Welcome to another edition of the 1% Habits Newsletter!

This is where you’ll get up-to-date information on small wins to improve your habits, productivity, and life satisfaction. 

Let’s get to it…

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You can take action on the concepts covered in today’s newsletter by setting goals and tracking your habits.

Here are a five printable worksheet bundles that can help:

● Monthly Habit Tracker Printable Worksheets Package

● 12 Goal Setting Planner Printable Worksheets Bundle

● Daily Planner Printable Worksheets and Templates Bundle

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● Time Audit Printable Worksheets and Templates Bundle

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📈 How to (Actually) Get Up at 5am

Does this sound like you?

Throughout your life, do you frequently utter the words,

“There just aren’t enough hours in my day.”

If this sounds familiar, what can you do to get more time back into your day?

Well, one simple strategy is to get up earlier in the day… 5am, to be more specific.

While you may shutter at the thought of getting out of your cozy, warm bed even a few minutes earlier each day… you’ll likely end up feeling better in the long run.

In this email, I will share the 7-step process I’ve used to trained my body and mind to wake up at 5am. 

Step #1: Get Cozy With Your Sleep Chronotype

Chronotype is a fancy term for understanding your sleep routine.

Broken down into four categories, your chronotype shows you when to sleep based on your internal clock.
It also gives you insight into your typical daily routine… such as eating, working, exercising, and socializing.

Knowing your chronotype will help you identify how and when you will be most productive during the day.

According to this Healthline article, the four chronotypes are:

● Bear - (the most common) You fall asleep and wake up with no problem, feeling refreshed. Most productive before noon, with an energy dip around 2pm.

● Wolf - You have trouble waking up in the morning and prefer to sleep in late. Most productive between noon - 4pm, often with another energy boost around 6pm when other people are winding down.

● Lion - You are the early to bed, early to rise type. You have no trouble waking before dawn and cranking away until noon. You’ll then start winding down in the evening and get to bed by 9 or 10pm.

● Dolphin - You have trouble falling asleep, due to sensitivities to outside factors, such as light or noise. You typically need a little time to wake up your mind in the morning, but once you do, you’ll find that you are most productive between 10am and 2pm... which is great for the workday or weekend house project.

Once you establish the type of sleeper you are, you'll be better able to plan your day around it and make the most of your time. 

Specifically , if you are a “Wolf” chronotype, then you will have to work harder than others to build a routine where you can get up earlier in the day, using the next six steps that I’ll outline.

(If you don’t know your chronotype, then use this worksheet to track your energy levels for the next few days.)

Step #2: Focus on Your “One Thing” to Get Up Early

We all need a bit of motivation now and again to get things done.

So a great motivational strategy is to focus on one priority task and make it your “why” for getting up earlier in the morning. 

Your “one thing” is an important goal you can use to achieve a breakthrough in your life.

And if your one thing is important enough, you’ll find yourself looking forward to it as soon as you get out of bed.

Also, by carving out time for your one thing, you’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere with your standard morning routine… and get lost in the day.

If you make your “why” the first priority of the day, you’ll also come to realize which things can wait or aren’t really important.

(You can use the Daily Task printable in this goal-setting bundle to identify and track your one thing.)

Step #3: Practice the 10-3-2-1-0 Rule

The 10-3-2-1-0 Rule is a simple concept created by Craig Ballantyne.

This rule states that you should cut off certain activities considered detrimental to your rest, within a certain number of hours before bed.

The goal is to help you get to bed on time, sleep better, and wake up the next morning well rested and ready to tackle the day.

Here’s how it goes:

● 10 hours before bed – No more caffeine.

● 3 hours before bed – No more food or alcohol.

● 2 hours before bed – No more work.

● 1 hour before bed – No more screen time (turn off all phones, TVs and computers).

● 0 – The number of times you will hit the snooze button in the morning.

Caffeine takes up to 10 hours to get out of your system, so you really want to cut this off early so it doesn’t interfere with sleep.

Food and alcohol may make you feel satisfied, even sleepy; but they can cause indigestion and other sleep interrupting side effects.

