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Waking up early with more energy, excitement and enthusiasm for life is one of my current main personal quests.

This Mastery Letter includes all that I am discovering so far on the topic, what’s working for me and what I think might help you too if you’re fighting the same battle.

This isn’t going to be just another piece on waking up earlier, that is one thing, however I personally find it more important to be able to do so with a sense of overflowing energy and excitement for life.

If you have tried rising during the early hours of the morning but feeling groggy, lethargic and unmotivated in doing so, this letter is going to shed light on how you can improve your situation and meet the expectations you have for yourself.

Introduction

For as long as I can remember, getting up early consistently and taking right, fulfilling action has proven to be a difficult aspiration to meet.

We usually get out bed because of some external authority that has rein over us, be it a boss or a teacher, yet when it comes down to managing ourselves and setting our own schedule, why does waking up early feel so difficult? 

Our working days have a tight and clear schedule, yet on days off we do not know what to do with ourselves. Are we no different to how we once were during our school days? Depending on others to tell us what we should be doing, in order for us to take action and remain accountable? 

If you’re an early riser and have no problem jumping out of bed excited, joyful and ready for the day this probably isn’t for you… 

This is for those who like myself have struggled with getting up early, falling to the temptation of snoozing, going back to sleep, remaining cosy, comfortable and warm in the confines bed. 

If you want to change this habit, start feeling more energy in the morning, and have a sense of fulfilment that comes with getting important things done before most people are out of bed, then keep reading. 

Rise to War 

Upon the very moment of waking, a personal war begins. That being, the war between our lower nature and higher nature, our ego and our awareness. 

We are often tempted in sacrificing our success for a few more hours of mediocre, low quality sleep.

When you consider this in the long term it is a lot more serious than you might initially think. 

If you have a business, like myself, and you wish for that business to grow, whilst you work on a full-time basis, then the early morning holds within it the opportunity for you to truly build something meaningful that contributes towards your freedom. 

Scarcity creates value. 

When your schedule is already tight, any extra time becomes extremely valuable, so why do we choose to trade this away for repeated snoozing?

This is a battle for resources, a war for that which is valuable, your time, your freedom, your fulfilment. 

It is similar to a war for there is indeed an internal opponent who seeks to convince us that weakness and comfort and more desirable than strength and personal growth. 

Are you participating in this war? Or are you simply being dominated as you lay there unconsciously? 

Just consider for a moment how your life would be better if for an entire year you consistently woke up before usual working hours and invested 30-60 minutes or more into that which is of the highest priority to you in regards to freedom, progress and your ideal future. 

The stakes are high, let it sink in…

Snooze and stay stuck in a mediocre life, or rise and build something you’re truly proud of and grateful for. 

Waking Up Tired AF: When Weakness Revisits

I’m not proud to share this, but I must, for the sake of accountability and transparency. 

During the last so many months my morning pattern has looked something like this… 

Shamefully…

• Wake up to an alarm at around 7:30
• Try to get up but feel heavy, tired and unrested
• Get up, grab my phone from the other room and turn the alarm off. 
• Set a new alarm for one hour later, and get back into bed. 
• Wake up around 8:30 with 15 minutes to anxiously get ready for work, no time to write or work on my business
• Frustrated as I feel no more rested than I did at 7:30 when the first alarm went off
• Feeling guilt for not keeping the promise of waking earlier to myself
• Feeling ashamed for being so weak…

I’m sharing this with you because I want to be honest and upfront with you. 

Yes I have been on the journey of personal development and self mastery for some time now, but let me make clear one thing…

This journey of personal growth is not always a straight line. There are twists and turns, ups and downs and storms that come and go. 

I don’t say this to excuse myself in any way, I say this so that you may still consider what I have to share as valuable, even if I do not fit the perfect model of what people think somebody on self improvement should look like. 

I also share this so you may consider that victory is still within your reach, even if you have once done very well, yet are now struggling with things you thought you had already mastered…

There are always new challenges, and sometimes old ones come back. Waking up tired and feeling low on energy is indeed something that’s hurting my productivity, discipline, confidence and fulfilment at the moment, so once again I write this as a means of holding myself accountable. 

