Waking Up Before the Kids

September 16, 2019

The last 6 months, I’ve made it a point to set my alarm at 5:15-5:30am to wake up before the kids. Why do I do this? For so many reasons. Mainly, so I can wake up with a hot cup of coffee, sit by myself, and start my work day. When I don’t do this, my morning (and even mood) can feel off.

So, here’s the thing… I am fully aware of the need for a good night’s sleep. It just comes down to what a person has going on in their current situation to know if it’s the right schedule for them. If I just had a baby and was up all hours of the night, you better believe I would be taking those extra minutes of sleep seriously. As of right now, I typically go to sleep around 10pm, with little or no alcohol involved during the week (this has made me sleep and wake up even easier) and I jump out of bed at 5:15-5:30am depending on my alarm.

Photo by aMaes Photography

What do I do in the morning? I listed a typical morning above, yet, it can be tailored to whatever is important to you. For me, I get out of bed and the very first thing I do is turn on the coffee, then I wash my face, brush my teeth, and use the restroom. After that, I could do whatever I felt was needed to get me started on the day: unload the dishwasher, answer DMs, get breakfast started, etc. OR just sit in quiet with a hot cup of coffee and watch a TV show. That’s the beauty of taking time for just you… you can spend that time doing whatever your heart desires. Yet, like this morning, I usually choose to sit with a hot cup of coffee with no tv and use the time to finish this blog post.

So, how does one start waking up early when they haven’t woken up early before? Like many things in life, the more you do it, the easier it gets. You set your alarm. Hell, you can even set two or three alarms at the beginning if that is helpful to you. And you force yourself to get up. Knowing I have to push the coffee machine in order for me to get coffee has been a good motivation to get my body up and out of bed.

Doing this every morning, especially during the week, and even during the weekend has been a HUGE change to how the rest of my day will play out. I would highly recommend you trying this for yourself and seeing if it could make a positive impact on your day to day.

Photo by aMaes Photography

Below is a list to motivate the decision on what you could do in the early hours:

  1. Shower
  2. Drink a hot cup of coffee
  3. Sit in a quiet space
  4. Exercise
  5. Chores/clean house 
  6. Watch a TV show
  7. Work
  8. Journal/Draw
  9. Organize/make a to-do list for the day
  10. Meditate
  11. Get ready (makeup, hair, etc.)
  12. Start making breakfast
  13. Pump (if breastfeeding)
  14. Read
  15. Listen to a podcast
  16. Anything your heart desires 

xoxo, Lola