For people who run global businesses, should sleep be sacrificed for the sake of being productive?
Elon Musk says he's upped his sleep to 6 hours per night—and that his old routine hurt his brain.
Among the famous members of the Club are Michelle Obama and Tim Cook (CEO of Apple). And well, Mozart and Hemingway also got up before dawn.
The reasons for morning people being more successful seem to be linked to their general attitude and mindset. A Harvard biologist, Christoph Randler, did some research on this and concluded that early birds are generally more proactive, and this results in higher levels of productivity.
If you want to wake up at 4am, go right ahead. Just don't think that that is the key to success. Success is a cocktail, and it's crucial to understand all the parts that go into it.