Admittedly in my early years, I was not a “morning person.”  In fact, in my teens, my mom would have to tip my mattress on its side just to get me out of bed.  As I matured, my interest was sparked in discovering what made some people more successful than others.

What I discovered is this: successful people get up early.  I learned that the early morning hours are, in almost all cases, much more productive than the last few hours of the day.  Let’s look at some examples of what some people do with the last two hours of their day:

• Watch mind-numbing TV or the news
• Eat unhealthy snacks
• Surf the internet

All relatively unproductive activities.
Now let’s look at what some people do in the morning:

• Read
• Meditate
• Exercise
• Plan the day

Imagine what you could do or how you would feel if you had just one extra productive hour each day.  Take one unproductive hour from the evening and replace it with a productive one in the morning; what could you accomplish?

Imagine the possibilities if you add two more hours!
Simply get up earlier!

Here are 5 tips to help you get up earlier!

1. Go to bed earlier.
   Remember, the discipline is not in getting up, it’s in going to bed.
2. Don’t make it too hard.
   Start by getting up 15 minutes earlier each week until you have reached your ideal time.
3. Put you alarm clock in another room.
   This way you have to get up to turn it off.  Another idea is to have your lights set to come on at a certain time.
4. Create a magnificent morning routine.
   Decide what you are going to do when you wake up otherwise you will probably go back to bed.
5. Get an accountability partner that wants to do the same.
   Call your partner when you wake up.

It won’t be easy, but I can guarantee this will be worth it!  What would you do in that one extra hour every morning that would have the greatest impact on your life?  What are your tips for getting up earlier and having a more productive morning?

I look forward to seeing your comments.
Until next time, make it count.

Rich