Wherever you are going, get there early. From 15 minutes to an hour or two. You’ll feel better, the stress will be less and you won’t miss anything.
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Tag: Early
Early To Bed
What does that mean to you? Does it mean a certain time? Is it a silly idea that you can’t take seriously?
Could you go to bed at 6pm and be comfortable with that?
Would you have to be quite unwell? Or could you decide on a whim that you needed some extra rest and simply get yourself to bed? Or are you a wake-up-late-only-option kind of person? Have a think about how you see time and sleep. It may be revealing or surprising. Goodnight.
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Early Morning Walks
It’s great to get up early and get a walk in. Most days this process starts at 05:30, which is a quiet time. Early morning walks are great for several reasons.
It’s nice that there are so few people out on the paths. Though, like people in other tribes, like dog walkers and gym goers, you will see familiar faces every day. You have something in common. And it is nice to see others out and getting a little exercise in.
It is also quite quiet as the motorists, boating crowd, airplanes, buses and trains aren’t really underway at that early time.
If you caught my carousel on Instagram yesterday (@scottsthinking), you’ll have seen a few photos and short videos of a recent walk. The birds were plentiful and creating a veritable symphony. It felt a bit like we were in a rainforest or a very tropical setting.
Walking with someone is another benefit. It’s a lovely way to share some thoughts or organise some ideas before the day gets going.
Finally, the temperature is very pleasant at this time of year. Often it is between 10C and 18C. This is ideal for being out and walking briskly.
Of course, sometimes a walk is not on the cards. So today it was an 11km run in a little light, and occasional, rain. I’d been advised to get the book Maverick – A Biography of Thomas Sowell, so that was on the AirPods. It’s fascinating.
Early morning walks are wonderful. Enjoy!
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Early Morning Benefits
It’s a brilliant time to be awake. Sometimes I forget how nice it is to start a day so peacefully. Early morning benefits include hearing the birds sing and the calmness of the house.
I was up earlier than usual this morning. Something to do with a very large cardboard box, the top bunk and gravity. Let’s just say having an unexpected conversation with my daughter a little after 4 am has brought about a lovely, though unintended, consequence today.
With a dark and calm house, my senses were heightened. Not only could I hear the lovely singing from the birds, but I noticed our kitchen clock ticking away with every second. I also noticed some headphones were not shut off as they made a sound every so often. Not often enough to track them down, but just enough to remind me I still hadn’t found them.
I’m enjoying this calm before the storm. I’ve been able to read, write and consider some things without one interruption. No need to do something, prepare anything, respond to someone or go somewhere. It is great to have this time to wake up and start the day at a pace often reserved for the fourth day of a holiday.
By 06:50, I have written my blog and the kids are heading down to the kitchen for breakfast.
Enjoy your early morning benefits.
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The Power Of Waking Up Early
It can be so easy to lie in bed. Just hit snooze and pull the covers over. Drift off and dream. But the power of waking up early can be immense. There is something magical in it.
I used to be a night person. In fact, I could go through the whole night. Some days it can be so easy to be reading, watching something or chatting and find yourself still going at 2 am.
The challenge is when you then need to get up at 5 am. Getting only 3 hours sleep can be tough. Not always on the first day, but certainly on the second or third day as it catches up to you.
So over the past five years I have shifted to waking up between 04:30 am and 06:30 am. While training for a couple of marathons last spring, it was always between 04:30 and 05:00. At the moment it is between 05:00 and 06:00.
It feels great to be up when it is so quiet. There are no disruptions. I feel I am ahead of my day. Getting a few things done, including a run and shower before waking the kids at 06:40, is a great feeling.
It can be a challenge at times. But the power of waking up early makes me feel alive!
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The Thrill of Being Early
Can you remember the last time you arrived somewhere early? Relaxed, composed, delighted. Maybe even just a little bit pleased with having pulled it off.
Maybe you were 15 minutes early, ahead of everyone else, and were able to greet everybody as they arrived. Perhaps you enjoyed your new status as the early bird and you even thought this might make a good habit to adopt.
Even if you were bang on time, it’s still such a thrill to arrive by the time you were expected. I know I love that feeling. It feels so very good. So what do you need to do to consistently get that early bird calm and confidence?
There are three critical success factors in arriving early. Do these with every meeting, appointment or event and you’ll get to experience that thrill of already winning, if only because of the time that you arrived.
First, you must realistically work backwards from the 15 minute early mark. So if your appointment is at 10:00, aim to be exactly in the spot you need to, but by 09:45. In doing so, you must recall your average times required to prepare yourself and journey to the destination. This preparation includes what you need to wear or bring, and assessing transport, weather, parking, security on arrival, possibility of meeting people on the way, etc.
Second, you must add in some contingency time on top of the first step. It depends on the distance travelled, but as an example, if it is within an hour, add 15 minutes (for traffic, bad weather or meeting someone you know en route). If your destination is overseas, add one to two days, depending on the importance of the event.
Third, you must know when to stop doing things beforehand and transition into get ready mode. You must not do, “Just one more thing”. Set a timer on your phone if you must to alert you to the transition moment. But, when it is time to transition into get ready and go mode, you must focus on that and not become distracted or engaged in anything else. You have no “spare” time. You have already calculated the time required to be there early and that extra contingency time was for unexpected things, not to borrow from.
If you do these three things, you will be early 95% of the time and get to feel the thrill of being early as your reward. There are so many other benefits from being early though too, such as a calmer mind on the journey, appreciation from others involved in the event and a sense of personal control and mental power.
At one event, to which I had arrived early, the benefit was that I was able to speak to the CEO of one of the world’s largest telecoms companies, for almost 15 minutes, before he had to prepare to address the arriving audience. Definitely worthwhile.
Develop the three-step habit above and you will get the thrill of arriving early, more and more, as your big new habit of arriving early is developed and reinforced, until it is firmly in your programming.
You may find the benefits to be priceless.
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