I’ve never classified myself as a “morning person”. During my teenage years, it wasn’t uncommon to sleep until 11:30 AM on a Saturday morning if nothing was planned. These days, I set my weekday alarm for 6:30 AM, but usually hit “snooze” 2-3 times and don’t get out of bed until 7:00 AM. Since I try to leave the house at 7:30 AM, this leaves less than 30 minutes to brush my teeth, get dressed, drink a glass of water, and grab what I need for the day. Sometimes I set up the coffeemaker the night before and enjoy home-brewed coffee in a to-go mug at work and an additional cup at home, but this is usually a luxury.
This leaves me feeling rushed from the beginning of the day, leaving anything I want to do for myself for the evening. After a full day of work, I also want to spend time with my husband and chill, so things I want for myself are put off for the next day.
These things might be:
- going on a walk
- working out
- meditation
- yoga
- journaling/setting intentions
- reading a book/listening to inspirational videos
- errands
I want to create more time in my day by front-loading it with things I choose, rather than playing catch up throughout the day. I will be setting my alarm and getting out of bed by 5:30 AM every day–even on weekends! My goal is to look forward to time in the mornings, as this time belongs to me and no one else.
I will document what strategies actually help me accomplish this, how I feel, and how I actually make the most of this extra time in the morning. I expect that the biggest challenge will be going to bed at a decent hour–this can make things awkward socially and without sleeping early, I will not be able to get enough sleep with this challenge.