Do you think it is important to be a morning person when running your own business?
I have read a lot about productivity and success. It seems that many of the most successful people start their day early. I am curious what others think about the importance of starting your day early to maximize your chances of success.
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Jun 6, 2016
More important than when to start your day is how you start your day. A successful day begins with a "Sense of direction that lead to an Understanding fueled with Charity Courage generating Esteem based on Self-acceptance and Self-assurance Focused on Urgency while remaining Loyal." Note the capital letters, enjoy your business.
Jun 6, 2016
I start my day early because my room faces the east, so it's a no-brainer for me to get out of bed with the sun warming my face. Some people live in a basement and they have a different activity period. Others live in a high rise apartment or condo and they generally behave differently. I think it's where you live that gets you going and knowing what you can do and should do - at that place - is what gets you going best!
Jun 6, 2016
Depends on your business and your clientele. If you do business globally, you need to determine what time works for your customers. It's now 4:40 Mon in NYC and one of my partners in Australia is just waking up at 6:40 AM Tues, while a client we have in Israel is down for the night at 11:40 PM Mon.
Jun 6, 2016
If your business is open during the day, by all means it is important to be up early and rested in order to be fresh, alert, and ready to make important decisions for the day ahead. When one arises early and rested, they are much more likely to have a good attitude towards their employees, and customers. When a person doesn't get enough rest, many times they have the tendency to be "short spoken" with others, therefore, not only setting a poor example of leadership, but affecting the morale in the workplace.
Jun 6, 2016
Personally, and for my business, I think it's best to work efficiently when I am at my best - whether that's morning, afternoon, evening or even the middle of the night.
Knowing your customer and when you need to be accessible to them is paramount. Find what works for you and your business and schedule your tasks accordingly.
If you need assistance with this, feel free to reach out - I help my clients be more productive with what really matters to their business.
Jun 6, 2016
Hi John and Beverly,
In the global digital age, the more accurate question might be, morning where? If you are doing business in your local time zone, then yes, it pays to be a morning person if your target market is open for business then.
But if you're doing business abroad, and their morning is night in Massachusetts, then a nightowl would fare better :-)
Know your rhythms, and when you can best serve your clients. If these are out of sync, take steps to remedy the situation: e.g., hiring an overseas business manager, or a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed manager to hold down the fort in the early hours here until you get in later.
Hope this helps. All the best ~
Jun 6, 2016
There are always exceptions to a rule, but a rule becomes a rule for a reason. Generationally, if you are a Millenial working on computer code maybe working noon to midnight is your thing and that's fine. If you have to sell in your business early is key for 2 reasons. First, you have to realize there is pay time and no pay time and you want to be doing your pay time when your clients/customers are available. Second, the best time to connect with top decision makers is before 8:30 when the gatekeepers take over the phone. You can get through to the majority of top people early in the morning.
Finally, an early start creates a routine and a discipline that are key to time management and productivity, while it matters less if that's 7 or 6 am, as you pointed out, would you rather copy the routine of the most successful people or the human sloths out there?
Jun 6, 2016
If you are not a morning person, don't try to be as you will fail.
Commitment isn't tied to the clock, but how much you put into your business. If that means you do it when people have just gone to bed instead of just before they get up, so what?
I like starting early – 0500 – when I need to, but I know others who prefer to work into the wee hours, when I'd rather be having fun.
It doesn't make one or the other right, but in some cases, your market may dictate which end of the day you are available.
Jun 6, 2016
There are no specific rules, actually. I know successful entrepreneurs that practically "don't exist" in the morning. However, everyone has a different challenge. Maybe your challenge is waking up early in the morning for some time. You need to understand what kind of challenges you need to face in one specific stage of your life.
I read some days ago, through Linkedin: "Comfort zone is very nice, but nothing grows in there".
Jun 6, 2016
It's more important to maximize how you best operate. That may be early mornings for some people and late nights for others. With the online world being open 24-7, the time that you start your day is becoming less relevant.
A couple of great books to read related to productivity and motivation are Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Drive by Daniel Pink. Both are well worth reading for any entrepreneur and small business owner.
Jun 6, 2016
No I do not think it is important any longer. You might consider the source of that. To me as a middle aged guy, that dates the writer and/or the reader as someone with farm roots.
I'll bet most retail stores lose money if they're open much before noon. I believe "..the early bird catches the worm.." was written by a guy who had no lighting other than the sun available :) maybe candles were around.
While I do like the quiet of early morning hours, it's for the quiet. I do not live on a farm and so do not have animals needing immediate attention. Nor do most other people. Like MANY other aspects of our culture, imo this notion has outlived its origins.
I also suspect that most middle aged (and up) people grew up in homes with parents who reinforced this ethic, because MAYBE in their time it was more valid.
I find "..work smarter, not harder.." to be more relevant now.
Jun 6, 2016
Jun 6, 2016
Hi John and Beverley,
Here's my 2 cents - "The early bird catches the worm". Happy to elaborate.
Hope it helps. Feel free to connect if I can be of any further help..
Best as always
Jun 6, 2016
Only if the late worm manages to flee the nest and by which time, there'll be nothing left - laws of nature.
Jun 7, 2016
As the laws of nature would have it, convenience almost always prevails. While the late worms remain underground, far from an early birds nest, sight and easy reach, the early birds feast on a breakfast of the most readily available food that they don't have to hunt or dig for. aka Early worms.
I agree with ED----One of the great leaders of the Western World during WWII was Winston Churchill who slept late, stayed up late, smoked cigars and drank whiskey.... OH and was an Artist on the side.....Figure out which part of the day is best for you..... Mine was usually afternoon through early evening