It is not on every morning that I will wake up feeling tired, in fact, some mornings I am able to get out of bed before the alarm goes off, increase my energy levels, go about my rituals and be seriously productive. 

Consistency is what’s been missing. Which honestly makes me feel ashamed, for I remember a time when I was the king of consistency. 

The good news is, things are turning around. I’m deriving a system that helps to: 

• Clean up my evening hours of wasteful activity
• Increase my sleep quality 
• Wake up with energy, enthusiasm and excitement for life and what I know I must do. 

This system can be applied to anybody, for it is simple harmonious with the ways of nature.

I’m just a few weeks into making changes and I can already see a dramatic change in energy levels. When I stick to what I’m about to share with you, I finish the day feeling truly fulfilled, knowing that I did my best, and that I am better than I was yesterday.

Keeping your lifestyle, diet, and daily choices the same but expecting yourself to magically be able to rise up early in the morning is foolish.

Victory in this case is all about improving sleep hygiene, quality of sleep, our choices during the evening time, and the actions we take upon waking of a morning. 

Improving Sleep Hygiene 

There are many things you can do to increase your sleep hygiene. You do not want to taint your sleep in ways that will sacrifice how refreshed you feel of a morning. 

Just because your body is unconscious does not mean that you are getting good quality sleep! 

Regular weed smokers (as I once was) will know about this. Smoking weed regularly affects your REM sleep, which is the phase of sleep where dreams take place and the subconscious gets to process what it must. 

People that smoke weed a lot don’t dream. They’re missing out on a crucial part of a healthy, refreshing sleep, they’re also missing out on the magic opportunity of dreaming. 

Just a side not on dreams, did you know that in your dreams you can: 

• Learn deep things and sharpen your skills?
• Meet those who have passed away?
• Receive visions and revelations about what you must do or what is to come? 
• Explore your subconscious and heal psychological wounds and insecurities? 

Dreams are extremely valuable. 

If you’re a regular weed smoker, I get it, however one thing that played a role in my motivation to quit 15 months ago was that I would get my dreams back. 

Sleep isn’t only for sleeping… 

Now, back to sleep hygiene.

Staying up late watching TV, or even worse, falling asleep with the TV on are disastrous for sleep quality.

Your mind will be unconscious, you will be sleeping, but the quality will be like McDonalds compared the most delicious, high quality Turkish grill. 

So, the first step to waking up with more energy and excitement for life is to improve your sleep hygiene. A cleaner sleep is higher in quality and therefore more able in giving you that sense of refreshment and regeneration upon waking.

Note: As you read through this letter and gain new insights, I urge you to keep things simple. 

Note down the changes you’re confident you will be able to make tonight. That’s right, tonight. 

Don’t take too many things on at once, that will overwhelm you, what I’m finding to work (as somebody who has struggled with waking up tired and clinging to my bed for too long) is… 

Simple works better. 

So here are some ways to improve your sleep hygiene and therefore sleep quality.

• No eating, caffeine or sugar at least a few hours before sleep
• Wear blue light blockers (the real, red ones) if you’re using screens in the evening time
• Minimise or eliminate Phone and TV at least 2-3 hours before sleep.
• Read
• Cool down your room by opening a window a couple of hours before sleep
• Tape your mouth closed, this prompts you to breathe through your nose (game changer)
• 5+ minutes of Pre-sleep yoga, deep breathing and laying meditation in bed (Yoga Nidra) 
• Switch to candles or dim, warm lighting when the sun has gone down
• Wear an eye mask

There are probably more ways to increase your sleep quality, but let’s just start with these for now. 

If you wish to benefit from this Mastery Letter then I suggest you take action tonight. 

Choose 1-3 of these changes to apply immediately tonight, over time you will create an evening routine that helps you sleep better than you ever have, and wake up with energy and excitement. 

This will require sacrifice… 

You know you’re on the right path when the thought of an earlier, cleaner night is followed by a bit of sadness around giving up something you currently like. 

Sacrifice the food and snacks you want to eat late at night when you’re feeling a little hungry or bored. 

