I'm kind of a self-improvement junkie. I’ve read a lot of articles about work-life balance over the years. Many suggest checklists or other tools and encourage you to schedule yourself time to recharge.
If you have tried these like I have, you have probably found “me time” gets overridden by the priority of the moment. It is typically sacrificed to ANY seemingly greater priority. You end up not giving yourself the time and running from the beginning to the end of the day.
Many successful people tend to share one interesting habit; they wake and up and start their day before everyone else does. I have been waking up at 4am for over a year now. Typically, this is four or five days a week. I begin each day with a calm, strength workout.
Don't dismiss it outright! Know that your body can get used to any adjustment with enough time. I had decided to sleep in this morning and skip my workout. I woke up at 4:09 without the aid of my alarm. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up and did my normal workout. I also had enough time to write this blog post!
Your morning routine doesn't have to be exercise though I highly recommend it. You routine can be meditation or other personal investment activities. Exercise is a great way to get your day going and I think provides some of the greatest long-term benefits.
What is significant about getting up early? I think it is obvious. The rest of the world is asleep. There is very little chance for your time to be railroaded by someone else. I would also argue that starting yourself by investing in yourself means you have more to give to others. When you start by filling up your own personal tank, you have the physical and mental energy to meet the demands of family and work.
If you are not a morning person. That’s fine. You can do the same thing at night, say the last hour before you go to bed, but you are at a disadvantage. You are much more likely to be pulled away from that time or choose another priority from day to day. It will be much harder to build the routine.
There is great comfort in routines and being able to consistently execute. Try it for 3 weeks. If you can make it 21 days, you’ll have yourself a great start to your day!