I am not a morning person. But waking up early transformed my entire life. I repeat I am not a morning person. So if you are like me and you are skeptical, hear me out. Waking up early is hard, but it is worth it.
I’ve always been someone who likes to stay up late at night and get up as late as possible in the morning. I press the snooze button three times. I time my morning routine down to the minute so I can maximise my sleep and just about get to work on time. All of this was me. Until about 3 years ago, when I started getting up 1-2 hours earlier than I needed to. As a guide, I recommend getting up at least one hour earlier than you ‘need’ to. For me that is around 6am.
Why?
I am not really sure why I did it at first. It was during the pandemic, I was working from home and it was a weird time all round. I know this was a time many people actually developed the habit of sleeping later because they didn’t have to commute.
But for me, rolling out of bed 5 minutes before logging in at work gave me a feeling that life lacked purpose. The first 9 hours of my day were focused on work and by the time I had any time to myself I was too tired to do anything worthwhile. I thought I might feel better if I woke up earlier and did something for myself before starting work. I was right.
The Benefits
As someone who still hates getting up early, but decides to do it anyway, believe me when I say there are many benefits to waking up early. So what are they?
Focus On You First
Waking up an hour earlier than you ‘need’ to allows you to focus on you first thing everyday. Often we put everyone else before ourselves and we suffer mentally, emotionally and physically as a result. What focusing on you means to you is, up to you!
Some mornings I feel productive and I read, work out, meditate or work on my personal projects. But other days I wake up early and I simply sip my tea and breath before the chaos of the day begins. Both are fine. Both allow me to focus on me first thing each day.
Quiet Time
Do you ever get that feeling that life is so busy all the time and you just need a minute?! You can have 60 quiet minutes if you get up an hour earlier. One of my favourite things about waking up early is that the world is still sleeping. No one is expecting anything from me. Everything feels calm. And this allows me to gain clarity on my day and my priorities without distraction.
This quiet time allows me to focus on what is important. As I said earlier sometimes I am productive. But sometimes it gives me time to recount what I am grateful for. Or to reflect on the previous day/week. Very often during this time in the morning, solutions to problems or challenges I am having just come to me. I believe this quiet time is important for the mind and allows me the space and time to process and progress.
Puts You In Control
I used to get the feeling that I was chasing the day. I was always rushing to the next thing. I’d wake up late and rush to get ready for work, rush there and rush home. By waking up early, I am in control of my day from the get-go.
Now, I don’t rush. And I don’t know why it transcends through my entire day but it does. I am not a slave to the clock anymore. And as a result, I feel happier, more present and more productive in everything that I do. As a bonus I also love that by the time I finish work, I usually have achieved everything I want to that day so I can relax, guilt free.
Give It A Try
These are just the benefits that I have gained from waking up early. Your experience will be different however I am sure, it will transform your life for the better. And by the way, I still sleep in on the weekend so it is possible to compromise and still reap the benefits.
Are you already a morning person? Have you known this secret for years? Are there any other benefits that I have forgotten. As always share your thoughts and experiences in the comments as we are always eager to get your perspective.