I notoriously love my sleep and have always loved a long lay in at the weekend. But the self care girlies were right! I had been missing out on the benefits of waking up early. Now that I’ve got a new puppy, I’ve had no choice but to embrace them…
Why start waking up early?
Introducing the newest member to the Black family – Bertie the Miniature Dachshund!
I’ve always wanted a little dachshund puppy, and convincing my dad took the longest time. He was finally persuaded on the condition that I would pay for him, train him and predominantly look after him myself! Taking on this responsibility entirely by myself is my newest challenge. One that deserves an entire blog post on it’s own – but one that I am enjoying.
The whole family love Bertie. Well, Betsy is slowly but surely getting around to liking her little brother. It’s turned my life around completely!
Now I can’t speak from experience. But I imagine taking care of a new puppy has it’s similarities to looking after a newborn. I’ve had to get up multiple times throughout the night to let him out to the toilet and comfort his whining. It’s changed my sleep schedule entirely!
Not only does he need letting out at night, but at three feeds a day, his first one is a bright and early 7am. Believe me, I was no stranger to getting up at 7am twice a week. That’s when I wake up to head into the office. But going from 2 days to 7 days a week has certainly been a drastic change. Particularly if you know how much I love my sleep.
What are the benefits of waking up early?
It’s true when they say that you should aim to get up earlier! As I had said earlier, I was used to waking up at 7am to go into the office. I had perfected my morning routine on these days. But when it came to working from home, I often didn’t get up until 8:30am for a 9am start. Those extra 2 hours in the mornings have started to make all the difference.
So, what are the benefits?
More time for routine
My morning routine is such an important part of my day. It’s a routine for a reason, and adds structure to the day. It’s my time to get ready and prepare for the upcoming day, and I enjoy the time I spend on my skincare routine. Less time in the morning meant I was rushing this valuable part, in turn feeling more rushed as I approached work, or any other event/activity I was doing.
Waking up earlier has given me more time to spend on getting ready and perfecting my routine, without feeling overwhelmed.
Better sleep
Waking up earlier, and frequently in the night, has meant I need to go to sleep a lot earlier than I’m used to. Before I could easily stay up till past midnight. Then I’d massively regret it as that 7am alarm clocks rolls around.
Now, I find myself falling asleep before 10pm. Even amongst waking up in the night, I feel like I’ve had a better quality sleep overall. I know I have to get up earlier, and in the night, so I’ve been more disciplined with going to bed earlier too!
Improved concentration
Some of my family might disagree with me here. Particularly when you first talk to me at that 7am alarm. Then you’ll rarely get any conversation, let alone any sense out of me. So some might challenge this idea of an improved concentration… But once you get the initial tiredness out of the way in the morning, I’ve found my concentration and ability to work has notably improved.
This goes hand in hand with an increase in motivation overall. I’m more motivated to do things. I’ve had time to look at my social media in the morning, so I don’t get distracted during the day. I’m much more enthusiastic in the day, as opposed to being tired and sluggish.
More time to get things done
This probably summarises the benefits of waking up early. It’s amazing what you can achieve when you actually wake up on time. No more rushing to get things done, or leaving things to another day because you ran out of time in the morning.
With more time to get things done in the morning, this frees up my time in the evening. Getting up earlier has a completely positive domino effect!
The conclusion?
Don’t get me wrong, getting up early did not come to me easily. I also know what you’re thinking – 7am is hardly that early! But it does make a huge difference.
I wouldn’t say I enjoy getting up early – particularly when it comes to the weekends. However, I do understand why it’s encouraged to get up earlier. As much as I like to be a perfectionist and stick to routine, there are still days when I roll back over and sleep for another half an hour. Then I deeply regret it. It’s all about finding the balance.
Between developing Bertie’s routine, resisting a lay in and improving my own sleeping habits, it’s been a process.
Getting up early does have a lot of benefits. It’s something that is now a part of my life, and I’m going to actively continue to implement. He expects his breakfast bright and early, after all!
How early do you get up, and how does that make a difference in your day?