Sacrifice staying up late and watching a movie alone or with your family/friends. 

Of course, it’s acceptable to break your routine every now and then, but know that regularity and routine especially in sleep are what really yield the most life changing results. 

What Is Your Reason? 

When you consider these changes, for example, no sugar before bed, meaning no tea and biscuits or late night snacks, just remember why you’re doing this. 

Aren’t you fed up of being tired? 

Doesn’t your health depend on you having more energy to work out, and do the things you enjoy without feeling like a zombie? 

Consuming a lot of caffeine is a cope… which eventually makes you even more tired and overworks the adrenals.

What about your work, business or creative projects? Think about how much better they would all be if you were to wake up feeling truly rested and ready for the day. 

For me the reason is to have more energy. I’ve grown tired of being tired. It’s impacting my business, my work, my creativity, my levels of fulfilment and therefore my happiness. Not good! 

Energy is extremely valuable, it is clear to me now that my reason for regulating and increasing the quality of my sleep is primarily to have an abundance of energy. 

This makes every area of my life better. 

It’s morning as I write this Mastery Letter and I’ve already destroyed a workout, taken a cold shower and completed my morning prayers. Now I’m writing with a genuine smile on my face… I feel great. 

Get clear on your why and keep it close. 

Quality sleep is a game changer and non-negotiable. 

If you love staying up late but know that giving this up will benefit you, you’ll need to find a strong enough reason to make the sacrifice. 

Find something you love more than late nights. Again, for me it is having high levels of energy, excitement and enthusiasm for life, dominating my morning and feeling fulfilled before it’s even 9am.

As I improve this area of my life, why don’t you join me and improve your sleep too? 

Setting Morning Intentions The Evening Before

At this point, you should have some idea of what you’re going to do differently tonight so that your sleep is of higher quality than it has been. 

If you’re still not clear, go back and read over the ways in which you can improve your sleep hygiene and choose 1-3 that you will commit to tonight. Really… go back and make sure this is decided on.

Remember the morning does not begin when you open your eyes in bed, sluggish, dreamy and startled by an alarm. 

Most people tend to miss this crucial insight. The morning begins the night before. 

Going to bed late is the most obvious yet overlooked attack on the quality of our morning rise. 

Sleep earlier and you’ll surely rise earlier, feeling more rested and refreshed. 

Set a time that you absolutely will be in bed by tonight, and apply a few of the changes you’ve read above that you feel confident in acting upon. 

Now… before you get to sleep it’s important to have a game plan for the morning. This is another absolute game changer. 

Preparing for your morning during the evening before will boost your odds of waking up with energy, excitement and enthusiasm for life significantly. 

It’ll also save you a tonne of decision energy by pre-deciding what you will do upon waking. This includes how you’re going to exercise (if at all), what you’re going to work on, and what else you’re going to do in order to maximise energy and fulfilment in the morning.

Trust me, the times where I’ve woken up and chosen to go back to sleep are often the by-product of the evenings where I have not set a clear, specific game plan for my morning routine.

Most things without a plan or even slight preparation don’t go as well as they could. 

Plan how your morning will go, to add to this put it into writing and most importantly, make sure to get to sleep at a reasonable hour, allowing for 7-10 hours of sleep depending on what you need. 

For example, here’s an honest version of what my morning plan has looked like recently. 

The feeling is so good when I take action on it, and even better when I remain consistent. 

Note: Before I got hooked on weed some years ago, I did have a solid morning routine for 10 years (seriously) with almost no deviation that consisted of meditation, yoga/ running, a cold shower and work on my business. 

Becoming a stoner for two and a half years completely destroyed my discipline, I’m now rebuilding. Again… keeping it honest with you. 

Here’s what my morning plan might look like:

• Wake up 10 minutes earlier than yesterday (I’m gradually getting up earlier) 
• Get up, make bed, then go and turn alarm off. (The order is key here)
• Hydrate and Pray (I don’t write these
• Move intensely for 5-20 minutes (push ups, star jumps, squats, kettlebells) to get the blood flowing and cortisol up
• Write on a pre-decided topic for 20-45 minutes (this will increase as I sleep and wake earlier) 
• Be ready to start work by 8:40am

Make this work for you. The power of writing your morning routine down the night before is incredibly powerful, do not overlook this detail. 

