Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be writing a blog post about getting up early! I am not a morning person y’all! Truth be told I’m not an evening person either, I LOVE my sleep. I love going to bed early, I love sleeping in, and I definitely love a long morning nap on the weekends (kind of weird to nap in the morning I know… it’s just my thing). However, not too long ago I realized, I’m always going to be tired! It’s just where I am in life. I work part time during the day, I own a local lifestyle photography business, I freelance for a social media marketing company, and both of my kids are in very involved extra curricular activities. I mean it’s no wonder I’m exhausted!
My husband on the other hand is a total morning person. It doesn’t matter what time he goes to bed, he is up and ready to go around 5:30 every day. Awhile back he suggested that we get up early together to enjoy a few quiet moments before the day starts, I basically laughed in his face and told him that was never going to happen in a million years!
Once I realized that I’m going to be tired no matter how much sleep I get I decided to “indulge” my hubby a bit and get up early to have a cup of tea with him before he leaves to work. I thought I’d give it a shot, what is the worst that could happen? I’ll be tired again? So, I went for it. I set me alarm for 5am! I wish I could say that it was AMAZING, I just jumped right out of bed, caught up with my husband, sipped on my tea and lived happily ever after. Ha! That is not even close to what happened! I was tired, groggy, and probably grumpy, even though Erik won’t admit to that. It was terrible! I do no like to get up early! What did happen is once I got over myself, I looked around and the house was so quiet and calm. I figured there probably really is something to this whole getting up early thing. I tried it again the next day, it wasn’t any easier trust me but it was nice to see Erik before he left to work. After he left instead of laying on the couch thinking about how tired I am (like I did the first day) I decided to catch up on some photo editing I needed to get done, I ate breakfast, and had time to get ready before it was even time to get my kids up for school. It was like I had the whole day ahead of me! I used to sleep until it was time to get the kids up, I felt rushed to get them to school, rushed to get ready, and behind before the day even started. As the days went on, I continued to get up early. It really wasn’t getting any easier for me, but I felt more productive and less stressed. Still tired, but less stressed… That is a BIG DEAL Y’all!
Once, I got used to getting up early I started to work on doing things to make myself feel less tired. Going to bed consistently at the same time every night, eating healthier, and exercising more regularly are all things that help. But, in all honesty I’m still tired sometimes. Even though I’m tired I feel more productive. I have more time to enjoy my life and my loves, because I don’t always feel like I’m running behind. Getting up early literally changed my life by putting me ahead of the day.
I know I’m not ALONE, we are all crazy busy. The to do list is never ending, our work is never done, and our kids are always going to need us. If you feel behind before your day is even started, and you are thinking about trying to get up early here are a few tips to help you get started.
- Have a Purpose For Getting Up Early-What is your reason? Do you want to spend some time with your partner before the day gets started like I did? Do you want to work on your side hustle? Do you want to exercise or meal plan? Maybe you want to meditate, read, or do a load of laundry? I have found that if you have a purpose, a real reason to get up then it is easier to wrap your brain around it, and you are more likely to do it.
- Don’t Hit the Snooze Button-I really don’t know why. I just know that once you hit that snooze button you are giving yourself permission to not get out of bed, and you are only making it harder on yourself. The inevitable is eventually coming, you will have to get up. Just bite the bullet and get out of bed on the first alarm!
- Drink Some Water-I like to leave a water bottle by my bed so that it is there as soon as I wake up. Some people prefer warm water with lemon. I say hey whatever floats your boat… Just don’t forget to hydrate first thing!
- Make Your Bed-This one is EASY. Once your bed is made you’re not going to want to get back in it! Duh!
- Look Over Your To-Do List-I like to look over my to do list and my calendar for the day. I have a heads up, I’m already preparing for what’s to come and I’m getting ahead of the day.
- Enjoy!-You have a few hours to yourself, enjoy your time.