Don't wake up early
In high school, I am someone who wakes up every day around 4:30 - 6 am (It depends on the Subuh prayer times) to learn something. Yeah, as a boy who loves Physics and Additional Mathematics, I learn not for the sake of shining at the examination, I learn more than that. It is kinda an addiction to dig deeper into both subjects and daydream about how amazing all that stuff is. Even I ace the exam, I want something more and more to fill my curiosity.
In high school, I lived in a hostel. We can not bring any gadgets to school. Our lives are free from any gadgets, and more on living with good society, sports, books, curriculum activities, teachers and friends.
However, when I finish high school, have a gap between applying to universities, and in university, I question a lot about what I should do when waking up and why I should wake up early.
After high school, I am bombarded with too many technologies: email, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Telegram, Startup, programming, the smartphone itself, VR, FitBit, iMac, MacBook, Clubhouse, Discord, Slack, crypto, and much more!!!
I start to wake up in the morning reading emails, replying to Whatsapp conversations, see Twitter likes, continue chat with the recruiter in Linkedin, open Slack & Discord to see new messages, and the list goes on. Sometimes, my mental energy is wasted in the morning doing all this stuff.
Towards the beginning of 2021, I stop all of that, take a step back, and consider why I am doing it. I get the conclusion that it is less about what time you wake up, it is about what you do when you wake up.
Do you go through your emails first thing in the morning?
Or check if your friend has seen your message on Slack or Discord?
Or looking at other people's Story on Instagram and Whatsapp?
Or see how many likes you have gathered on social media?
Or joining Clubhouse or Twitter Space conversation?
Or families notification on Whatsapp?
Or scrolling Instagram and Twitter?
Regardless, you are setting up your day for failure. Your mental energy will be wasted on nonessential things. Morning negativity will lead to an overall negative day.
As much as getting up early is a great habit, dedicating your first 2-3 hours to yourself is the best way to succeed in the outside world.
Enjoy your breakfast, do a short and intense workout, jogging at the park, listen to music, do yoga, write a morning page, do some reflection or gratitudes, plan your daily task, and do another bunch of productive activities.
The outside world is simply a reflection of the inside world. - Ankur Warikoo
The end