What started as a simple attempt to start my mornings relaxed instead of rushed has very quickly become a way of life for me. Yep, I'm not part of the 5 am club. Well, 5:30 actually. I recently heard a podcaster say she wakes up for her day instead of to her day and now I can't unhear it.
I love my kids with all I have. I do not love when they make their way to my room before I have even had a chance to get my thoughts together. So, I had to choose to get ahead of it.
Some mornings, I’m productive and complete work related tasks that I need get done to lighten my load for the rest of the day. Some mornings, I head up to the treadmill to get a workout in before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. Other mornings, I do nothing. I stay in the bed and lay around until I need to get up and start getting dressed.
Regardless of whether I use my time constructively or lounge around, simply being awake and starting my mornings off slowly has changed the whole tone of my days in such a beautiful way.
If you’re shaking your head as you’re reading this, mentally saying, “nope, Allison. There’s just absolutely no way I’m joining this up before the sun club you speak of,” I get it!
However, there are real benefits to waking up early that just might convince you:
Waking up early increases your productivity: For me, what 5:30am wake up times mean is an extra hour or two of me-time without distractions. In this season of life where I’m wearing a lot of different hats and juggling responsibilities on my own, I’m time is so precious. That extra time to work (or not work) leads to an increase in productivity overall.
Waking up early improves your mental health: According to several studies, early risers report feeling less stressed and more optimistic. If you ask me, that’s because they feel less rushed and have more time for self-care (whatever that looks like) before they have to tackle other tasks. I know we’ve all heard the saying that you can’t pour from an empty cup. Imagine what filling your cup FIRST, before you try to pour into anyone else, could do for you mentally.
Waking up early helps with time management: Early wake ups quite literally lead to more hours in the day for me. Surprisingly, although I’m waking up about an hour and a half before I normally would, I’m only going to bed about 20 minutes earlier. This extra time in the day allows me to manage my time better, enabling me to get tasks out of the way earlier in the day and have more time for myself later on.
I shared more about this new habit and how it's helping me while I solo-parent on my vlog: