Every night I set two alarms to wakeup in the morning. One for 6am and the other for 6:30am. Why? I am already preparing myself for the 30-minute snooze that my mind seems to believe helps me get more rest.
Let me tell you, there is no extra rest in that time. I probably wake up two or three times in between making sure I did not oversleep my second alarm.
I kept running into videos and articles about the benefits of waking up at 5. Most of the time I laughed and continued to scroll past, but like most new habits, I eventually decided to try it. If push came to shove, I could always go back to my trusty 6:30 wake up time.
The goal was to try and wake up at 5am for a week. I had to be realistic with myself and what I thought I would be able to do. The first morning was hell.
Somehow, I rolled myself onto the floor and got straight in the shower with hopes that I could shock my body into waking up. I moseyed into the kitchen and made a hot cup of joe. Let me tell you, I rarely drink coffee, but I was going to today!
I love the smell of it but have always been deceived by the taste until I found Starbucks creamer. My fiancé is the coffee drinker which is the only reason we had some at the time.
I sat in silence enjoying my warm drink and realized I still had an hour and a half to myself before needing to get the kids up and ready for school.
That was my ah-ha moment. I felt like I had unlocked the key to “me time” in motherhood.
My New Joys
Waking up at am had given me a new outlook on my life and my ability to be productive.
**Be sure to check out my blog post 7 Ways to be More Productive Throughout the Day for more tips!**
I was now able to enjoy:
- Enjoying a moment of silence away from the bustle of 3 children running around.
- Take a long hot shower without having to rush because of a noise or crying.
- Start preparing a workout routine to upkeep my physical and mental health.
- Work on my blog.
- Being able to feel more refreshed having taken care of myself first before the day started.
Keys to 5am Wakeup Call
Ready to have your moment of peace? Ready to have more time to get a head start on your day? If you are worried about being exhausted, here are some tips to help you start reaping the benefits of waking up at 5am.
Key #1: Find your Reason
There are a list of benefits to waking up at 5am. Choose a few of them and be sure to tell them to yourself in the morning as a form of self-love. If you don’t have a good reason for why you want to start getting up early, you will find an excuse not to.
Key #2: Make your plan the night before.
You will need to have a rough idea of what you intend to do in the morning the day before. If you set up a plan, you are more likely to get out of bed and get started in your day.
Key #3: Feeling sleepy? Sleep!
In the beginning it is going to take a few days to get adjusted to waking up at 5. You will most likely want to keep your regular routine and stay up, but your body will soon show you the consequences of that. So, if you notice you are feeling sleepy around 8 or 9pm, get some rest!
Key #4 Stay Active
Immediately after you get up in the morning you should aim to do something active. I find getting right in the shower is a great way to wake yourself up. You could also consider exercising, having a cup of coffee, morning skin care, or simply washing your face with a cooler rag.
Key #5 No Napping
As tempting as it is to want to hit the sheets in the middle of the day, I need you to fight this feeling. Midday naps when you are learning to establish a routine of getting up at 5 will make falling asleep at night more of a challenge which leads to being tired in the morning. The likelihood of you hitting snooze also goes up. Don’t throw away your progress!
Key #6 Avoid the Snooze
Don’t fall victim to your snooze button. There is an increased chance you will oversleep the next alarm or be even more tired afterwards. The best thing you can do is jump right out of the bed after to you turn it off.
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Finally Adjusting
I am not going to lie and act like it was easy to make this change. I had several slip ups, a couple snoozes, and a handful of “I’m going back to bed.”
However, like with all habits, if you continue to press forward you will adjust. So get out of the bed, get active and enjoy some time to yourself because you deserve it!
Always, Tiffany
