What does every man struggle to find?
Time.
You have no time for family, no time for yourself, and no time for your goals…
What if I told you that waking up an hour earlier could change that?
That's what I did. I woke up at 4 AM every day for a week.
Was it exhausting? Was it tedious? Did I hate myself?
Stick around, gentlemen. The answer might surprise you.
What Waking Up Early Did For Me:
- Waking up early gave me 3 extra hours
- Waking up early gave me more time to exercise
- It gave me more time to plan
- It let me Wake my wife up with coffee
- Waking up early gave me a daily breakfast routine
- Waking up early helped my business
- It let me quit work early
1. Waking Up Early Gave Me 3 Extra Hours
Speaking of head starts, waking up this early put me ahead of the game.
It gave me an extra 3 hours to do whatever the heck I wanted… That's 20 hours a week!
What can you do with that time? If you're the guy that jumps out of bed and gets right to work, more power to you.
But if you just want some time to sit back with a cup of coffee and catch up on a show, you have time for that too.
Tom Ford wakes up early to simmer in a bathtub with coffee. If he can do it, so can you.
The point I'm trying to make is that waking up early empowered me. My daily schedule was set, so this was strictly Antonio's time.
Want to know how to start waking up early? Schedule 8 hours of sleep.
Don't go to bed at midnight expecting to be chipper at 4 AM. This is where sleep tracking comes in handy. Sleep Cycle tells you exactly how long you spent in bed, so you can adjust accordingly.
2. Waking Up Early Gave Me More Time To Exercise
Countless studies have shown that the best time to work out is in the mornings. Your body's cortisol is higher in the mornings, meaning you're more alert.
You also lose weight faster if you work out before breakfast.
Science aside, I felt good about it. When I hit the gym at 5:30, I was already awake for over an hour. My energy levels were up.
I ran 21 miles over the course of a week. I was even able to do Yoga (I usually have to pick between them). The best part was that I didn't even need to rush.
When it came to exercise, waking up early at 4 AM left me with no excuses.
3. Waking Up Early Gave Me More Time To Plan
Waking up at 4 AM gave me time to catch up on journalling. I was able to sit down, open a notebook, and write down my plans.
This can be incredibly valuable to men. The act of taking ideas out of your head and putting them on paper helps you focus on key goals.
It also makes you question whether or not you're on the right path because you are synthesizing your thoughts.
When it came to me, journalling was essential in planning out a schedule that honed in on what mattered while cutting out the fat.
4. Waking Up My Wife With Coffee & A Kiss
My wife wakes up at 6 AM each morning. One advantage of waking up at 4 was that I could have everything ready to give her the best morning possible.
Every day, she woke up to a steaming fresh cup of coffee and a good-morning kiss. It set up a positive vibe for both of us going forward.
We always made time for each other in the mornings, but now we could ease into that routine. There was no concern over time constraints. She and I could just sit, sip…
And enjoy each other's company.
5. Waking Up Early Gave Me A Daily Breakfast Routine
Waking up early at 4 AM guaranteed breakfast every day.
Rising late destabilizes your eating schedule. Studies show time and again that people who get up earlier are more likely to make better dietary decisions.
Why? They have more time to prepare.
Without a wiggle room, you are reactionary. You always rush to find sustenance where you can – most often from a vending machine.
The problem was that I wasn't hungry in the mornings. I paid for it for the rest of the day, though, with hunger pains.
By around 7 AM, I was already up for 3 hours – and I worked out. I was starving!
It prompted me to cook a healthy breakfast every day. It was mostly eggs, but I threw in a steak every once in a while.
6. Waking Up Early Helped My Business
How did tracking my sleep and waking up early help Real Men Real Style?
Consider for a moment that I have a global team.
The men and women that help my company live in The Philipines, Ukraine, Budapest, Georgia, and Florida.
Getting in touch with them all was a constant challenge. I can't tell you how many times I had to wait because a large portion of my team was already in bed.
From 4 AM I was able to run sprints and knock out critical company objectives. It got us way ahead of schedule.
This kind of energy was only possible because I was able to track my sleep. I took on a healthy bedtime routine for maximum productivity.
7. Waking Up Early Let Me Go HOME Early
I start working at 8 AM every day. That hasn't changed.
What HAS changed is my momentum.
Filming videos takes a lot of work. It takes 3-4 hours to get the best footage out. I used to do it in the late afternoon… and it was exhausting.
I wouldn't get home until 6 PM. I missed dinner with my family, and I didn't have time to do anything but wait until the next day.
With everything done early in the morning, I was able to knock filming out by 2 PM. You heard me right… I was home by 3, and that was it.
The rest of the day was spent either relaxing with my family or getting ahead on home projects. Within a week, my porch was fixed, my gutters were cleaned, and I built a swing set for my daughter.
As you gentlemen know, I value my home and my family above just about everything.
Having this bit of quality time made me immensely happy.
Waking Up Early Is A Life-Saver
- Waking up early gave me 3 extra hours
- Waking up early gave me more time to exercise
- It gave me more time to plan
- It let me Wake my wife up with coffee
- Waking up early gave me a daily breakfast routine
- Waking up early helped my business
- It let me quit work early
Am I going to keep rising at 4 AM? The answer is no. I'm reverting to my 5 AM schedule.
That being said, I will take the lessons I learned from waking up so early. The bottom line is discipline.
If I stay the course each morning, I can accomplish approximately 90% of what I did waking up at 4 AM.
I hope this little experiment taught you guys a little something as well. If you're up at 8, 9, or 10 AM every day, you're robbing yourself of time. You'll struggle to reach your goals, relax, or even exercise in peace.
Take it from me, gents. Those extra hours are worth it.
Click here to watch the video I Woke Up At 4 AM For A Week & This Happened
