Have you ever seen a video saying that if you want to be rich, you have to wake up early? Up until a few years ago these videos were saying that you have to wake up at 5:30. Then in order to catch attention, it became 5:00. Recently I’ve seen one that says 4:30. I wonder when it will become “Rich people don’t sleep!”
What this actually means?
Waking up early is very difficult. Also, it is inefficient for way too many people. I know people who are terribly useless in the morning, but can be very active and full of ideas/creativity at night. It really depends on what personality you are. During my university years I used to go to bed at around 2AM and wake up at 10AM. I used to spend a lot of time studying, reading at night, or gaining new knowledge on computer programs like Photoshop. My rhythm has changed now. After 8-9PM I get very tired as throughout the day I work (and have 3 kids as well…). This means my evenings are useless, as I cannot concentrate on anything that requires a well functioning brain, which I don’t have by that time. A good indicator is that if I start reading a book, I fall asleep after 2-3 pages.
Way more productive are my mornings. I now generally wake up at 5AM, except for when one of my little ones wake me up at 4:30AM… I work out, go for a run, read the news and by 6:30 I have already achieved something. This actually fuels my day. I feel much better, feel more productive, more disciplined and energetic. Maybe it’s just me but I would definitely be incapable of going for a run or work out in the evenings, so I’m glad I do that in the mornings and don’t have to think about it the whole day.
I don’t at all claim that this recipe works for everyone, but I believe it can be a good idea or something worth trying for everybody. If you are a creative person or you can stay in bed until 10AM, it is not a problem to stay up late and do your things at night. There are pros and cons to everything though.
The other side of the coin
What is often neglected is what rich people to at night. Don’t look for this on the internet, you would find something different that productivity and motivational videos… When you wake up at 5, I can bet you will be tired by 8PM. Your body needs 7-8 hours of sleep, and that is something everybody should respect no matter what. So if you are up at 5, you should go to bed at 9PM, Period. Most of you might feel now that your night are gone this way… All those Netflix movies,,, Cruising on Facebook to find a picture of a cute cat… All those Instagram pictures which depict a beautiful second of a person’s life… Or another few hundred YouTube videos… Maybe you got it by now. Most things people tend to do at night are completely useless. Like the ones mentioned above. Believe me, if you cut them out, you will not loose anything. These are drugs that you can instantly get rid of.
If you go to bed at a decent time, around 9-10 PM and wake up relatively early, around 5-6 AM, you will start your day well and will be motivated throughout the day. It also will better fit you circadian rhythm, as explained by Professor Matthew Walker in his book Why we sleep. So just by doing that you enable yourself to do more and be more productive
Conclusion
It is indeed good to wake up at 5AM, but that’s not the only thing that will make you rich. Also, if you wake up so early, it don’t necessarily mean you don’t have to do anything else and will be rich. Waking up early is just an enabler. Be self disciplined, pushing yourself do actually do something once you are awake is way more important than just to wake up.