Maybe you noticed in
this post, I get up about an hour & a half before I have to leave for work. I'm usually all alone during that time, & it really only takes me about 25 min or so to get ready for work, so about an hour of that time I actually could be sleeping if I really wanted to.
But, I have discovered I actually LIKE getting up early. I like that quiet time in the morning to myself. It's one of my most productive times of the day. I anticipate that I will do this my whole life. Once we have little ones it might even become more important for me to get up early & have a little me time. I'm not a late-nighter, I'm an early-morning gal.
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| At the bean in Chicago in the early morning. Ever seen it with no one else around? That's me under there! |
What is it about the morning that I love so much? I love the quiet, the sun rising, the hot coffee to sit & sip. I love watching the local news while I sit in the morning. I love feeling a sense of accomplishment, getting many things done in the early morning before many people are even up.
When I get up early, the day seems to last longer for me. I know it's not really true, but when you've been up for 6.5 hours by the time noon rolls around (rather than having been up only 2 let's say if I got up at 10) the day just seems longer, even though I might go to bed earlier than that person that got up at 10. I'm just more productive in the morning. If I stay up late, it's probably just that I'm watching a movie or something. Not likely that I'm being productive.
I think the thing that I love the most about morning is that there is so much possibility in the morning for that day. The knowledge that I can make that day be however I want. It's a great time for me to get moving & get things done that I want to get done that day so that I don't have to worry about it later. As you know, I'm a
do it now kind of person. I don't like having "things to do" hanging over my head. It makes me stressed & uncomfortable.
I do a variety of things in the early morning. Sometimes I workout, doing a
Pure Barre DVD or going for a short run outside. Sometimes I write a blog post (like today!) or read some blogs that were posted the day before. Sometimes I work on some
books for my etsy shop. Sometimes I'll get dinner going, throwing something in the crock pot. Sometimes I'll clean or do laundry. Some days I do my
Bible reading in the morning. I always have the news on in the background, but I'm never just sitting in front of the tv in the morning. I've always got something to do. There really isn't that much time in the day, I have to use what I have in order to be productive & get my day off to a good start!
I'm not saying that everyone should be a morning person. I totally get it that a lot of people aren't. I'm not a night person, but many people are. It is very rare that you'll see me up 'till 2am. Even midnight. I'm usually in bed between 10 & 11. It works for me. I'm not the girl who will stay up late working. I'm the girl that will get up early instead. And it's true that getting up early isn't always easy. I hit my snooze button sometimes too. But I know that getting up early is what works for me, so I get out of bed & shower & by the time I get out of the shower, I'm good to go!
If that doesn't work for you, that's ok. I think that everyone kinda knows their most productive time of the day. If you don't know it, you really should find it. And take advantage! Use that time to do your best work! If it's your lunch break, go ahead & write your blog post at lunch time. If it's late at night, arrange your schedule so that you can stay up late & use that time wisely. If you can get your productive time by yourself, you'll find yourself getting so much more done in your day just by using that hour or two to just do it!
Are you a morning person or a night person? What's your most productive time of day & how do you make sure you get to use that time to your best advantage?
