Over the last thirty years of my career, I’ve found that I am most productive during the early mornings, well before sunrise. Most successful entrepreneurs have developed the discipline of getting up early and living a full day before everyone else even gets up. This discipline might be one of the most vital, but it requires planning. Let me present a few benefits of being an early riser.
Let’s say your kids normally get up at 7 a.m. If you were to wake at 4:30 a.m., you would have an average of 2.5 hours of focused, uninterrupted time.
Benefit: Focused time produces a higher quality of work. The 2.5 hours can be an investment in a new body of work, a new book, or creating new content.
One of the most important benefits is the fact that you aren’t just gaining another 15-20 hours per week, you are creating something valuable during that time. Think about it: that’s 80 extra hours per month, 960 hours per year. So when people tell me they don’t have any time because they are raising kids, have a job, etc., I tell them they suffer from wasting time.
Here’s how to execute this. First, set yourself up for success the night before. Get yourself into bed at a time that will give you the sleep you need. We all need different amounts of sleep. If you have to, set an alarm to be in bed by a certain time. You will notice within about ten days that your body will switch to autopilot. Yes, you will actually shift from being a night owl to a morning person. I know you will fight this like crazy, but take a look below at the insane benefits from doing this.
Second, save television, movies, and entertainment for the weekends only. Use your evenings to be with family. Then settle yourself down to read and “land the plane” by getting your mind and body ready to sleep. I notice my creativity and mind are on such a high level all day that I could go to sleep by eight o’clock every night. So much happens in my day, and it is super concentrated.
When you wake up early, you will go into a mode of thinking that is crystal clear. Here’s what I found: You start the day with a full tank and can begin fresh without distraction, media, or devices. Focused work will produce the best ideas and the best quality.
Side note: I’ve found that the discoveries I make in prayer and the breakthroughs that happen with my creativity all occur during these early hours. As I look back, I often wonder what would have happened had I not been up and in that moment? I would have missed the gold waiting for me.
I’ve encountered hundreds of people who fight this idea. They tell me that they could never do it. They insist that they are evening people. I have to disagree. When you have to fight for a quiet space during your day, you lose energy and willpower to fight off distraction and interruption. By the end of the day, you are fried and have very little in the tank to begin a brand new task. I suggest going to bed the same time every night so your body is aware and falls into the routine.
My routine looks something like this: I wake up and spend one hour in the living room with lights off and fireplace on. Candle lit. Silence. This time is for prayer and dreaming up ideas with God. Then I move into capturing these ideas and prayers in my journal.
Then I move into super deep work like writing or painting. I wrap it up with working out. So, before 9 a.m., I have accomplished more than most people do in eight hours.
I don’t have any distractions or threats of interruption—just peaceful creativity, freedom to think, and no anxiety. You’ll be amazed. You’ll feel like your days are a vacation. I have been able to do this while we had newborns in the house and running multiple companies and initiatives.
Think of the total extra hours you will gain each morning with a full tank, no distractions, and absolute focus. What quality of work will you create? How many more initiatives can be accomplished in this time? By living your day like this, you will add three to four more lifetimes of quality work in the mornings. Think about it. It’s incredible what you will create in these mornings.
Have an amazing day.
Recent comments
Faith Brodrick 5 years ago
Noah, this was an ON TIME message! God has already been speaking to me about this very thing. I’m not a morning person so I’ve been putting off waking up early. I’m up for your 5 day challenge though!
On a side note, I just finished reading Fear Hunters and it is a life changing book!! I loved it! I will be referencing it A LOT for inspiration and encouragement!
Noah 5 years ago
Faith, glad you liked the book! I’d love to know what were the big takeaways for you with the book. Thanks for being here. Have an amazing week!
Frank 5 years ago
Thank you Noah! Always nice to hear your insights. I struggle with creative and Godly time. I currently wake a 4:30am but I do so to go on long runs. Listening to you makes me want to shift things a bit. I don’t need to run 6 miles when 3 is enough. Tomorrow I will wake with intention and apply what you taught here.
When is the new book coming?
Noah 5 years ago
Frank, thanks for the comment man! New Petrol Head Parenting childrens book coming out this month. My 31 disciplines of highly successful creative entrepreneurs (morning devotional) in next couple of months. Excited to hear about your results with more solitude time. Keep it rolling!
Justin Holdren 5 years ago
Awesome Nuggets of wisdom Noah! I have been doing this for about a week and I feel so accomplished with new ideas and projects underway for my art biz! Since starting this I dont even mind going off to the day job after dropping the kids at school because my art time and biz work that I wanted to do is already done!
Noah 5 years ago
Exactly Justin! Such a great feeling. Well done!
Sejana 3 years ago
Thank you for the description of how you stay connected to God, disciplined and creative while not sacrificing your family. I heard your interview with “The Call to Mastery with Jordan Raynor” where I was struck by your obvious passion for the Lord and was looking around for more information about your book “31 Disciplines of Highly Successful Creatives.” I see it is not on Amazon so I can take a look inside. Is there another place I can go to see more, perhaps an excerpt? Thank you. I’ll post my other comments about the interview on the podcast page.
Noah Elias 3 years ago
Hey there! Thanks for the comment! You can get the book bundle at https://www.noahelias.net/book
Noah Elias 3 years ago
Hey there! Yes you can see the book bundle at https://www.noahelias.net/book