What Marcus Aurelius Teaches About Waking Up Early

Love that Book 5 of Meditations opens with an emperor arguing with himself about getting out of bed. Very human start.

Most jobsites are decided before 7 AM. The crew that starts on time usually finishes on time.

there are days when i am not able to go to bed as early as i’d like. i still get up early and let the exhaustion be a motivator to get to bed early next time. i was not born to feel nice, as Marcus Aurelius would say.

Marcus had to talk himself out of bed too, which makes the habit feel a lot more human. Getting up is the first small win of the day.

Did he teach you about being a coward during Covid?

Franklin built his whole day around that hour. The schedule in his Autobiography opens at 5 a.m. with "The Morning Question, What good shall I do this day?" and the first task: "Rise, wash, and address Powerful Goodness." At night he asked the other half: "What good have I done to-day?"