Waking Up At 5AM [Is Changing My Life]
I decided to start waking up at 5 am to see if it would make a difference in my day.
It was very surprising to see what I could get done by waking up a little earlier than usual. While trying to wake up early I came up with 5 tips to help with the early-rising process.
Throughout my entire life, I have heard people say they don’t have time to do certain things. I was one of these people. These “things” might be getting in shape or learning a new skill.
I watched a video that talked about time, and one thing stood out and really stuck in my mind. Everyone has the same amount of time each day. If I have the same amount of time as Oprah, why am I not getting more done?
I think it is easy to use time as an excuse for why we can’t get certain things accomplished. I know I have done this in the past, but the truth is if you want something bad enough you will make time.
By waking up at 5 am I am gaining 2 hours every day to do something productive.
I know the biggest argument to this waking up early thing will be, just stay up late, but think about what happens late at night. Usually, at night we end up watching TV or going on our phones and in general getting distracted.
What do most successful people have in common? They wake up early and they have routines. Read more here (if interested)
The Wake Up at 5 am Experiment
When I started this experiment I was really unsure if I could or would wake up at 5 am. What I quickly realized is there is something magical about waking up before everyone else. Getting a lot done in the morning set the tone for the entire day.
I was up accomplishing 2 hours of tasks that normally wouldn’t get done until late at night. By feeling accomplished in the morning I was able to go through the rest of my day knowing I had been productive.
One saying I like to use is, that clutter attracts more clutter, but the same could be said of being productive.
Productivity attracts more productivity. Such a small change leads to many larger changes.
Learning how to make websites, writing this blog, making youtube videos, editing photos, and working on art. After waking up at 5 am for a month I am a converted early riser.
Being a stay-at-home mom makes this the only time in my day when I am alone. I can work on things that I want to learn with a fresh clear mind.
Read: How I prepare for a 5 am wake up call
Watch How to Wake Up At 5 am:
After a month of waking up at 5 am this is what I learned:
Pick A Bed Time for Rising Early
I quickly realized I can’t stay up till 12 am and wake up at 5 am! That is not enough sleep for me. I decided 10 pm was the best bedtime because that gave me 7 hours of sleep.
I can function really well on 7 hours of sleep. Some people may need more or less sleep.
I would suggest a little trial and error to figure this out.
On my iPhone click the clock button, then there is a button called bedtime, this is where you can choose your bedtime and wake time.
I found this to be so helpful because it reminds me every night that it is time to go to bed.
When the weekend comes along I still wake up early and go to be early. I found it hard to switch my schedule during the week because over time I naturally wanted to go to bed early and wake up early.
There have been times when I might wake up at 6 am, but most of the time I keep the 5 am wake time.
HAVE A 5 am GOAL or Reason to Wake Up Early
The most important step to waking up early is having a reason for getting out of bed. I think this is why I have never been able to wake up early before, I never had a reason. My reason right now is I am learning a new skill, but that is not enough.
I like to break this goal down onto paper each night. I write out a list of exactly what I plan to do when I wake up in the morning.
If I don’t write this list out I will get sidetracked and the next thing I know I am on FaceBook.
Get very specific with your morning plan. I like to write down 3 really simple tasks to get the ball rolling.
Starting with the most enjoyable task.
Once one item is checked off my list I feel like I have accomplished something and therefore waking up early was worth the effort.
Getting Up Early Makes Me Thirsty
The best way for me to wake myself up is to drink some cool water.
So again I am getting ready the night before, by putting my cup next to my bed for the morning. Once I am up and drinking water there is no way I am going back to bed.
Set an Alarm or Two
I like to set 2 alarms. My first alarm goes off at 5 am and my next alarm goes off at 6 am.
My biggest trick to get started is to put the alarm far enough away where you are forced to get out of bed to turn it off.
When I was in college I always had to do this because I had no reason to get up, therefore I would turn off the alarm and forget! If you can’t trust yourself put the alarm out of reach.
Obviously, if you live with other people and they have a different sleep schedule then you might have to do something else, but this works great for me.
Prepare for Getting Up Early or You Won’t
Be prepared with a plan of what to do in the morning. If the plan is to work on the computer, have everything you need set up and ready. If your plan is to work out, put your clothes out the night before.
No matter how you spend your time make sure you are not wasting that extra time wandering around your house looking for things in the dark. One thing I realized I needed the first morning was some soft light to let my eyes adjust.
I also turned my computer to a more yellow color from 9:45 pm till 7 am that way my eyes are able to adjust easier to the brightness.
These simple preparations made me more productive and in turn, made waking up easier.
Benefits of Waking Up Early
I have found so many benefits to waking up early and a lot of them were surprising!
- More energy throughout the day
- It is easier to get to sleep at night
- Getting more done in the morning when I have a clear mind. Throughout the day our minds fill up with everything going on and the conversations we have. I love having a clean slate each morning.
- Quiet! With two young kids, it is rarely quiet during the day.