When you already know what you’re going to do, there’s much less of a chance for excuses to creep in. 

Usually it’s uncertainty that leads to procrastination. 

Make your morning as certain as possible. 

Executing On The Morning Routine

Now that your evening has been cleaned up, the mission is to take action on those intentions you have set the night before. 

Remember, when you wake up in the morning, you might feel groggy. In those very vulnerable moments, a world of excuses enter your mind. 

‘’Let’s just start on Monday’’. 

‘’Tomorrow I’ll get up earlier’’. 

You must learn how to observe these excuses, detach from them, stop thinking and just do instead. 

Here’s what is helping me in doing just that, as I fight the very same battle. 

• Take deep, full breaths and open your eyes wide - This starts to wake your body up, moving energy around your body. 
• My alarm clock is outside of my room, so I must get out of bed in order to turn it off. Making my bed before the alarm is turned off has changed the game. No getting back into bed any more. 
• Give thanks for waking up, and look towards the light of the sky. This will get you in a grateful state whilst telling your body that the sun is up and it’s time to get the F up. 
• Make relatively loud sighing sounds or any sound that wakes you up and gets you in a more driven state. (Trust me when I say sounds make all the difference)

Now you’re out of bed, it’s time to do the essentials like brushing your teeth. 

Follow this process step by step and you’ll be very glad with the progress you see. 

Next… hydrate. Get some water in you, you’ve probably been sleeping with your mouth wide open all night which is dehydrating. Drinking water gratefully will give you more energy too. 

Now it is time to move your body and generate even more energy, by getting your healthy stress hormones to trigger and spike as they should in the early morning. 

I recommend 20 minutes of movement (HIIT, Yoga, Callisthenics, Walking, Cycling, etc) especially when you’re just starting out on this journey of waking up with more energy and excitement for life. 

If you wish to extend this further over time, go for it. 

Bioenergetics is also another great way to get energy moving around your body after being asleep through the night. I can share more on this another time, any movement in the morning is great to get you feeling awake and ready for the day.

Finish with a shower, hot or cold, give yourself a hi 5 in the mirror for exercising when most people are still in bed. 

After training and moving your body comes work and creative output. 

For me, I use this time for writing. That is my current mode of creative output. For you it could be filming content, building a website or whatever the priority task for your work/business is. 

Prioritise… It is essential that you use the first hour of the day to focus on your passionate creative project for at least 20 minutes.

This is how you build something meaningful in your life that can eventually feed you, your loved ones, and grant you freedom from the modern slavery of conventional work. 

I’ll speak about this more towards the end of this letter. 

I must say, with just one hour of focused work every morning, I was able to build a website and start earning online income a few years when the covid lockdowns were in place. 

This took me from never earning a penny online, to in some months earning more than a standard 9-5 job. Things are still in the works, there have been ups and downs, and I’m working on making such an income more regular each and every month.

Ideally, it serves well to get sunlight exposure on the face, skin and in the eyes as soon as you wake and the sun is up. 

This can be done before you exercise, after, or whenever you wish. The earlier the better, 5-15 minutes is enough to get your circadian rhythm (body clock) in check. 

All of this together will allow you to start your day not only with more energy, but with more enthusiasm and excitement, for you will be doing that which is most challenging and therefore fulfilling as soon as the day begins. 

When you start the day with something difficult like exercise or a cold shower, whatever challenges the day may bring seem far less stressful. 

Morning meditation sets your headspace for the day, making you far less likely to be emotionally triggered, less anxious about time and more able to apply full attention to one important task at a time.

Now… do not expect yourself to be perfect in installing a morning routine into your life. 

There will always be deviations. In fact, the more rigid you are, the less consistent you are likely to be long term. 

Allow for some wiggle room, do this by setting clear rules for your morning and evening routines. 

Low Barring

Another useful tip I have for you is to use what I call The Low Bar Method. 

