Benjamin Franklin said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”  I agree.  In fact, since I was 12 years old I’ve been getting up at 4:30 in the morning.  At age 12 it was so I could be to the paper station for my paper route at 5 AM.  At age 16 it was because my job doing cement work in Phoenix, Az started at 5 AM.  In college it was so I could study uninterrupted. 

     (My college roommates changed the saying just a bit.  Their version was, “Early to bed and early to rise, while your girl goes out with the other guys.”)

     If you’re wise and get up early here is a tip for making good use of those early morning hours before everyone gets into the office.  Spend 10 minutes per morning calling clients and contacts.  None of them will answer their phones since it will be too early in the morning, however, you can leave a voice mail.  This is a great way to keep in contact with people.

     Calling early in the morning shows you are driven, means that you will be able to get in 3 to 5 calls each day and leave a message just keeping in touch, and doing this will build momentum for the day.