Ok, now you might have to bear with me here, but trust me, this is going somewhere. Stop anything else you’re doing and just consider this for a second…
Most of the people who started the big UK banks back in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries were Quakers. Now early quakers of this sort followed particular practice which included opposition to the following;
- Betting and gambling (now that’s hard to believe with banker’s of today, isn’t it?
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) - Capital punishment
- Slavery
- Oaths
- Times and Seasons
)and testimony that promoted;
- Integrity (again, quite hard to believe that this is how bankers started out!)
- Peace
- Plain language (need I say it again?)
- Simplicity (where did it all go wrong!?)
- Sunday observance
- Sustainability (Didn’t see much of that leading up to the recent banking crash)
- Moderation and temperance!
Clearly Quakers led a reserved lifestyle (in a fairly extreme sense), it probably won’t do much good to replicate that yourself, however….Ok, you may say, that’s all interesting, but the point here is that the main people who succeeded back then were the people who weren’t out drinking, gambling, etc late into the night, instead they were the people who actually opposed wealth and what it stood for and generally lead a lifestyle where going to bed early was almost a requirement. So, why should that be any different in today’s society?… It’s not.
You might think this is a tenuous link between sleep and financial improvement, but research has shown that it can play a vital part in improving your lifestyle, including how you manage work and your finances;
Getting an early night means (amongst other things);
- You can get up earlier – think about what you could do with the extra time in the morning. Not only will you save yourself having to rush about (and increase your heart rate & stress), but you could do something positive like manage your online banking before the day has even started. This would help make sure there are no payments you’ve missed or charges you might incur unnecessarily.
- You can have a better breakfast – more time at the start of the day means you can make yourself a more nutritious and healthy breakfast. Eating better at breakfast has shown in numerous studies that it can improve your concentration throughout the day, leading to better decisions, a more positive work outlook (perhaps helping with a promotion or at least keeping your job in today’s economy) and better attitude.
- You might make it to work on time! – If, like me, you sometimes arrive late, then getting an early night could change this around and help you hold onto your career or even climb the ladder.
- You could take a different commuting option – Perhaps you normally drive and always miss an earlier bus. Now you could take the bus and use the time productively. Perhaps plotting out a new business venture or just catching up on the day’s news so you’re better informed.
- Set yourself a new goal – Mornings are a great time for setting a goal for the day or a week. Think of something you want to accomplish and focus on it for the day or week.
- You can exercise! – Do you want to lead a healthier lifestyle but never get time to exercise? The morning is the perfect time to do it. There’s no one around, it’s quiet and it really sets your energy levels up for the day ahead.
- You could sell your unwanted clutter bit by bit each morning.
- If you’ve got kids… swap your quiet time in the evening for quiet time in the morning. That way you get one up on them by being up first and it’ll probably mean you’re less grumpy with them (it does for me!)
There are plenty of other positives that can be brought about by an early night and early start. Putting it into practice could be just the thing that helps you on your path to improving your finances.
If you’ve got any experiences relating to this or any first class ideas for getting finances in order, please drop us a line.