Per this series of posts I am conducting an experiment to see how getting up at 4.30 am impacts on my productivity, outlook and general well being.
Day 2 – conclusion
It seems that early starts don’t bother me. In fact, they do seem to work for me. I get to work engergised and focused, and I am able to move through the day effectively, getting to the end of the day still energised, and more importantly still in a good headspace.
I have, however, blown the experiment by introducing new factors to the situation. I am not changing one factor at a time (OFAT) as a good experiment should be run, but I am changing multiple factors at a time (MFAT). I thought I was experimenting about getting up earlier, but by getting up at 4.30 I am also:
- Exercising more (I have time to walk in the mornings now)
- Training the Dog (as I walk I am training the dog so she is now better behaved during the day)
- Eating better (as I have more time during the morning I can plan my meals better)
- Getting more headspace (the additional time before the rest of the world wakes up gives me clear air for thinking)
All of these factors will be influencing how I am feeling and the results of this experiment. However, as mentioned yesterday, it seems to be going well. I am enjoying all these aspects of the change that I am undertaking.
So now I am starting to think about how this knowledge can be incorporated into my transformational work. Obviously I cannot get everyone to get up at 4.30 am but helping people to achieve the equivalent of the improved headspace is key.
Day 3 begins
It is also very interesting to see how big the community is of people who are experimenting or working in this area. I’m following the #21earlydays Twitter feed and reading the blogs of others who are exploring this approach. Most of my research into how to motivate and or improve productivity has references to waking up and working earlier, rather than working through the night, so that is also part of my motivation – does it work for me? Ideally it will give me time to go back to Uni and also write the book! Or else it will remove my excuse about not having enough time!
enterprisingagility.com 