The Early Bird Catches the Worm

The old saying “the early bird catches the worm” can be applied to many different aspects of life, but a recent study by the American Psychological Association seems to show that when it comes to “early birds” versus “night owls,” the early crowd is generally happier. A recent article from US News and World Report examines the study. Here is an overview of some of the findings:

 

The study was conducted by surveying over 700 people between the ages of 17 and 79, asking them about things like their mental/emotional state, general health, and their preferred time of the day (mornings vs. evenings). Those categorized as early birds generally reported that they were healthier and happier than those who fell into the night owl category.

 

One reason this is thought to be the case is that, generally, society is set-up to be more geared to the morning lifestyle. More businesses support an 8:00-5:00 workday, and so life often caters more to the morning crowd. Those who have a morning routine tend to be more productive before noon, and here are a few tips for how you can jump on the productivity train of the early-bird crowd:

 

In the evening, prepare a to-do list for the next day. This helps greatly when it comes to time-management as well as prioritizing your work load, and it can improve your quality of sleep. Knowing what the next day holds is a major part of the battle to conquer it and get the most done.

 

Get a good night’s sleep before each work day. The suggested eight hours would be great, but six to eight is more common. Your concentration will be improved, and therefore so will your productivity. Try to avoid hitting the snooze button; it just leads to a habit of stalling till the last minute, causing a frantic rat-race of a morning.

 

Exercising in the morning has been shown to greatly produce higher energy and emotional levels. It basically kick starts your body with a burst of energy, and researchers have found that those who exercise in the morning, or sometime within the work day, tend to have lower stress levels, better time management skills, higher patience levels, and a sharper mental state overall.

 

Having a morning routine is very beneficial to starting the day off right. Set aside enough time so that you can accomplish your routine without it being a time of rushing and stress. Eat a decent breakfast, avoiding high sugar and carb intake, instead sticking with something healthy to give you the fuel needed for the morning. Having a little quiet time is suggested also. This could be anything from reading, meditating, or just surfing the web. Working this time into your schedule will assist in a lower-stress morning.

 

Make sure you leave enough time to get to work at least a few minutes before scheduled, and once you are there it is a good practice to tackle the larger projects of the day first. If you have followed the steps up until now, you have gotten a good night’s sleep, you already have your to-do list, you have accomplished your morning routine, and your energy levels will be at their peak early in the day. So use that heightened energy level to knock out the large projects early rather than later in the day, when your energy level has a chance to fall.

 

Also, be sure to work in allowable short breaks during the day. Most companies allow a 10-15 minute break every four hours (some state labor laws are different), so be sure you take breaks to refresh your brain with something else, as it will help you return more focused for the task at hand.

 

Applying these types of tips can go a long way in making you a better employee, which is beneficial for job security. Do you have any tips that have helped you become more of a morning person? If so, please share in the comments below.