@tentblogger how the heck do you get up so early?
— Jesse Orndorff (@jesseorndorff) July 5, 2012
I am often asked, just as I was this morning, why I get up so early (also “how” I get up so early) and the answer is quite simple: I get up earlier than most because I’ve discovered that this is part of my unique and custom workflow for productivity.
This tweet in particular was posted around 5:30am, which is about the time I start sitting down to get my work done. Before that, though, I’ve already been “working” as I’ve been thinking about my day, the tasks before me, the meetings that I’ve got scheduled, as well as the blog posts that I will be writing.
It generally looks like this:
- 5:00am – Wake up
- 5:05am – Shower
- 5:15am – Dressed, water boiling for coffee (I do pour-over via Chemex)
- 5:25am – Sit down at my desk, cleaning it off, and jumping in.
It’s purposefully paced and consistent because my goal is to hit “flow” as early as I possibly can, maximizing my productivity before anyone else gets up.
Productivity vs Time
I then work solid, oftentimes clearing out my inbox and writing and/or publishing (or scheduling) blog posts for the day. I queue up anything else that’s needed in terms of discussions and then work myself through until 7:00am when the girls get up.
But this 90 minute stretch of time is absolutely critical to my personal productivity workflow and without it I have often been completely sunk, unable to get back into the “groove” and finish out the things that need to get done.
Now, I’ve discovered this over a long period of trial and error, testing different time periods of the day and experimenting with different workflows but I eventually realized that the most natural timing for me to start my day was created years ago back in Middle School when I would get up around 5:00am.
The difference was that I wasn’t getting ready to go to work (or head to my home office, a few steps away) and it wasn’t even because I was trying to get ready for school (which was a teeny tiny part of the motive) – it was because I wanted to play a few video games before anyone else was up.
Yes, it was video games that drove me to get up early! This would allow me to play guilt-free while the rest of the family slept. Fascinating, right?
The holy grail of productivity that everyone talks about and is on the look out for is much less about applications, technology, or DIY methods from the many productivity gurus out there and has everything to do with how you’re uniquely built and what you’ve discovered about yourself in terms of managing work.
There are some methods that can help you diagnose or analyze what might work well and the best for you but ultimately it’ll be up to you to determine the absolute best workflow so that you can truly achieve flow within your day.
And waking up at a certain time of the day can be a significant part of that strategy and method. So, when do you wake up and what’s it like? Is it fluid or rigid? Do you have a lot of flexibility in the morning or is it chaotic?
I’ve started moving toward an earlier start time. I used to be more productive in evenings after kids in bed, but now as I’m getting old (heck, I’m already old) I find myself having to sleep earlier. The interesting thing is that my body is adjusting to mornings nicely. The days that I get up and get going earlier have been super productive.
Me too! Although not quite that early…
A follow up question to the post – what time do you go to bed? Does this impact your wake up time or do you just power through to stay consistent?
If I am not up early it ruins my day. 5:15 alarm, reading the bible and I am such a better person for the day!
Unfortunately, most of my real creativity happens after 11pm haha.
This has been the secret to my success for the last year as well. Lately, I’ve bumped it back to 4:30 when my body will tolerate it. Anyone with kids under 3 will agree that there is practically no other way to get things done. I’ve also found that time to be one of the only moments in my day when I can get some personal prayer time in. It isn’t always easy with so much to do, but I force myself to pray while the coffee is brewing. It makes a big difference.
Love the chart in your Moleskin by the way. My day totally fits into that ebb and flow of productivity.
I have never liked getting up early. And I mean before 8AM. I think it’s a holdover from college right now, where we’d stay up till midnight or 1AM and try to avoid early classes.
But I can’t say I’ve tested my productivity. I’m pretty much stuck heading into work at a predetermined time so no testing there. But I will say that probably mid-mornings and evenings are my best times. Might have to do some research on that though…
If I’m not up by 5 I feel like I missed the am. Sometimes I’m up as early as 3 and if I can’t fall back asleep I’ll start working in computer as I must be done by 7:30 for day job. I really love mornings and do my best at that time.
I had been struggling until recently, but over the past week I have resumed getting up early. I find that my days “struggle” too when I don’t get up early.
My target “be out the bed before…” time is 5am. 5am-7am is my personal time…bible, praying, glancing at my day, light breakfast, exercise, (have been a bum in the exercise category I admit). 7am-8am I am showering, getting dressed, etc and spending a lil time w/the family as they are waking up. 8-10am is my writing time, then the rest of my day. I try not to touch Social Media, email, reading blogs/news, etc. until after 10am, because I am easily distracted (smile). But sometimes I flip flop those 2 and write after SM, email, etc.
Great post John!
Interesting… I’m SO not a morning person. But without mapping it out, I think my most productive times with work are late-morning and mid afternoon. This is definitely interesting though… You’re making me think a great deal about aligning certain tasks with various peak productivity hours, and maybe using off-peak times for some of the more creative (non-time sensitive) tasks.
