5.00 a.m. is the new focal point of my life. I’m usually not very susceptible to personal development advice on the web, but I’ve been quite taken by a few of Steve Pavlina’s entries. He’s a very positive writer, and he has a way of actually making you believe in what he says. It makes a lot of sense to me, anyway.

I was especially inspired by one of his posts I read a couple of days ago, on how to become an early riser. I’ve had a bad rhythm for some time, going to bed late and not getting up in the morning. It was high time to do something about it, and mr. Pavlina came along with his sound advice just at the right moment: Get up at 5.00 a.m. every morning, no matter what.

His point is that you may go to bed late if you feel like it, if you’re not tired. The important thing is to get up at exactly the same time every day seven days a week, and to go to bed at night only when you feel tired, whenever that may be. If you follow this advice in the long run, he reckons, you’ll get the optimal amount of sleep, as your sleep need varies from day to day.

I think this is excellent advice. I’m far more productive in the morning, and if I’m able to follow this plan, I’m sure I’ll get far more done in the course of a day. I started the project this morning, and even though I didn’t fall asleep until about 01.00 a.m. last night, I still had a pretty effective day at work.

It was a wonderfully relaxing morning. I’m usually late for work, no time to eat breakfast, chasing the morning train. This morning I had a cup of coffee, made a nice breakfast, read the morning news on the web and wandered in a casual and relaxed manner down to the station in good time.

I left the office a little earlier than usual, still gaining a few plus hours. That was a good feeling.

It’s a good exercise and I hope I can keep it up. If I can make this my daily routine, I think it will actually make my life a little better. Thanks, Steve Pavlina.

As I’m writing this at 9.00 p.m. I’m nearly falling asleep, though - so it’ll probably be an early night.

Btw, read his original post. You know, he’s a better a writer than I am.