For those wanting to break in, I definitely recommend you listen to the Portfolios Episodes of our ‘Paper Wings’ Podcast and subscribe to our newsletter and download our Portfolio Pitfalls guide (before it disappears!).

And also for the term “Workahermit”, which I’m sure I’ll be using (and explaining) to several people in the near future.

That said, there are definitely emotional, psychological, medical and chemical things that are complicated and more difficult to change.

However, teaching our bodies to wake up early, crave vegetables and water instead of sugar, endure more vigorous exercise etc… those things are usually not complicated at all. I’m going to write another post about this since so many people have been asking.

And changing our bodies has a TREMENDOUS effect on our sense of well-being, our ability to give and receive inspiration, and of course – our productivity.

Check out the comment above for some advice on how to get started becoming an early riser.

Give it another try and stick with it for a month. See if that doesn’t work for you. I also recommend waking up earlier in increments. Or just start with an easy, consistent routine then move it up earlier 15-30 minutes each week.

Love those links! That’s a HUGE HELP! Thank YOU!

Amazing inspiration, as always. It’s a great insight into the life of a pro

I was wondering… have you ever considered yourself an early bird? I’m one of those people that feel groggy and sleepy during the morning, and kinda feel like going to bed very late. Do you think this can be changed through routine? Or it’s already hardcoded in each one of us?

As always, thanks for sharing with us!

All the best!

:: Marta

Just wanted to say thank you for the inspiration you’ve given me after reading this post. I even referenced it on my blog Love your work

And there’s not much I can do to stop it! Which is great, actually.

I am a super-light sleeper so the more tired I am, the better I sleep, and the more I sleep, the more efficient my routine is.

I was wondering if you have a time that you aim to be going to sleep by?

;-D

I think you just have to find the thing you REALLY care about – that you REALLY want.

Check out my post called “Wanting = Working.”

WHuT!? do they give you that much time there? that’s amazing. I’m in the wrong studio… waiter check please.

My body got used to it after about a month and now when I go to bed, I sleep like a rock and wake up before my alarm. Routine is key, I think.

I try to stay focused on hydrating w H2O all day which is great. Also – getting up to take a walk and talk to my wife or Zach or Joel or Lora in the afternoons really helps me power through the rest of the day.

I usually work a few hours on Saturday 12-5 with family and friends time in the morning and evening. I try to always take Sundays off.

Of course, with the comic launch coming up, I’ve been working a lot on the weekends but it’s going to buy me a HUGE breather after the launch… …which will be awesome.

I try to fill my weekends with family time and time connecting with friends.

Hoping I’ll be able to power through these next couple of weeks in order to change my internal clock. I do like the idea of working in the mornings better because a) it is outside of the influence of the rest of the day – a crappy day at work does not equate to a crappy day of projects, or no projects, and b) it is outside of the influence in scheduling. Since no one plans anything in the weekday mornings, it’s a consistent time block that is resistant to change. Having industry events and stuff to do at night makes it difficult to turn project work into a habit.

But my work performance might just have to take a hit for awhie…haha