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Ever wish you could be more productive, get more done, work without distraction, or waste less time each day? There’s an interesting answer to this problem if you’re willing and able to do it – front loading your day.

Something funny happens to East Coasters when we come to the West Coast. Our days automatically get front loaded for us. We wake up at 3 or 4 AM without prompting, and by the time 7 PM rolls around, we’re ready for bed. Most people make an effort to acclimate to the local time, which is a missed opportunity. If you can wake up at 4 AM feeling refreshed, you can get a workout in, get breakfast in, get all of your regular work done, and be incredibly productive, all before 9 AM local time.

The secret, to the extent that there is one, is that you can do this right now, wherever you live, without traveling anywhere. Just start setting your alarm clock 5 minutes earlier every single day, unless you’re already a morning person, in which case start chopping 15 or 30 minute blocks off until you’ve hit your target time of day to get up.

Are you willing to make that sacrifice? That depends on how unproductive you feel during the day, and how much entertainment and night life you are willing to cut. If you can shift the evening hours (which for many people is unfocused, unproductive time) to the morning, before the rest of your area gets rolling, you can get a lot more done, from workouts and health benefits to your best thinking, free of distraction.

Try front loading even half an hour into your day for a week and see if it makes a difference for how you feel and how much you get done.


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