I know this is a pretty bold statement, but yes, you can change your life by how you start it. I know I will have a good day when I wake up earlier. It is time for you to take back your day by doing something that you look forward to doing first thing in the morning. Waking up early in the morning won’t solve your problems, but it will help you feel your best. When you feel good, you do good, and when you do good, your life changes. So even though I can’t and won’t tell you to quit your job or leave your boyfriend, I can tell you that waking up earlier than you do can change your life!

There are a few key benefits to getting up earlier than you usually do (preferably before anyone else in your house wakes up).

• Accelerated motivation
• Increased energy
• Happier mood
• Better productivity

Accelerated Motivation

Waking up earlier in the morning means you have an extra hour or two before anyone else can interrupt you. Most of the time, if you wake up earlier than you typically do, it will naturally motivate you to do something with that time. So even if you’re encouraged to have a slower morning, you can utilize this time.

Increased Energy

Waking up earlier can increase your energy if you have had sufficient rest the night before. Also, rising early in the morning means you are not rushed to get out the door. Getting out of bed last minute and leaving the door in a dash accelerates your heart rate and increases cortisol’s stress hormone. When you’re body has too much cortisol, you are at risk of burning out quicker and feeling fatigued early on in your morning. Waking up slowly means you conserve your energy for more important things such as a workout or getting through your day.

Happier Mood

Getting up earlier in the morning, so you have time to take care of yourself can help you prevent feelings of bitterness, depression, and dissatisfaction. Taking some time to take care and check-in with yourself is crucial for mood improvement. A good time to do this is whenever you can; the better time is early in the morning. Like they say, “You can’t fill someone else’s cup if yours is empty.”

Better Productivity

You might hear the word productivity thrown around a lot lately. Productivity is the quality or effectiveness of something or someone. In this case, waking up earlier will improve the quality of your productivity at work, school, and relationships throughout the day. Waking up earlier and doing something for yourself, such as having time to put on makeup and do your hair in the morning, doesn’t seem at first to have anything to do with productivity, but have you ever noticed the difference in how you feel when you do put in some effort in the way you look compared to when you don’t? You walk a little taller and move around with more confidence, which can help your productivity because you don’t have that feeling of just wanting to hide and for the day to be over.

But What If I’m Not a Morning Person?

The hardest part about getting up early in the morning is getting up early. That’s why you must set yourself up for success the night before.

• Layout your workout clothes or outfit for the next day.
• Tidy up the house a bit, so you don’t spend the morning cleaning and stressing over it in the morning.
• Pre-set your coffee maker to start before you wake up in the morning.
• Set your alarm for the next day
• Go to bed early

Do What You Love First

Now that you’re up, it’s time to do something that excites you. The easiest way to get up in the morning is to have something to look forward to. For me, something that I look forward to is hearing silence and sipping my coffee. Combining what you should do with what you want to do makes it more of an enjoyable experience. You’ll look forward to waking up the following day if you look at it through different lenses. Here are a couple of combinations that you might want to consider:

• coffee + read the bible
• silence + meditate
• tea + journal
• music + workout
• shower + work on your school assignments or side gigs

Subscribe + See You Next Time

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope you will consider subscribing to stay in touch and get notified every time I post. Also, please leave a comment below to let me know what time you get up in the morning and your tips and tricks for getting up earlier. As a busy wife, mom, and graduate student, I can use all the help.

-With love, Amanda