When I was in the very beginning stages of creating this blog (as in, when I was deciding whether or not to even start one again), I began wondering how on earth I would manage a blog, running my solo Etsy business, creating new products, and also teaching kindergarten full-time!
I began doing some research (mostly on Pinterest, of course) and kept seeing the same things over and over again:
- Get Up 2 hours Earlier, Jump Start Your Day!
- Waking Up at 5:00 AM Changed My Life
- Science Says You Should Wake Up Early
After seeing the same thing over and over and over, I was convinced… so, after putting it off for days (and not being able to get anything done because I didn’t have time), I begrudgingly set an alarm for 5AM one morning and went to bed.
Now, before I go on, let me give you some background here. For me, personally, my mornings used to be absolutely a disaster. I would wake up around 7 or 7:30, jump into the shower, quickly get dressed and ready, be out the door by 8, and pray that the drive-thru line at Tim Horton’s wasn’t too long so I could get some iced coffee and a muffin.
And, umm, if you didn’t happen to think about it, waking up 2.5 hours earlier doesn’t suddenly just happen. You’re supposed to ease yourself into it, and I didn’t do that. Those first few weeks were absolutely brutal, and I regularly had to force myself out of bed after half an hour of snoozing.
But then, something magical happened: it got easier! It actually got way easier. I began snoozing less and less, and I found myself with more energy in those early hours. In fact, I could even get stuff done while my coffee kettle boiled, instead of hanging on the stove and desperately waiting!
Now, waking up early is something that my body just does naturally. (I know, I’m one of those people, but it’s so true.) In fact, this very morning, I had my alarm set for 7:30 (because I’m on spring break!) and I found myself wide awake at 6 AM. I laid around and finally rolled out of bed at 6:30, totally ready to take on the day.
By waking up earlier, I’ve found that I have much more time in the mornings to wake up, make some coffee, and work on things that I want to work on. It might be this blog, maybe my Etsy shop, perhaps grading papers… heck, sometimes it’s just popping in some headphones and watching an episode of Glee before getting ready for work!
I’m so happy with how my mornings go now that I have consistently been waking up at 5:30 daily and I absolutely think it could benefit most everyone! I can get more done and I feel way better heading off to work, knowing that I have already done things to help build my business.
Here are some of my favorite things about waking up before the world.
You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment : When you wake up before everyone else in your house (and on the whole block), it brings a sense of accomplishment. After all, how many people say they don’t get out of bed early because it’s too difficult? Well, guess what- you did it first thing! What a way to start off your day.
You’ll rush around less : Waking up earlier literally adds hours to your day. How you spend those hours is totally your call; you could exercise, read, do devotions, cook a killer breakfast, work on your side hustle, watch your favorite Netflix show, or just sit on the porch and enjoy the view.
By waking up at 5 AM, I give myself plenty of time to fully wake up, make coffee, sit down and work on the blog (or my business, or Pinterest, or whatever I need) before getting into the shower around 6:30-6:45.
That’s over an hour, totally uninterrupted (well, except for cats trying to lay on my keyboard) that I have to work while drinking hot coffee and enjoying the silence of my house.
And, hey, if I have something else to do… I can do that, instead! If I want to finish something for school, or do laundry, or catch up on Netflix, I have the time to do it.
You’ll have more energy : I mean, think about it. If you wake up earlier, you’ll be awake for more hours and therefore will sleep much better at night. I sleep like a rock now because I’m so exhausted when I finally collapse into bed at the end of the night.
Also, when you wake up early, you’re exposed to more sunlight, giving you more natural energy throughout the day. #science
You’ll reach your goals (and faster!) : What’s that thing you’ve been trying to accomplish? Reading a new book every week? Reading through the Bible in a year? Losing 15 pounds? Making breakfast instead of driving through every morning? Starting a blog? (ahem … 85% of the work done on this blog is completed before 7AM!)
Whatever you set out to accomplish, waking up earlier will give you more time in the day to get it done. Squeeze in your goal-oriented tasks before the day flies away from you, as they all seem to do, and you’ll soon find that your goals are looking more and more attainable!
In addition, I find myself working much more quickly in the morning because I have a much more firm timeline than at night (I really want to finish this post this morning but I have to be in the shower by 6:30, so I need to try and get it done in 45 minutes! as opposed to I’ll just go to bed whenever I’m done with this post), which makes me much more motivated to accomplish things in a timely manner.
You’ll have less distractions : Why take the time to scroll through Facebook at 5 AM when everyone has been asleep and there’s nothing interesting to see? Why even bother posting on Instagram when nobody is awake? And, by the way, I can almost guarantee that nobody will be texting you and expecting a response before the sun comes up on a weekday. (If they do, you have my most sincere apologies.)
Additionally, I’m way less likely to get distracted scrolling through social media in bed at night if I know my alarm is going off at 5 AM sharp. It keeps me on track!
So, there you have it! And, just in case you’ve forgotten, here’s the list again real quick:
- You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment
- You’ll rush around less
- You’ll have more energy
- You’ll reach your goals (and faster)
- You’ll have less distractions
And now, I’m interested to hear: do you wake up early? If not, why? And if so, what’s your favorite part?
Can’t wait to hear from you!
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