Work and screen time should be powered down 1 or 2 hours before bed as well because your mind can’t fully relax when it’s someplace else. And the crude light given off by many phones and tablets can really do a number on the brain when it comes to shutting itself down.

Finally, if you can’t clear your head before bed, then do a “brain dump”. Write everything down that’s on your mind and then leave these notes as a reminder for tomorrow.

Step #4: Get To Bed Early

Since the daily recommended amount of sleep is about 7 to 8 hours each night, you might need to start going to bed way earlier than you’re used to.

So if your goal is to wake up at 5am, then you should aim for about 8 to 9 pm each night.

Yes, this might be a huge adjustment on your part.

So if you’re more of a night-owl, then I suggest aiming for 30 minutes earlier than your usual bedtime. And then keep doing this until you’re getting that 7 to 8 hours of good sleep you crave.

Also be sure to make that time just before bed peaceful and calming.

Draw yourself a bath or listen to soothing music. Brain dump in a journal. Sketch. Get yourself in a mindset to welcome a full night’s rest and leave the distractions out of the bedroom.

Step #5: Stock Up On Sleep Supplies

If you’re a “dolphin,” or a light sleeper, then it’s super important to limit distractions as much as possible with a few sleep supplies.

Things like blackout curtains and sleep masks can go a long way in keeping unwanted light from disturbing your slumber. 

They even make lavender scented and warming or cooling face masks, which can help relax the muscles in your face and decrease eye puffiness.

If your partner’s snoring, or some other noise around the house is your chief complaint, you can try ear plugs.

Conversely, if you’re looking for something more hypnotic to fall asleep too, you can try a sound machine. 

Ocean waves, thunderstorms, rainforest creatures, a babbling brook or even white noise can now be a part of your bedroom atmosphere with the simple push of a button. You can set a timer or let it go all night.

Essential oil diffusers can be another great tool for getting a full night’s rest. Choose from a variety of pleasing scents for whatever ails you… headaches, insomnia, stress, mental clarity, allergies, cold and flu, arthritis. Or just enjoy the soothing fragrance as you fall off to sleep.

Finally, don’t forget the benefits of a misting humidifier during the winter months when the air has a tendency to dry things out, causing nasal congestion. A clear nose can clear the way for a better night’s sleep.

Step #6: Make It Hard to Snooze

One habit you need to avoid at all costs is hitting the snooze button when you wake up.

In fact, think of your snooze button as the gatekeeper standing in the way of your productive morning.

It is all too easy and tempting to just reach over and slap your alarm clock to get yourself a few extra minutes.

But remember this:

Hitting the snooze button doesn’t help you actually fall back into a deep sleep. You’re simply setting yourself up for segmented interrupted sleep.

So you need to make it hard to hit that snooze button.

You can try:

● Positioning your alarm far away so you have to get out of bed. 

● Keeping your phone in a docking station somewhere else in your house.

● Opening the curtains or hanging sheer ones that will wake you when the sun comes up.

● Making your bed as soon as you get out of it.

● Using a sleep or fitness tracker to wake you when you are in a lighter state of slumber.

● Keeping peppermints next to your bed and pop one in your mouth the minute the alarm goes off, which is known to boost alertness and mental clarity.

You’re basically looking to make it as hard as possible for you to go back to sleep. In doing so, you’re less likely to give up and eventually even embrace the idea of ditching that snooze button.

Step #7: Develop Grit

I’m not sure anybody actually likes the idea of waking up any earlier than they have to. For many, sleep is our sanctuary, that place where the world and life is quiet for just a little while.

But if you’re looking to be more productive during the day, then it’s necessary to step out of your comfort zone and embrace those things that make you uncomfortable.

That’s why you need to develop grit.

In Angela Duckworth’s book by the same name, Grit shares ideas about the cultivation of tenacity… and how it can actually be a great tool for self-improvement and growth.

According to Duckworth:

Grit can be learned, regardless of IQ or circumstances, and once you’ve grabbed a hold of it… you will be able to pick yourself up anytime you fall.

So if you follow the ones outlined here, to cement your efforts to wake up earlier each day… you will build that grit that’s necessary to wake up earlier in the day.

