The main character of this article, Filipe Castro, was a rather early bird, so he decided to test himself by lifting at 4:30 in the morning for 21 consecutive days. Why 21 days, not 30, 45, or 15? The fact is that, according to experts, 21 days are enough to turn ordinary activities into a habit.
Enjoy the real story and the changes that we will tell you about on behalf of Filipe.
My name is Filipe Castro, and I want to share with you what I learned by waking up at 4:30 in the morning for 21 days. I was already used to getting up early (at 6 in the morning), but I wanted to check myself out early in the morning, since at least the weekend is very important to me.
Following instructions on how to acquire new habits, Dr. Maxwell Maltz, I set a clear goal: to get up at 4:30 within 21 working days, without excuses and punctually. And here are 12 conclusions that I made during this experiment.
If you want to change something in your life, ask for support.
Family and social networks can be a great ally to help you stay on track. I share my experience through Facebook with all my friends and acquaintances. I knew in advance that I would need your support because it is easier to fail when you are not accountable to anyone.
When you share your experience with others, even if they do not understand you, people are interested in your progress. Thus, mentally you begin to raise your mood and desire not to give up and not to show yourself weak due to the fact that others are pushing you. No one would be disappointed if he did not get my results, but the idea helped that I managed to inspire someone, which means that it would be worth finishing.
People enjoy unusual things.
Surprisingly, my publications had many comments. People took care of me and asked me questions. I had a lot of interesting conversations through Facebook, and I reflected on many other things that I tell you in this article.
People do not wake up early because they think they will sleep less. Interestingly, people think that when you get up early, you lose hours of sleep, but the truth is that you go to bed earlier. To get up at 4:30 in the morning, I started going to bed at 9:30 in the evening, spending an average of 6 to 7 hours in bed.
Many of those who cared for my hours of sleep usually admitted that they slept less than me.
Remove obstacles from the road
People say they can't get up early. Yes, it’s true, because there are difficult times, but anyone can achieve this with little effort. I think that people are simply not striving to improve their lives.
Yes, there are certain features that helped me succeed - at the moment I am not married and my routine depends only on me, so I was able to accept the challenge without complications.
Each person has his own obstacles, and he must get rid of them in order to achieve his goal. In my case, I had to work independently, sleep at any time without a break and work anywhere.
I have the flexibility of schedules, and if I want, I can start working at 4:30. Nobody depends on me, and I am not dependent on anyone.
Good physical condition helps a lot.
I am a happy person, I fall asleep in less than 5 minutes and usually do not open at night. I can sleep anywhere without problems, and when the alarm sounds, I quickly wake up.
I think that this is connected with my lifestyle, because I eat well, play sports, and I do not have big worries. Surely we can all improve our habits by changing small details that together have a big impact.
Forget about “another 5 minutes”
This challenge helped me understand how useless it is to stay in bed for another 5 minutes.These minutes do not help, they do not calm and will not force you to rest more. If you want to wake up on time, get out of bed as soon as you wake up!
I like to sleep, but my body needs only 6 or 7 hours of sleep
Having reached the required number of hours of sleep, I prefer to get out of bed and do interesting things, because when I die, I will have a lot of time to relax.
More productive business hours.
Thanks to getting up at 4:30 in the morning, my work improved. I am a daytime person, and after 18:00 the quality of my work suffers.
Moving forward, I became more productive. A mind resting in an absolutely quiet environment can be a very powerful tool.
I avoid emails
I usually use the first few hours of work to reply to a letter and plan my day. Having free time until 6:30 is great, and since people usually don’t work at this time, I don’t get instant answers from anyone.
More time for the gym
I used to go to the gym 3 times a week, but since I started waking up early, I have time to go 4 or 5 times.
New vision of the world
Peace at rest, calm and leisurely waiting for the early birds. Early waking up allowed me to see details and places that would not have been possible under a “normal schedule”.
You need your willpower
If you do not have it, you will not have these achievements. Work on willpower is important, and without it you will probably give up, but if you manage to develop it, no one can stop you.
