Early Mornings

If your circadian rhythm is closer to a sunflower’s than a moonflower’s, you are programmed to follow the sun. The way we start your day also has a big impact on how it unfolds: I found that experiencing early mornings as often as possible positively influences my mood.

Waking up early, anywhere from 4 AM to 6 AM, exposes you to conditions propitious to deep thinking: there is nowhere to run, nothing to stress about, and plenty of time to savor.

A slow start of the day combined with the feeling of solitude and the freshness of the air gives room for planning. It’s the moment we need to sharpen our brains and hone our bodies in preparation for the battle ahead. Nothing like silence before a big day of work.

With dawn comes the promise of new beginnings. Each day is an opportunity to reinvent ourselves.

Early to rise means early to bed. You need nothing more to develop the habit. It’s a balance to strike: some would call it a sacrifice, but I like to think of it as an investment with high returns.

A common axiom is that social life happens at night. This is mostly true, but when you look at South-Eastern Asian cultures, you can’t help but notice that waking up early and cultivating a rich social life aren’t incompatible. It’s a matter of culture and personal adaptation.