# Get up early!

> And by early I mean 05:00. It'll change your life.

> 27/31 daily posts as part of [WeblogPoMo2024](https://weblog.anniegreens.lol/weblog-posting-month-2024). Expect (and forgive) more words and less editing.

I don't do much in the way of 'life advice', but here's one: get up early!

As in, `05:00` early.

Now, if you'd told 27-year-old Johnny to get up at `05:00` he'd have kicked you in the shins. And rightly so! But now he's 47 and a grown-up adult with a bunch of stuff to do.

Getting up early is transformative. Lucy got me in to it – it's been a life-hack of hers for years. Because the thing is, by `09:00`, you've got most of it done. And the rest of the world is just getting started and you're feeling really good about yourself.

Then by `12:00` you've got all of it _and more_ done, and you've still got a whole day ahead of you.

## How to do it

It starts the night before.

I was a nightowl for many years and I always wondered how people could get up early. Turns out the trick is simple: you go to bed at `20:00`. Consistently. You need to adjust your body clock.

Then, in the morning, take it easy. It's really early, remember?

Brew a pot of tea and just read your stories for a good half an hour. Or put that tea in a Yeti mug and go for a walk round the block. Morning walks are amazing.

Don't try to start work at `05:00`. Don't do yoga. Nobody's watching.

That's it. Aim to start work around `06:00`.[^wfh] And these morning hours are precious: don't waste them. If you can knock out 3 hours of quality work _before most other people have started,_ you are going to win.

Just don't try to get your kids to do it. [Let them sleep](https://theconversation.com/why-teen-brains-need-a-later-school-start-time-65308).

[^wfh]: This assumes you're working from home. At my last job the office opened at `07:00` and I was often the first in, waving my arms around to turn the lights on. When everyone else strolls in _two hours later_ it's quite surreal.