Adding a morning routine into your life is invaluable, however consistently acting upon it day after day takes will-power when you’re initially building the habits. 

During this initial period, it is vital that you humbly prioritise consistency over duration or intensity. 

This means, if you’re going to put off a piece of your morning routine either because you can’t be bothered or don’t have the time for 20 minutes of exercise, do the absolute minimal amount. 

1 minute of meditation is better than 0

1 minute of exercise is more energising than 0

1 minute of reading is more insightful than 0 

1 minute of work on your business or project is better than 0

And the trick here is… 1 minute often leads to more. 

Just focus on getting one minute done, especially when your willpower is being tested and excuses start creeping in. 

Trust me when I say, I built a solid morning routine that lasted years and years by beginning with The Low Bar Method. 

Understand that the brain builds habits through repetition, not intensity. So just focus on showing up, forget about how much you’re doing. 

I must say, this approach takes humility. Your ego won’t like doing 1 minute only… 

Remember just how many times you’ve tried to establish solid routines and failed miserably. It’s because you haven’t used the Low Bar Method yet. 

Rules For The Morning

Rules are meant to be broken, so that you may recognise just how important they are when you suffer the consequences! 

I have some very simple rules that help me get out of bed on time, and maximise the quality of my sleep. 

• No phone in bed
• No phone in the bedroom while I sleep
• No more than 5-15 minutes laying in bed after waking. 
• No food until after my workout, creative work or even until after midday. 

This is more of a productivity rule but one change I’ve found to be a game changer is putting my phone out of sight while I write or work. 

Isn’t it funny how the phone is mentioned in most of these rules? 

That kinda says something, doesn’t it? 

Consider what rules could be put in place in order to help you maximise your sleep quality and odds of getting up earlier, feeling both energised and enthusiastic in the morning. 

I’m considering making writing a morning plan in the evening a must and a rule, for until now it has been hit or miss. 

For inspiration on what rules to create for yourself, scroll back up and take another look at the section on Sleep Hygiene. What’s killing your sleep hygiene? What rules can you set in place in order to remedy this? 

Consider the morning too. I place my phone outside of the bedroom while I sleep so that I do not end up scrolling social media first thing in the morning. This is been a great help. 

What is lowering the quality of your morning? What is sabotaging the rest of your day by leading you to failure as soon as you wake? Set rules in place that will help with this. 

As you might be able to see, the process of optimising your ability to wake up earlier with energy and excitement is an iterative process, like all other self improvement processes. 

You must set intention, fail, study yourself and your behaviours, adapt, and try again. 

Learn about yourself. Observe yourself. 

Do you do your best work on an empty stomach? Most of us do. So work in a fasted state. 

Do you rest best at night on an empty stomach or does a little, wholesome snack make all the difference? Find what works for you.

Does caffeine have a net negative effect on your energy levels over time? If so, then avoid it and drink hot water or some variant of that. 

You are the scientist here. Study yourself, conduct inner research, and optimise skilfully. 

Fear vs. Excitement

There are two scenarios in life where I have found myself jumping out of bed early in the morning, with no need for an alarm, energised, ready, and definitely not feeling tempted to get back into bed. 

What are they? 

The first is working a job where the shift begins early. When we have an external authority holding a consequence over our heads for showing up late, we tend to be far more punctual.

The consequence of losing our jobs, losing our income and livelihood. When this is on the line, we will surely get out of bed with no problem. 

Just consider how willing you are to get out of bed early in the morning for work, even if you have hardly slept the night before. Even if you hate it, you’ll do it, isn’t this the kind of discipline we desire to channel into our personal and professional lives? 

On the weekends you stay in bed until late, even though there are things you know you wish to do, yet in this case, there is no boss telling you to get up, and no consequence hanging over you. 

This kind of discipline is rooted in fear, it works, but fear is a dirty fuel…

The second scenario is that of waking up excited on a birthday, or a day of celebration, like Christmas or Eid. 

I remember waking up so excited on Eid day, ready to open up my presents and see what my brother and sisters got. 