I love how you always challenge my thinking with work habits! Thanks dude! #fistbump
I’m digging the workflow chart in the picture. Getting up early seems to be across the board the best idea for getting up before the rest of the world to accomplish tasks. It also helps to get in the groove before everyone else gets up and starts sending texts and making phone calls.
5:00am to early? I think not!
I seem to do good in the morning as well. My problem is getting sucked into blogs and email before getting work done. My wife is a teacher and gets us around 5:30 during the school year but it is hard to do during the summer. It is hard to get lots of work done during the summer at any time.
5am? Psshh. Try 3am.
I slept in until 5am this morning. Usually my (1st) alarm goes off at 3am and I get up to write until 4am when I head to the gym. While I’ve been waking up this early for a few years the last couple of weeks have been a challenge. I think the sleep deprivation is starting to catch up with me.
Glad you’re able to rise early and start your A-game before the family rises. I’ve gotta get on top of find my sweet spot.
I’ve been wanting to get up earlier for some time now and this is a good reminder. There are a few things that get harder to do once you have 4 kids like reading, thinking, praying that I can get done by waking up early. I like incorporating Michael Hyatt’s advice of books on tape while exercising as well to get a few things done in the morning.
I used to be quite the night owl, preferring to work as late as 3 and 4am, waking at 9 or 10 to begin my day. I simply believed this pattern to be my natural biorhythm. But when you look across the span of the world’s most successful people, from businessmen to athletes, they all have one thing in common – they rise early! Years ago, a former supervisor (and renowned master craftsman) told me that he would get more done between 4am and 8am than he would the remainder of the day. And the older I get, the more I see his paradigm as less of a preference in life, and more as a principle.
You were actually listening . How are things going for you I would love to catch up . I am retired and are not pressed for time am still real busy put not pushed big difference . still getup at 4:30 . Bob
5 AM and sometimes even 4 AM I’m up. We’ll have coffee, read the paper, play with the cats, clean the house and sit down to start writing at 7 AM.
My day is usually shot if I deviate from that.
When I was a teen, I used to deliver newspapers. For seven years, I got up at 5 am and I actually liked it. Since my son was born, I’ve indulged in sleeping in every now and then, but I really should get back to getting up earlier. I know I get more done that way because I’m a morning person. Really, after 3 pm it’s pretty much a done deal for me as far as productivity goes. So thanks for motivating me to get up early again *sets alarm clock for tomorrow for 6 am*
Oh, my gosh! I don’t think I could ever get up that early! I think of getting up early as 7:30! I get up between 8:15 and 8:30. I shower and dress immediately and then go through a morning routine at my computer – eating breakfast, reading the news, promoting my blog. Then I get started on my work about 10:00. I’m a homemaker and blogger and keep my grandkids a couple days a week.
That being said, during the weeks when the city was working on our water pipes, and construction began every morning at 7:00, I couldn’t believe how much more I got done getting up between 7:00 and 7:30. It was amazing! I complain all the time about not having enough time to get things done and those weeks I was my most productive.
But I am NOT a morning person and I have trouble sleeping at night. I’m worried that getting up early (I’m talking about 7:00 or so) would make me too tired. Guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.
I SO wish I could get up early. I’ve tried, and I just can’t do it!!
I have the hardest time getting up early and being productive. Even now that I have to be at work at 7 am, getting up before 6 is usually a chore. I think increasing productivity is essential though. I may have to try to push myself through the first couple of weeks.
Hey Jon, do you have the girls with you all through day? I’ve got 3 that aren’t school aged yet and wondered, once I dive into this tentblogging thing for real, can it be done with the kids at home?
The old saying ‘early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ comes to mind as I read this. I am up pretty early and it does help get a good start on the day. It definitely makes a difference!
I think knowing your peaks and valleys is REALLY key if you are going to be productive. Here’s the big secret – EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! My best productivity is between 6:30am – 10am. Then I get tired – if I didn’t have a full-time job along with my biz I would probably take at least one nap a day. On weekends I am well known for my mid-day naps.
I try to get up at 6, but if I had a late night I’ll sleep in later. I give myself a minimum 7 hours of sleep (usually 8.5). I think that’s just as important as rising early.
I started getting up at 5am this past week without a clock. I think clocks wake people up when they don’t really want to get up or when they need more sleep.
I have found that I was successful this past week because I was getting up doing things I really wanted to do.
If I would have got up and done something boring or slow, I would have fallen back to sleep.
Now that I am forming a new habit, I want to schedule this early time to be more productive.
wow.. apparently it’s not that uncommon to be up early. i totally agree, i get so much more done by getting up at least by 5 am. but i have to sleep in decent time, say 11pm latest, to really feel fresh waking up at 5 am. robin sharma did a v-blog on youtube on how to get up early and what it requires, it really works.
Alarm is set for 0545. Trying something new for the next 90 days…this is going to be killer! I’m working on the transition from 9 to 5 to whatever the heck time I want to work. I have to do this and my up early experiment makes a huge difference!
To ask when I wake up is to assume I sleep. Bah!