Lately I’ve been setting my alarm for 4:30 AM. I wanted to experiment with reading and making progress on personal tasks before the work day starts. It’s felt really good and productive so far, so it’s something I’d like to continue to do.
I have more creative energy at the start of the day. This means if I want to put more energy towards personal tasks, I should try to do them in the morning. This early morning space also gives me the time to unwind. This is in contrast to many days when I would wake up and immediately dive into the work day.
My typical morning
- 4:30 AM: Alarm goes off and lay in bed for 15-20 minutes willing myself to “get up”
- 4:45 AM: Get up and get ready for the gym
- 5:15 AM: Arrive at gym
- 6:30 AM: Head home or go grocery shopping first
- 6:45 AM: Light stretch, feed the cat, shower
- 7:15 AM: Read a couple chapters of my latest library book (by this time, Mr. Nacho is also in his morning routine, so we get to have coffee and read together)
- 7:45 AM: Respond to personal emails or other household tasks
- 8:45 AM: Hop online for work
This has worked well, but I’m considering experimenting with waking up even earlier. Given that my ideal work start time is closer to 7:30 AM, I would love to start getting up at 4 instead. Perhaps I could ease into it with a 4:15 alarm, OR… actually get up vs. snooze for 15 minutes.
Waking up early as a habit
That dense, foggy feeling and grogginess of waking up earlier than expected is something I would experience often until recently. That feeling of just wanting to crawl back under the warmth of blankets and retreat back into a deep sleep.
I think the reason it’s a bit easier for me now is that I’ve had periods of early rising throughout my adult life. Back in college, I had early mornings as part of the crew team, and also during the months I trained for a bikini competition. Waking up earlier for the gym also meant less crowds and a lower chance of waiting for machines to open up.
Going to bed early as a consequence
In order to feel rested and have enough energy for the day, I need to get at least 7 hours of sleep. If I’m waking up at 4:30, my target time for bed is around 9 PM. I’ll usually start to wind down around 8 and read before lights out at 9.
Initially, I thought this would be a major adjustment, especially because sometimes at work my meetings don’t end until 6 or 7 PM. But really besides dinner, I’d just be cutting out a couple hours of TV in the background. And as far as ease of falling asleep, if I’ve had a decent workout that day, I can usually fall asleep pretty quickly.
I love the quiet mornings
So far, I love the quiet mornings, and I love feeling productive before starting the workday. I feel a greater sense of control over the day, because I have more time to get things done. I can make time for things like reading or meditation which often get pushed to the wayside. Expanding my accomplishments for the day to more than just “work” seems to also have helped with my mental health immensely (alongside reducing screen time, and more reading). Let’s see if this is a habit I can keep up.
