Good Morning Early Risers,
I wake up every morning at 5am.
Why?
Well, because 5 am wake up is the time of champions.... or so I've heard.
As I was researching these supposed claims, I can across a fun little quiz.
According to Dr. Breaus, who authored "The Power of When" 5am ISNT the optimal time for all and it depends on your Chronotype. In his theory, he claims there to be 4 types.
LIONS are morning people that tend to rise with the sun.
BEARS are the most common or normal sleep pattern, in which you sleep at night and are up during the day.
DOLPHINS never sleep well at all. In nature, dolphins only let half of their brain sleep at a time.
WOLVES stay up late at night working and are most productive during those hours.
Decided to take the quiz myself. https://thepowerofwhenquiz.com
I was very surprised by my results. I am a BEAR!
Im not quite sure how they calculated this tbh. According to his theories anyone who ISNT a lion WILL burn out eventually at if they try waking at 5am everyday. It is only a feat a LION can handle.
This is bullshit in my mind. I have been waking up at 5am for years now. I don't use an alarm clock and my body/mind has adjusted fine. I feel I am more a combo of the LION and the WOLF. Bear square my butt!
I sleep on average 5 hours a night. And I always have, continuously. I have zero difficulty falling asleep, and on clockwork I awake to use the bathroom. Every single day. I don't feel as though I have burned out. Actually I find I am more refreshed. When I sleep 7-8 hours, I find I'm groggy and need a pot of coffee to get up and get going. hmmmm.
Maybe I have unknowingly trained myself to do this? I don't feel I have, as it took no effort to get here.
I get up at 5 am because I LOVE to get up before the sun. I LOVE the sunrise, and its one of my favourite things in my life to watch in enjoyment. How can I watch the sunrise daily if Im getting up at 7am? I don't.
Also I am a single mother. My children rise at 730am.
These 2.5 hours to myself in quiet are CRUTIAL to my well being mentally. This gives me alone time to prep my day, check my work emails/messages, read an article or 2, and throw a load of laundry in the machine.
Every morning at 5am, a load of laundry gets done in my home. I like associating things to be done, with times in the day. It becomes habit and has the consitancy to BECOME habit. As a single mother and an entrepreneur, these little associations and habit buildings are another CRUCIAL necessity in my life. Just like getting up at 5am. It becomes habit. A ritual per say.
There are numerous studies and theories out there on sleep patterns and productivity according to wake up time. Im not going to write all about them here at this time, but what I have found is, it DOES depend on you. What drives you to get up early or what drives you to sleep in?
I think if you honestly see value in early rising, and feel its value, waking eventually with a smile, than you will accomplish this no matter what your Chronotype.
But if you are still hitting that snooze button after a week of doing so, and are complaining to yourself in your mind about it every morning, questioning its value, then maybe you should look at something different, in regards to being more productive in your life than a wake up time.
And if after 3 months of trying your damn hardest to continuously wake at 5am, and your months are filled with dragging your feet and a bitchy attitude, OR you find yourself a sleepy lamb most of the time avoiding conflict cause you're just too tired to care? Well, I HIGHLY suggest you ditch the ideal. Its NOT going to happen and its best to try something else.
Yes waking up at 5am isn't for everyone. Take the quiz. Find where you fall on this theory.
But don't take it as word. Cause I'm living proof that a BEAR can live as a LION/WOLF, and hasn't see burn out yet. But please don't think, well if she can I can.
We are ALL different. Do what feels right for YOU. I get up at 5am because i LOVE DOING IT.
This is first and foremost. When I become a champion ( another article in the making ) , I'm going to say NO!! it wasn't because I woke at 5am....( don't let media guilt you into something you are not)
It was because I believed in myself, and I see value in my dreams and goals. I see the big picture and the little details.
I put the time, effort and work into my projects throughout the WHOLE day. Consistently . Everyday. I learned to use ALL my time efficiently to reach my goals. There is no magic little trick to accomplishment. The only trick is WORK. Effort, determination and consistency. It really has nothing to do with waking at 5am in the whole picture, now does it?
What helps me accomplish? My todo list is on point. ( I will leave this right here for another article )
And how do I rise daily at 5am with a smile on my face? Well, maybe I was Farmer in a previous life?
Have a wonderful day! No matter what time you rise.
Till the Next One,
Silky