There are many entrepreneurs today who find themselves overwhelmed by the number of distractions present in our world. The influx of technology, the Internet and distractions around every corner make it difficult for most people to reach the level of productivity they desire.

While there are a number of different approaches that can remedy this issue, the world’s most successful achievers will all likely tell you the same thing: getting up early is the key to success and to finding true productivity.

A Productivity Challenge for Entrepreneurs

Whether its watching videos on YouTube, playing Candy Crush on their phones, or being distracted by countless email requests; many of us find our dependency on distractions can drastically and negatively impact our everyday productivity.

This is why I have a challenge for all of those individuals who find they are unable to be as productive as they want: get up every morning at 5 am.

This means every single morning, seven days a week, setting an alarm and getting out of bed at 5:00, without exceptions. It can be difficult at first, but it is something that those who truly want to be successful will find can greatly benefit their quality of life.

The first few hours you are awake in the morning are the most critical of your day. You tend to have the most energy in the morning and are typically free from distractions at this time as well.

Leveraging ‘The Golden Hours’ of Your Day

The hours of 5 am to 8 am are often referred to as “The Golden Hours” of the day. This is a time where the most successful individuals get the most done, and it is a time that will mold how the rest of your day pans out. This early morning window is an opportunity to be productive when others will still be sleeping too heavily to bother you or to take away your focus, and when emails won’t be coming in at a rapid fire rate.

In order to have a truly productive day, it is important to take advantage of these first 1-3 hours of your morning. However, this doesn’t mean that this is a time to stress yourself out with emails, phone calls and other distractions. This will only clutter up your morning and leave you feeling stressed early on.

Instead use this time to read, engage in relaxing activities, and review goals you have for yourself. If you use this time to be productive, avoid negative influences and get yourself in a positive mindset early in the morning; you will find yourself in a better state of mind throughout the rest of the day.

It can take some time and schedule adjustments to get used to the early morning wake up routine. However, those who get themselves on this type of routine find they are getting more done in their mornings than most people can get done in weeks. Try it out for yourself, and you will see just how much peak performance time you have been missing out on by sleeping through the most important hours of your day.

Richard Lorenzen is the CEO of Fifth Avenue Brands, a New York-based public relations firm. He speaks on business, politics and philanthropy and has appeared on Fox News, Forbes, NBC and over 100 media outlets nationwide.

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