5 reasons to wake up at 5am

How can you be the most focused and productive each and every day?

1. Mornings Are The Most Productive Time Of The Day

The most productive time of the day is between 5 AM and around 9 AM.

Up at 5 gives me a few hours before the kids are awake and the house is buzzing as we all get ready for the day ahead of us. A 2011 study collected 590 million tweets from 2.3 million users and concluded that the mood a person wakes up in has a profound impact on their productivity. What are things you can do to help wake up in the most positive light each day? I find that prayer/meditation, a few minutes of personal development and affirmations makes a huge difference for me.

2. You Are More Focused In The Morning

Most people don't think they can be more focused in the morning. This is not true!

Even if you aren't a morning person and you feel and look like a zombie when you wake up, your brain is still processing information. This is also backed up by a study from 1975 out of the University of Sussex – it concluded that the time where people are the most focused is between 8 AM until 2 PM. For me, early mornings, I always seem to get the most done, accomplish items on my to do list and set the tone for a very productive day! To be able to use this to your advantage, set some goals for yourself early in the morning and see how you perform.

3. There Are Fewer Interruptions

I love this one. No interruptions from family, customers, children that need you... the list goes on.

Getting up early on the weekends while the world sleeps in can give you an advantage too. The gym is quiet for almost a personal workout, the roads are mostly silent if you are an avid runner, the space needed to accomplish tasks that you know you need quiet time for, that lack of interruptions can serve you well. I personally love to plan out the next week. Tackle any little projects that slipped through the cracks the week before and find time to just give myself space to breath before the world starts bustling again.

4. Sleeping In DOESN'T Actually Help You

Al though sleeping in over the weekend sounds good and from time to time might benefit us greatly there is a price to pay later for it.

If you sleep in for over 1 – 2 hours on weekends, your entire sleep pattern suddenly changes. The brain still releases hormones just like it does every other day. When you suddenly change your sleeping schedule on weekends – you will notice that you will wake up more tired. Then when Monday rolls through, you will find it even more difficult to wake up. All those Monday morning meme's are making more sense now aren't they?

Wake up at the same time each day to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.If you are having trouble waking up early, then maybe you should try waking up a little earlier each day and enjoy the benefits that come from this new routine. I believe in you! You can do this too.

5. Exercise Is More Effective In The Morning

Waking up early to go workout is more effective in the morning than it is in the evening time. There have been studies done that concluded that more muscle is added and more fat burned when you exercise in the morning. How can this be? If you go to the gym after you've spent an entire day on your feet – guess what? You will perform less and your body won't be as effective in repairing itself, seems pretty logical right? This also is a great way to start the day, because you will be rested and full of energy and your body will have more time to adjust and “repair” itself throughout the day.