I’m not a morning person. I love sleep ever more than the next person. But I have learnt the very inconvenient truth that if I don’t wake up at 5am the rest of the day is complete chaos.
If you are a mom of small kids you know that once they are up they demand your attention 100% of the time, and rightfully so.
They depend on us for a lot of things and I know that if I am distracted and trying to do something else while my boys want attention it stresses them out too.
So to avoid the drama I need to stay ahead of the game, and getting up at 5am is the answer!
Here’s why:
If I get up at 5 I know I have at least one hour to myself before the kids wake up. This gives me time to drink my coffee and wake up peacefully.
I have time to read the Bible and start the day in prayer which helps me start the day feeling grateful and blessed.
It gives me time to have a shower and get dressed, which for me this is a big one! If I don’t get dressed in the morning for the rest of the day I feel like I’m still waiting for the day to start which means my motivation to do anything productive is very low.
If I still have time after all that then I can do my makeup, work on my blog or scroll through social media.
When the kids finally wake up I’m fresh, energized and excited to see them!
If I wait for my kids to wake me up, before I even have any time to myself I have to jump into action changing diapers, preparing breakfast, breaking up fights, frantically searching for a specific sippy cup. All before having my first sip of coffee! No way girlfriend, that don’t won’t for this mama.
If I don’t wake up before the kids I start the day tired and frustrated and both my kids and I deserve better than that.
After a lot of trial and error I have finally found the magic recipe for getting up at 5 and enjoying it!
Follow these 5 simple rules for success:
- Clean your kitchen before you go to bed
There is nothing worse for me than waking up to a dirty kitchen. It says that I’m already behind on my tasks before I even get started. Making your morning coffee is much more pleasant when done in a clean kitchen.
- Plan ahead
Failing to plan is planning to fail. You’ve heard it before, I’ll say it again: the key step to getting up in the morning is preparing the night before. That includes laying out clean clothes for the next day, deciding what needs to be done the next day and preparing everything for the tasks to run smoothly so that you’re not scrambling the next morning looking for you kindle, if you were planning to read in the morning for example.
- Have a reason to get out of bed
For me this was the game changer. I’ve tried many times to get up consistently at 5 and although I had managed a few good streaks in the past, I always went back to my old ways.
Since I started writing my blog I have been using the time in the morning before the kids wake up to work on it. It’s something that makes me excited and I know if I don’t work on it in the morning I will have very little time the rest of the day.
Think of something that you would really like to do but never have time for during the day. That can be great motivation!
- Prepare something to look forward to
For me that’s coffee! If I didn’t have the promise of a hot strong coffee waiting for me I would never be able to get out of bed. If you have a timer on your coffee machine that’s even better. I think for most people coffee does the trick!
If coffee doesn’t work for you, try a smoothie, juice, tea or even something small to eat. Whatever makes you think “man, I can’t wait for my morning (fill in special treat here)” prepare that!
- Make sure you need to get out of bed to shut off your alarm
This is a simple but important step, it’s all too easy to let snoozing become a reflex. And on that note don’t snooze!!
Myths:
- You have to go to bed early the night before
I used to think the only way to get up at 5 was to go to bed at 9 and I think that’s one of the reasons I always failed at getting up at 5.
Of course it’s easier to wake up at 5 after getting 8 hours of sleep but going to bed at 9 is not realistic for me. Sometimes the kids only fall asleep at 9, and when that happens if I force myself to go to bed at 9 too, then I won’t have time for any of the steps for success that I mentioned above.
If I believe that I need to go to bed at 9, when I inevitably go to bed at 10:30 or later, the next morning I tell myself “well I didn’t get my 8 hours of sleep so I should stay in bed longer”.
I have found that following the steps above are much more conducive to achieving success than an early bedtime.
- You shouldn’t sleep in on weekends
A lot of people will tell you that in order to train your body to get used to getting up at 5 you need to do so 7 days a week . I don’t totally agree with this. Just like the previous myth, I think this sets you up to fail. It’s inevitable that on the weekend you will be more likely to sleep in, especially if you don’t have anything planned and you don’t have to get the family ready for an outing. Consider it a cheat day!
On the weekend I have my husband there to help with the morning routine and the kids let me shower in peace. So sometimes when I decide to wake up with the kids on the weekend I make the decision the night before so that I can mentally prepare myself for it and don’t have to feel guilty for sleeping through my alarm.
These steps have been incredibly helpful for me and I really hope they work for you too. Even if you just take one or two of the things I mentioned and adapt them to your specific needs, I think they could be really helpful!
If you try these steps please be sure to let me know how it goes! If you have any tips to share please let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear them!
Sincerely,
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Hi there,
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