- Fewer interruptions. Very few people are up at 5 am texting, calling, or putting things up on the internet. It is great to really focus on what needs to get done.
Do you know what else changed my life? Decluttering!
Let me HELP you Declutter! SOMETIMES ORGANIZING JUST ISN’T ENOUGH. I WANT TO HELP YOU GAIN SOME TIME TOO!
If you are spending a ton of time continually organizing the same area, check out The Declutter Your Home Minicourse. I created this course for anyone who is sick of wasted time. This course is easy to follow and helps you figure out a decluttering schedule so you can declutter your entire home.
This is the perfect course for you if:
- You worry about your home before having people over (aka shoving things in closets).
- Things are always “missing” in your home.
- You wonder why your home doesn’t ever look clean or tidy, no matter how much cleaning you do.
If you need direction on how and where to start on your decluttering journey check out The Declutter Your Home Minicourse!
Waking Up at 5 am Conclusion
Waking up at 5 am was much easier than it initially seemed. Once I got into a routine using the tips I shared it became very easy to wake up early. Within that 30 days, I was able to set up this blog and finish the course I was taking! Here are some more benefits of getting up early.
Let me know in the comments if you like waking up early and if any of these tips have helped.
Read More Intentional Living Tips:
Decluttered Kids – Before and After
Decision Fatigue – Do you have this?
How to do a Seasonal Declutter
Be sure that if you are getting up early and your partner is not, to be considerate with the alarms. More than one alarm or hitting snooze when a partner is sleeping is not at all considerate. Putting it across the room and letting it go off for several minutes before getting up is also not terribly thoughtful. If you have trouble getting up, try a vibrating watch alarm.
Also, people shouldn’t get discouraged if they cannot become a super early morning person. It’s mostly programmed into our brains. Very few night owls can actually get up and be super productive, the same was early birds are unlikely able to stay up really late and remain productive.
Thank you! Great advice =)
Right ,,waking up early is a great thought and habit also, waking up early makes a person healthy and toned.
Great thought. Earlier you wake up happier you will be at the end of the day.
Thank you!
Thank you for these tips, I think the bedtime is hardest to implement, but once you do it a few times you can put your body on a new routine!
Alyssa @ mamalyssa.com
You are right! Getting to bed early was a huge change for me too. I hope you are having a great day.
I am waking up at 4:00 am to hit the gym at 6:00 am and it has been the most changing experience in my life, my husband is doing it with me, that is an enormous help. I agree with you a ? % great advice!
That is great to hear! Especially that your husband is going with you. Awesome!
I aim each day for: 4am- “Four God” and me Time. 5am- “My High Five” time! I agree about having a plan and prepping the night before. Thanks for sharing! Blessings
Great post Shannon. I’m doing this starting tomorrow. Will emulate exactly what you did. Except, of course, for the nature of work.
Thank you! I hope some of these tips help.
Great blog! As the saying goes, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” I grew up in Iowa and farmers would have to wake up at 4 am or so, so that they had as much sunlight to work by as possible and in order to be more productive. And besides…nothing g good really happens after 9 pm anyway…
Very true!!!
I’m a 5am person and if something special to accomplish like ppt presentations for conferences or preparing a speech my wake up time would be 4am till my preparations are over.Cognitive abilities are it’s optimum between 4am and 6 am.This has been my practice since 20 years!. Planning the details before going toned is a must to be successful.
I agree planning ahead makes such a difference. I hope you have a great day.
I am definitely going to try it out now. You have inspired me. Thanks Shannon!
I have been thinking for a while that I want to wake up early. May not be at 5am at first. I think I will start with 6am now. That gives me an extra hour.
Let’s see how that goes.
Anima
I hope some of these tips can help! 6am is a great goal. I hope you have a great day.
Thank you so much. I now can do lot of work in the mornings instead of late at night.
I am so happy this was helpful for you.
I love this article, I’m morning person I know what you mean! I would love to share with my daughter is a good motivator thank you!!
Thank you! Getting into a great morning routine has really helped me get more done. I hope these tips might help your daughter.
While I’m not to 5am just yet, I’m getting there and want to recommend easing into it. If you are regularly up at 6:30, don’t dive into 5am, rather do 6:15 for 5-7 days, then push to 6am, and so on until you get to 5am. It won’t be such a drastic change for your system, and you will start to savor that early morning me-time and be more motivated to get up earlier for more of it! Great tips here, thanks for the read!
Thank you for those tips! You are right it is a great idea to ease into waking up early.
I have been struggling with this for a few months now. You are so right, when I have something very important to do, I have no problem getting up. I just have to set more goals. Thanks. Great post.
Yes when there is something to do it is so much easier to wake up early. I hope you have a good day.
thanks for the advise …it was very helpful..I always tried to complete my work early in morning but
I could not get up early ……..
I am happy it helped. =)
I want to a be a 5amer..it’s my such a long time goal..I wud try this soon..21 days at first..90 next..I hope I do become one 5amer soon..
You can do it!