Don’t hit that snooze button! Instead of getting those extra minutes of sleep, get up and get yourself in the office. Arriving before most of your coworkers allows you time to work completely uninterrupted. No ringing phone, no barrage of emails, no talkative coworkers knocking on your door. Instead you have a block of time to focus on the really difficult tasks, plan your day in advance, and respond to the emails already in your inbox. You’re able to clear your inbox and set yourself up for a successful day. And according to Eileen Adler, chief human resources officer at PeopleFluent, starting the day “with a fresh, clear mind is more conducive to sound judgment and creative problem solving”.
Speaking of creative problem solving, the lack of interruption isn’t the only benefit of being the first one in the office. In fact, researchers Mareike Wietha and Rose Zacks recently wrote about the importance of starting the day prior to 9 am. In an article published in the journal Thinking & Reasoning they stated that starting work first thing in the morning can promote greater insight and creativity. Their reasoning is that you’re still groggy before 9 am, allowing you to think differently than when you are fully awake and alert. So tackle that pesky problem right away – the answer might come easier at 8 am than 10 am.
Arriving early also makes you readily available to communicate with coworkers and clients around the world. In today’s global economy it’s important to be available outside your time zone’s basic 9 to 5 structure. If you’re the first person in the office you could become invaluable to your company by becoming the point person for those overseas clients.
Beyond that, your office may also offer the option to leave early if you’re coming in early. Instead of working the typical 9 to 5 you could find yourself working 7 to 3. Think of how much traffic you’ll avoid with that schedule, not to mention the free time you’ll have for yourself in the evenings.
And if your office doesn’t allow you to come in early? That’s no excuse to sleep in! Use that time for yourself by exercising or other personal development. Otherwise you might be spending what could be your most productive hours in bed.
