Kovar Capital: Why do you wake up at 4:30am???

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Hey Taylor: I was listening to your podcast and heard you talking about getting up at 4:30 am, which made me cringe. How do you do it? How do you get into that kind of routine and… is it worth it? Four-thirty in the morning??? - Karen

Hey Karen: Ha! If you told my younger self that one day I’d enjoy getting up before the sun to work out, I’m sure I would have laughed in your face and walked away. Yet here I am, up before 5 AM every day and feeling good about it.

For me, it’s more about what I accomplish than the hour I wake up. If you think too much about the time then you’re missing the point. Let’s try looking at this through a positive lens and see if you feel differently by the end.

Get more hours. I get up early to work a little, but more so I do it so I can spend time with my kids before school. You’re probably thinking, “Taylor, aren’t you exhausted?” Yeah, I’m tired when I first wake up, but you know what? So are all the people sleeping until eight or nine in the morning. After the fog clears, and get some coffee in me, I’m feeling great. When I arrive at the office, I’ve already accomplished a lot.

Take back the morning. You know what isn’t a great setup for the day? Waking up just in time to take a rushed shower, slam a cup of coffee, skip breakfast and head to work already feeling like the day is getting away from you. I want to get up before sunrise so that I can have personal time before work consumes my brain. I love what I do, but every job can be exhausting and I’d hate to feel like I was only getting out of bed to go to the office.

What’s a morning good for? There’s an endless list of things you can get done in the morning. Beyond working out and playing with your kids, you can read, meditate, write, get an early start on preparing dinner, etc. Think about it this way: have you ever said to yourself, “I’d love to do XYZ but when will I find the time?” If you aren’t getting up early, there’s your answer.

4:30 AM might sound like a horrifying time of day, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. You might just discover a new, more productive way to live your life. Let me know how it goes!

Disclosure: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar.com, or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901.