I’d like to take a moment right now in fact to express deep gratitude for my parents. How they got us exactly what we wanted. How they prepared surprises. How ungrateful we were… 

May Allah forgive us for our absent mindedness. 

May Allah reward our parents and let them experience true peace and joy in this life and the next. 

Ameen.

Continuing… In this second scenario, we are not in fear, we are in pure excitement. 

Excitement and fear are in fact two opposite ends of the same spectrum. 

You may be anxious at the theme park when queueing for a ride, yet you are also excited. 

The difference is in the language you use and the attitude you have. 

One is closing, the other is opening. 

In this case, if fear can motivate us to get up in the morning with no problem, so can excitement. 

The question is, what is there to be excited for? 

Just imagine for a minute that which you desire most deeply. 

Imagine having it, imagine reaching the point you’ve been striving for for so long. 

What if you make it? 

What if you actually get to live out that dream? 

The business you want to build, the job you dream of having, the location you dream of waking up in… 

It can be real, yet it will not happen overnight. 

It will take work. 

Your dream and vision both have to excite you to take daily action that moves you even just one step closer towards them. 

What is it you want most in this world? 

Does the idea of having it not excite you? 

If you’re not materialistic this works as well. It does not have to be something physical. 

What about deep peace? 

What about living by the sea? Or in a place that has such beautiful views? 

What about being able to retire your parents, or building a family with your ideal spouse? 

What is it that you want most? 

Get very clear on that, this will be your dream, the dream that guides your actions, especially the first hour of your day. 

Connect to your dream regularly, put photos up around your bedroom that remind you of what it is you’re moving towards. 

Visualise it regularly, see yourself not only at the finish line, celebrating and extremely grateful, but rather see yourself putting in the work, especially when you don’t feel like it, sacrificing comfort and quick pleasures for that which is far more important. 

Let this excite you. 

Let this move you. 

Harness the skill of bringing this to the front of your mind the moment you rise in the morning. 

Remind yourself of what you’re waking up for. 

Remind yourself of just how valuable those 1-2 hours before you start work are. 

Those 1-2 hours or even less if that’s all you have, hold within them the opportunity for you to take small steps every day towards that which you dream of most in this life. 

Day by day, brick by brick, if you put in the work without wavering, you will build something of considerable value, enjoying the fruits of your sacrifice. 

Get excited for the possibility of ‘’what if I make it?’’ Each and every morning. This will help in energising you and getting you to rise up with great enthusiasm. 

Do not expect yourself to wake up and get up without feeling discomfort however. It will not be easy. For nothing worth while ever did come easily… 

A Simpler Excitement

A recent insight came through when I was out eating with a dear friend recently. 

When I spoke to him about this weeks Mastery Letter, specifically the sub-topic of fear vs. excitement, he shed some interesting light that I will share. 

Sometimes, what excites you in the morning can be extremely simple. 

Your morning cup of tea, your morning coffee, maybe even some tobacco… (although this is not optimal). 

The point here is… find something small and simple that you can look forward to of a morning. 

Something that will give you some enjoyment in waking up and getting up as early as you desire. 

Perhaps for you it is breakfast? 

I’m still trying to figure this one out for myself, the intention is set, all I need do now is stay receptive. 

Do the same, and find the simple pleasure that you can look forward to come the morning. 

Make sure it has a net-positive effect on your life. 

Extra sleep is a waste of time 

Sometimes more isn’t better. Upon waking, I would by default look at the time, see that it was around 5am and choose to go back to sleep for a few more hours. 

This left me feeling sluggish, lethargic and created a sense of immediate failure within my subconscious that would then stay with me throughout the entire day. 

Aim to start the day with a win, not a loss, and you will feel a lot better about yourself, for happiness is inspired by progress and confidence is rooted in keeping the promises you make to yourself. 

Notice how extra sleep really makes you feel. 

There is an illusion that going back to sleep will result in a sense of feeling more rested… 

In my experience this proves to be untrue, come to recognise this and you will then have more reason to get up and stay up, once you have woken. 

But what if you wake up too early? Should you not go back to sleep in that case? 

Here’s a different perspective on the topic of waking up earlier that made a huge difference for me. 

