Navy Hornet aircraft on a carrier at dawn (courtesy San Diego Air and Space Museum on Flickr Commons)How do you make time to get things done?

Get up earlier.

Really, I’m afraid that’s the answer.

On mornings when I get up by 5:30 or 6 a.m., work out, shower, dress, eat breakfast, scan the news, straighten up the house, give the diabetic cat her shot and hit work hard at 8:30 or 9 a.m., I am a productivity monster for the rest of the day.

There’s even time to clear clutter and work on my book.

On mornings when I drag ass out of bed a little after 7, barely get dressed enough to be presentable as I kiss my husband and school-age son goodbye on the driveway, then wander into the house in a fog and piddle around until the first cup of coffee hits, the day is often shot before it even starts.

Here’s the deal with getting up earlier – you have to go to bed earlier. Duh.

You have to stop drinking coffee after about 2 pm in the afternoon, unplug from electronics, maybe go for a short evening walk after dinner, take a minute to review your schedule and To Do list for the next day and get lights out by around 9:30 p.m.

Yes, 9:30. I wouldn’t even know what Letterman or Conan look like if I hadn’t seen pictures – no late night staring at the boob tube for me.

The Navy tried to make me a morning person for almost 23 years, but reveille never came easily to me. Now, as a freelancer and entrepreneur, I am “getting religion” about early to bed, early to rise….

How about you?

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