We all know the old proverb about “early to bed, early to rise.” But for a lot of us, this is easier said than done.
Everyone's circadian cycle is a little bit different, and sometimes, it's a huge struggle to force yourself out of bed at 5 AM and then actually do something productive.
If you're a night owl, not an early bird, there's good news: you don't have to wake up at 5 AM to make money and grow your business.
Being an early riser isn't a prerequisite for entrepreneurial success.
Whether you wake up at 6 AM, or you're rarely up before noon, these tips from Entrepreneur can help you make the most of your workdays.
Here's a quick excerpt with their top 3 tips for late risers.
1. Know what works for you.
Getting proper sleep is more important than waking up at a certain hour. And, if you are more productive at a late hour, that should be your priority.
Millionaire serial entrepreneur Bryan Clayton, now CEO of GreenPal, gets out of bed between 8 and 9 a.m. He says, “While building my last company, I tried as hard as I could to get out of bed at 4 or 5 a.m. After forcing myself for over six months to crack dawn every morning, I realized that I was half as effective as I was when I was getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep every day.”
“Many successful people have been promoting lack of sleep, getting up early and working crazy hours, while it is actually more important to recognize what works for you and optimize workflow accordingly,” says Koger.
2. Be ready to work when you wake up.
Craig Wolfe, a multi-millionaire and President of CelebriDucks and Cocoa Canard, says, “I actually get up between 8:15 and 9 a.m., but since I manufacture in different time zones, I usually have to work into the night. To be successful, no matter how much time you have and when you start and end work, you have to come up with set times throughout the day where you are 100 percent available and also times when you are committed to handling different aspects of your day-to-day business needs.
“For instance, I may sleep in, but when 9 a.m. comes, I am taking calls no matter what. You can be a late riser, but you better be a master of setting priorities and being disciplined with how you schedule your time each day and night.”
RELATED: 3 Productivity Tools That Are So Helpful, They Almost Put Hours Back in the Day
3. Schedule, schedule, schedule.
Regardless of the time that you wake up, a key secret to success is managing your schedule. Being more productive during your waking hours trumps getting up early and not being productive.
Natasha Nelson is a multi-millionaire who recently sold her Yogurtini business to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and now owns the toy company Kauzbots. She wakes up between 8 and 9 a.m. regularly.
She also gets ready for the next day the night before. “I plan out my next morning as the last thing I do at the end of my workday,” says Nelson. “I don’t have to take time to get organized and start making my to do list that morning. Since I do get emails and texts in the evening that are unavoidable, I always add them to my to-do list that I look at immediately when I wake up. There is no lapse in time from getting out of bed and work starting, and I don’t have to spend a half-hour or so getting my day organized.”
Scheduling for success also means that you are acutely aware and focused on high-value activities. This also means prioritizing your work.
RELATED: 9 Amazingly Free Tools That Turn an Average Joe into a Marketing Magician
For more great tips for maximizing your productivity, no matter what hours you're working, you can read more over at Entrepreneur.
CHALLENGE Yourself to Profit!
Free Download: Build Your Profit-Generating Online Business With This Free Blueprint
Sign Up, follow the easy steps and You'll get the tactics, strategies & techniques needed to create your online profit stream. It's free!