The Gradual Approach 

Waking up early is a vague statement. It lacks specificity and is subjective. 

What is early for you might be late for another. What is late for another might be early for you. 

A simple change to the use of language here made all the difference for me. 

Aim to wake up earlier as opposed to waking up early. 

Most people (like my previous self) say they want to wake up early, and take inspiration from the many on the internet swearing by the power of getting up at 5am. 

If your default wake time is 8-10am or even later, how realistic is it to expect yourself to get up at 5am the next morning, never mind consistently doing this into the long term. 

Such an approach is too extreme and therefore unrealistic. 

That which is extreme can not be maintained.

It often leads to disappointment, frustration, and a lack of long term change. 

Maybe you manage to wake up at 5am for a few days or even weeks, but then you crash soon enough… 

How to prevent this? 

Focus on waking up earlier, not ‘’early’’ (based on what other people are doing) 

Earlier simply means… earlier than yesterday. 

Therefore if you wake up and get out of bed just 10 minutes earlier than you did yesterday you have gained a victory. 

This is the power of the gradual approach. 

You will feel a sense of reward in doing this. Waking earlier by 5-15 minutes each day until your ideal waking time (possibly 5am or even earlier) is achieved. 

Or not! You don’t have to wake up at 5am, be realistic with yourself and your desired lifestyle, plus responsibilities. 

Maybe for you it will be a consistent 7am that will give you the time to exercise, meditate, read and work on your business before starting work. There’s still a tonne of victory in that. 

By the time you reach such a waking time, it will feel far less gruesome than if you were to go there straight away from your current default.

Commit to a period of 1-3 weeks, waking earlier by 5-15 minutes each morning. 

If for example you intend to wake up and get up tomorrow by 7:20am, but you fail, reflect on and learn about what contributed towards this and go for 7:20am again the next day. 

Trust me, this made so much of a difference for me. Not only did it feel less forceful, it allowed me to get clear on why I wanted to wake up earlier, and what priority tasks I wanted to take action on during those extra gained morning minutes/hours. 

Why do you even want this? (Prioritisation)

If you don’t have a reason to wake up earlier, then you’re surely going to choose the comfortable confines of bed over getting up and taking action. 

Your reason is your priority. 

Most people wake up earlier so they can exercise before their working day begins. 

Others, like myself wish to wake up earlier so there is time to work on business too. Right now I am writing this Mastery Letter, in a window of time created by waking earlier, before I start work at 8:45am.

Understand why you’re getting up earlier than usual. What is it really for? 

When gradually waking earlier by 5-15 minutes each morning, your window of time will slowly increase. While that window of time is small, you will only have a short time to make maximum use of. 

This shines light on your priority. 

Scarcity creates value, those extra minutes no matter how few, are incredibly valuable.

For example. 

When first making this change to my life my default waking time was around 8:15am. This didn’t give me enough time to do two things that were most important to me, writing and workout out. 

A couple of days into waking earlier I rose at 7:45am. This granted me around 20 minutes to work on The Mastery Letter. 

The sense of fulfilment I felt from doing that, especially before starting work at 8:45am was immense. 

The next day I woke at 7:30am and I chose to use that extra time to work out instead of writing. I notice that although I felt good for training, I didn’t feel anywhere near as much fulfilment as I did working on my business. 

This is because my business is what matters most to me, building something that is going to help me create the future I dream of, providing for those I love and making an impact in the world. 

In just those two days it became crystal clear, for I was previously confused as to what my priority was. 

Working on my business is the highest priority, so that’s what I’m really waking up earlier for. 

This is what gives maximum fulfilment for me, so it is best that I take action on my business as early as I can after getting out of bed. 

Exercise is important for me too, in fact, I now realise that in order to work well on my business of a morning, I have to get moving first, otherwise I can feel heavy, sluggish, cloudy and tired. 

Exercise allows me to focus and work on what is my priority, it is the compliment. 

After taking action on your current priority, consider what it is that compliments this. 

Once you’re waking up early enough and are granted more time, give attention to the second and third priorities like reading, meditating, taking a short walk outside, whatever it might be. 