It all starts with convincing yourself that embracing the idea that getting up early is a good idea… a necessary idea for improving the quality of your life.

The benefits of getting up early far outweigh the cons… and before long, you’ll hardly remember the days when you used to enjoy sleeping in, watching the day drag on.

⚙️1% Habit Idea

Today’s 1% habit is a simple one – develop the habit of taking frequent walking breaks. 

Walking is one of the best ways to get regular exercise without it negatively impacting your busy schedule. While some people (like me) prefer a scheduled time of day to get exercise, others find that it’s better to walk throughout their workdays, specifically between blocks of focused effort.

If you work at a desk, then try to make a commitment to take a quick walking break every 30 minutes.

Not only will this help you feel refreshed before the next task, it also adds a small deposit to the “bank of healthy you.”

This habit should be completed throughout the day, usually after an intense block of work.

My recommendation is to create a simple if-then statement, like, “Whenever I finish a work-related task, I will get up and walk for a few minutes.”

Sure, this might feel weird at first, but eventually you’ll become comfortable with taking a walk whenever you complete a task.

How to Get Started:

Let’s do a quick bit of math to show the power of this simple habit:

● 30-minute blocks = two walking breaks per hour

● Two walking breaks = eight minutes of movement (if you give yourself an extra minute to run to the bathroom or grab a drink of water between blocks)

● Eight minutes * eight hours (a normal workday) = 64 minutes of movement

Obviously, this is a perfect-world scenario where you take a walking break twice an hour.

But even if you halve that amount, that’s still thirty minutes of regular exercise completed during a normal workday.

That’s two miles of movement on top of any other types of exercise that you get

🗂️ The Resource Roundup

🤖 43% of Google AI Overviews for Finance Search Results are Incorrect – Don’t trust Google AI! A recent study found that Google AI’s responses to finance-related searches are inaccurate or misleading 43% of the time, which could harm users' financial decisions. The issues are particularly prevalent in searches related to taxes and financial aid, where even small inaccuracies can lead to significant financial consequences. The study suggests that Google should disable AI-generated summaries for complex financial topics to prevent spreading misinformation that could impact users' financial well-being.

🚫 How to Break Free from the Yes Autopilot: Setting Boundaries that Work – Do you say “yes” to everything? You may be stuck in “Yes Autopilot” and constantly agree to requests and struggle to set boundaries, often due to social conditioning, perfectionism, or fear of missing out. This article explains the negative impact of overcommitting on mental well-being and productivity and offers practical tips for breaking free.

🌱 How to Become More Adaptable in Challenging Situations – When facing high-stakes situations, we often rely on past strategies that don’t always work in new contexts—this is known as the adaptability paradox. To break free from old habits, the authors suggest practicing Deliberate Calm, which encourages intentional, creative, and objective problem-solving. They point to learning agility, emotional self-regulation, and dual awareness to help leaders better adapt to challenges and make smarter decisions.

📈 4 Simple Habits to Transform Your Weeks – In his article, Sahil Bloom shares four simple habits to elevate your week: prioritizing deep work sessions, planning your week on Sundays, establishing a daily reflection routine, and creating a wind-down ritual. These habits can help you maximize productivity, enhance your mindset, and ensure you approach each week with purpose. These small changes can transform how you work and live, making your weeks more fulfilling.

🎵 Can listening to music make you more productive at work? – While some people thrive with background tunes, others find it distracting, and research shows that the impact of music varies based on your personality, the task at hand, and the type of music. To make the most of music in your work routine, experiment with different genres and tasks to see what helps you focus—upbeat tunes may energize simple tasks, while calming music can enhance memory during complex work.

That’s it for today.

I hope you’re having a great start to your week!

Cheers,

Steve Scott 

SPONSORED

Again, if you want to take action on the concepts that were covered in this newsletter, then these five printable worksheet bundles can help:

● Monthly Habit Tracker Printable Worksheets Package

● 12 Goal Setting Planner Printable Worksheets Bundle

● Daily Planner Printable Worksheets and Templates Bundle

● Energy Audit Printable Worksheet to Track Daily Energy Levels

● Time Audit Printable Worksheets and Templates Bundle