I was a night owl most of my life. I absolutely dreaded mornings. I was the most amazing “snooze button hitter” in the history of snoozers! As a teen, my only breakfast table responses were grunts. In college I (after my first semester) I never took a class before 10am, (may have been part of the reason it took me five years to graduate…). I even found a career that didn’t require me to be in until 10 am. One boss noted that I didn’t respond to emails until about 4pm each day – which is when my brain starts to really get humming.
Fast forward to today and I am a habitual 6 / 6:30 am riser. Up before my alarm. Even on weekends. Even on vacation. So how in the world, and why in the world, did that happen? If you are not an early bird stick with me and I’ll share my reasons and tips for this life changing shift.
The Why
In 2014 I started my own business. I was able to keep whatever hours I wanted and I’d stay up pretty late working. That suited me fine except… I also tend to be a workaholic. It became obvious I needed to instill some boundaries so that I could build habits of self care and nurturing all areas of my life especially,
- Spiritual health
- Physical health
- Mental health
With workaholic tendencies, none of these was easy for me. Scheduling those at lunch time or after work, didn’t work. Networking and client meetings dictated part of my time. You may have lots of other life demands that make it challenging for you to have time to focus on your overall health too; family, work, social or civic engagements. Eventually, this night owl came to the conclusion that I was going to have to get up earlier. Early, as in before sunrise most of the year (apparently there were people that did that?!). I hemmed. I hawed. I procrastinated. I maybe even threw a bit of a pity party. It was time for me to learn to get up early.
The How
- I determined my priorities and put them first in my day. What did I want my day to look like?
- I thought about my WHY. Why was it important to me to do more than work?
- I made a plan and executed the plan.
- I started slowly, going to bed 15 minutes earlier and setting my alarm for 15 minutes earlier.
- I put the alarm on the other side of the room, told myself the night before I was getting up without hitting snooze (and why this was important!) and when the alarm went off I counted 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (thank you Mel Robbins – watch her YouTube video here) and most days I got up.
- I kept at it, even when I “failed,” moving the time in 15 minute increments until I hit my goal.
The Now
I love my quiet time and morning routine. My family (new to me in 2015) thinks I’ve always been this way. Nurturing my spirit, mind and body starts each day off on a good note and I’ve grown in each area. During 2020 I credit it to being a huge part of saving my sanity! If you are ready to shift your morning schedule a bit to start your day off strong, I’m cheering for you! It is such a great way to take care of you! My next blog I’ll share a bit of what I do with that time.
