Being Successful Before Work

Not everyone enjoys getting up early, but studies show this might be the best time to do something meaningful and important.
In What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, author Laura Vanderkam writes, "Seizing your mornings is the equivalent of that sound financial advice to pay yourself before you pay your bills. If you wait until the end of the month to save what you have left, there will be nothing left over. Likewise, if you wait until the end of the day to do meaningful but not urgent things like exercise, pray, read, ponder how to advance your career or grow your organization, or truly give your family your best, it probably won’t happen. If it has to happen, then it has to happen first."
It makes sense to me. In the morning I'm most clear headed and the day hasn't started to weigh on me. Things can also come up after work--maybe you end up needing to stay later, or friends want to meet for drinks so you forgo the gym. After work, people often just want to unwind and give their tired minds some peace. 
Make some time each morning for something that's important to you--whether that's exercising, meditating, reading, corresponding with friends, or working on a side project or hobby.  Summer, with the early sunrise, is a particularly good time of year to attempt this experiment. Your body will adjust, and soon you will be fine with waking up earlier in order to incorporate something important into your routine. Plus, when your work out-- or your reading or whatever project-- is out of the way, your day is less stressed and frazzled. You can "go with the flow" and see where work or the day takes you, as you've already checked the important things off your check list. You can say "yes" to fun or spontaneity after work without compromising the things that are important to you. It feels good to have taken time out for yourself and done something of value to you; you'll feel accomplished. 


Read some tips to enable you to incorporate this new routine in your life from the upcoming book here!


--Megan