What is your absolute priority right now when it comes to progressing in life? 

By gradually waking up earlier and expanding your window of available, opportunistic time before work (if you work a 9-5 or other hours), you can experiment by taking action on different things. 

Use the signal of fulfilment to recognise what is most important. 

Here are some categories of life you might want to consider. 

• Work/Business
• Health
• Spirituality 
• Mental
• Family

Feel free to explore these or come up with other important areas of life. 

Through experimentation you will get clear on that which is your priority. 

That becomes your main reason for waking up earlier. 

With more time, you can work more on your priority, or spend time doing other things that compliment your priority, like exercising, meditating, preparing meals or going for a walk. 

Consumption: Is Food Making You Tired?

We can’t talk about what impacts your energy of a morning without mentioning food and consumption.

Let me put it simple for you, without getting overly scientific. 

The more refined carbohydrates you consume, the more tired you will be. 

This means breads, rice, pasta… and other similar foods. 

The more refined sugar you consume, especially in the evening, the lower your sleep will be in quality, and the less refreshed you will feel in the morning. 

The larger the meals you have, the more tired you will tend to feel after, especially if the carbs are high.

The brain likes to run on fat more-so than sugar. 

In the most simple way here is what I will say. 

Fast for the first few hours of every day. Only drink water during these times, consuming nothing else, including stimulants, allowing for black coffee if you’re not enslaved by it. 

If you’re going to eat refined carbohydrates like bread, rice and pasta, eat them after you’ve done the most challenging physical and mental tasks of the day like exercising and working on your creative project. 

A fasted mind is sharper, your energy levels will be higher and more stable. 

Be hungry, work hungry, it’s good to delay gratification and in your ability to do so will in fact shape the trajectory of your life. 

Enjoy such carbohydrates after the most important tasks have been taken care of. Maximise on fruit over refined sugar.

Every now and then indulge in some form of sugary treat (again, if you’re not enslaved by sugar). Avoid such foods in the evening, at least a 2-3 hours before bed time. 

Keep caffeine to a minimum after midday. 

And do you absolute best to eliminate habits that are overly stimulating like smoking and vaping. (I promise that by the end of 2023 I will have quit smoking tobacco, you have my word). 

Eating late, even if it is a healthy meal will have a major affect on your sleep quality. 

Digestion requires a lot of energy and resources from the body, such a taxing process is meant for waking life, not while sleeping. Let sleep be for sleep, not for digestion. 

To Conclude 

If you struggle to wake up with energy and enthusiasm for life then consider the following. 

Do not underestimate the importance of quality sleep in relation to your energy, drive and mood. 

In order to get quality sleep, you must ensure that your sleep is clean. 

A clean night is one that includes: 

• No late night eating
• Sleep at a sensible time
• No technology in the bedroom (the bedroom is for sleeping) 
• Protection from blue light
• Practices for de-stressing (meditation, yoga, deep breathing, candle gazing)
• A plan for the morning ahead

Quality sleep starts with earlier nights and well planned mornings. 

A powerful morning is rooted in:

• Avoiding excess sleep
• Hydration
• Prayer/Meditation/Gratitude
• Movement
• Sunlight & Fresh Air
• Purposeful work

To ensure your mornings are most efficient and fulfilment is maximised, consider what your most pressing priorities are. 

Let the first hours of your day, before usual responsibilities kick in be dedicated to this priority. 

Find something to get excited about, something that gets you out of bed when you think about trading it and sacrificing your future for a couple more hours or minutes of mediocre sleep. 

Don’t go too hard all at once, if you wish to wake up earlier, go to bed earlier and wake earlier in 10-15 minute increments each day. Pace yourself, go even slower if you have to. The long term is what matters here. 

Finally, food makes all the difference. 

The more refined, sugary, artificial foods you consume, especially towards bed-time, the worse you will feel in the morning. 

Get clear on why exactly you want to wake up early, align your choices with this, understanding how certain choices will make this easy, while others make it hard. 

Until next time, I wish you well. 

Have a great week and…

Stay sharp.

Usman

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