Start plundering inactives early
You really have to get some trade ships and start plundering the inactive players around you early on. Many of them will have had those first 30 workers getting them lumber for several days, and when the godly protection runs out you want to be ready with a few spearmen and trade ships to take that lumber. Some of them will have as much as 1,500 lumber which is a lot early in the game.
I suggest checking your island and your neighbor islands frequently so that you are the first one to notice when someones godly protection has run out. Trust me, your active neighbors will be looking for this as well, so don’t be lazy when it comes to this. It will really help you speed up things early on if you manage to plunder a few of these inactives that come out of protection.