The power hour: Could waking 60 minutes earlier get you through your lockdown day?

The over-arching take-home from The Power Hour? Quite simply; get up an hour earlier. I tried it and trust me; it is transformative.

Zoom culture reached its absolute acme this season when Texan lawyer Rod Ponton presented for a court date as a startled-looking kitten. Informing the judge that he was not in fact, a cat, but a human, Ponton was perfectly happy to carry on the meeting as his feline avatar. This unexpected little mishap brings us right back to 2017 when “BBC Dad” was interrupted by his children on a call to the British broadcasting service, rhapsodising on South Korean politics. Rather than show a morsel of contrition, his young ones swaggered in with the moves of Jagger and the poise of peak-Yeezy Kanye West.

Many of us are grappling with the myriad roles thrust upon us from the cold hand of Covid;home-schooler, chore-doer, care-giver, child-minder, team player, meal provider, exercise facilitator, need we go on? We seem to be stuck in a Darwinian time loop and it’s looking more likely that only the yogis will survive.

The solution can actually be quite simple, argues wellness professional, podcaster and fitness trainer, Adrienne Herbert. The key to avoiding burnout is to manage one’s time effectively, she tells me. Her new book, The Power Hour suggests getting up an hour earlier than normal to focus on yourself. For Herbert, that’s 5:30am; for you, it could be 9am – it’s not one-size-fits-all. Previously a dancer in the West End musical, We Will Rock You, Herbert’s priorities changed when she had her son, Jude. She wanted to help other Mums to feel better within themselves. Having time to yourself before the kids get up or before you start work can help to achieve your goals and increase your happiness, she claims.

So, what prompted Herbert to begin this morning routine? In 2017, Herbert found herself in a self-perpetuating negative cycle of thinking. She desperately longed for a second child, a brother or sister for young Jude. When she suffered a devastating miscarriage, Herbert realised she needed to step back and take stock. From the shadows, a fortuitous opportunity came her way. Paul Brady, the head press officer at Adidas asked her to run the London marathon as a global ambassador for the brand.

Juggling family commitments, personal training sessions, and several social media gigs made the marathon seem like an impossible feat. But Herbert was determined to make it work.

It’s all about developing the right mindset, she says, a way of “empowering yourself to make a choice and take action, to focus on your goals and create a life that you love.” 

Herbert got to work immediately and came across Professor Michael M. Merzenich’s theory of neuroplasticity – the idea that our cognitive functions have the ability to evolve and develop well into old age. Her task ahead was physical but the preparation had to include the psychological. Instead of shying away from the challenge, Herbert decided to tackle it head-on.

Inaction is the greatest risk of all. Fear stops us from trying something. 

"The first thing about breaking into the growth mindset is that you accept that things can change, you have a choice, you can change anything whether it’s your behaviour, your hairstyle, your husband or your postcode.” 

It might sound complex but Herbert’s book acts as a blueprint for creating a productive life and she sets out simple tasks to get you there. The first step is accepting where you are in your life.

“Wherever you are in your journey, whatever age, whatever circumstance, it is absolutely never too late to change.” Herbert recommends asking yourself a series of “dominant questions.” 

Instead of framing questions in a negative light “why can’t I ever seem to get up early to do a workout?”, ask questions that guide your mindset towards success. Questions like “who can I learn from today or “what am I grateful for” are rooted in positivity and help to form an optimistic view of the day ahead.

“Begin by asking, what is the one thing that you would deem to be the most important or valuable to you,” Herbert posits. Once you have made an honest assessment of where you are in your life, look towards your habits and work on replacing or recreating different, more powerful habits. 

Knowing the difference between useful and powerful habits, Herbert says, is crucial. A “useful habit” drives you towards a goal and benefits you “physically, mentally, and financially” whereas a “powerful habit" is something that, when banked over time, has a profound effect on your life.

“It may not seem like such a big deal but over time, you accumulate [the behaviours]. If you think how powerful it is when that first domino falls. It creates a ripple effect. It’s a small thing like turning off your phone at the weekend. When you’re free from distraction, you can give your full attention to your child, read a book or write. I never would have been able to write The Power Hour if I had my phone next to me.” 

Early morning attitude: Getting up an hour earlier can literally transform your life.

Once you’ve substituted your morning routine with better habits, start “creating friction,” she says, make it easier to choose those habits. This can be as simple as turning off your phone’s notifications, stocking the fridge with healthier options or leaving the car at home.

As Director of Innovation and Performance at fitness app, FIIT, movement has had a profound effect on Herbert’s wellbeing. When she was first approached to run a marathon, she had never run further than 10km in one go. But having a growth mindset propelled her to believe that this was possible.

While the term exercise can conjure up negative feelings for many people, movement is “instinctive,” says Herbert, “it’s something our bodies want to do.” Herbert recommends incorporating movement into your power hour. It can be as low-key as walking the dog or as strenuous as lifting weights; listen to your own body and tailor your routine.

As someone who considers herself to be work-rich and time-poor with a never-ending to-do list, I devoured Herbert’s book, Th e Power Hour. The over-arching take-home? Quite simply; get up an hour earlier. I tried it and trust me; it is transformative.

Ciara Conlon has worked as a productivity coach for over fourteen years and literally wrote the Productivity Guide for Dummies. To effectively manage our time, she says, we need to look beyond the obvious and adopt a holistic approach.

So, what does that look like for Conlon? Again, it is the habits we cultivate that Conlon mentions again and again. Prioritising and scheduling are important but so too are exercise, diet, and mindset.

Conlon experienced a period of depression herself before realising that a change needed to happen. A busy mother of three boys, she found herself slumped on the floor one day when her eldest boy asked her if she was alright. “I just have to get out for a walk” she said, lacklustre.

“It’s not because you have to Mum, it’s because you want to,” her son said and that set something off in Conlon.

“It made me realise I’m sitting here like a victim, feeling sorry for myself. That was a catalyst – it pushed me to take control, to take responsibility for my life.” 

Just like Herbert, Conlon emphasises the importance of creating a morning routine. She tells me the parable of a Zulu chief who would rise before the rest of his tribe.

The story was he used to piss before his bull; it’s what kept him ahead of everybody else.

This analogy inspired the title of her first book, Rise Before Your Bull and Conlon tells me it has a double meaning.

“Get up before the negative chatter starts, before the bull starts telling you that you’re too tired or it doesn’t really matter. It’s about mastering that bull and taking over those negative thoughts.” Conlon recommends adapting and replacing habits one at a time.

“Sometimes people try to do too much and that’s why they tend to fail. The process that I teach people is to master one habit first.” 

With all the extra pandemic-related demands on parents, Conlon says it’s imperative to be realistic about your goals. Start with listing your priorities, she says and schedule regular breaks. Just like Herbert, that hour before everyone else wakes up is a non-negotiable for Conlon and it enables her to be more present with her kids throughout the day.

“Every morning is a new opportunity to begin again,” she says.

I’m off to video call my friend Sarah. The last time we Zoomed, she appeared in full drag makeup, applied by her four-year-old daughter, Fiadh. Oisín, her younger brother seemed to be performing an exorcism on a badly-battered stegosaurus. I wonder would now be a good time to bring up the power hour?