On (kind of) Becoming A Morning Person

I've always admired people who can get up and enjoy the early morning hours. I've admired their discipline and craved the fruits of what they enjoy--the peace and solitude and freshness of a day in its infancy. Really, there's nothing quite like the morning time. Apart from the the grogginess it brought, I have always had an appreciation for the morning...when I've woken up early enough to enjoy it.That's the kicker.

I have never considered myself a morning person and until recently would sleep until the last possible moment before having to get up with enough time to do the bare minimum in preparation for the day. I’ve always wanted to have more time in the morning to ease into the day, but I could never manage to make it a reality. I’m not sure exactly what changed, I guess I finally just wanted it enough, so I started setting my alarm for a little earlier. I wanted to get out of bed at 6:30, but for a while it was more like 6:45/6:50. I started using the Sleep Cycle app that wakes you up when you are in your lightest sleep cycle. So, if I set the alarm for 6:30, it will go off somewhere between the window of 6:00 and 6:30. I think that has helped a lot because I generally wake up less groggy. For many people, this might be considered sleeping in, but I've found this to be a time that works well for me. 

After showering and getting dressed, I now have over an hour to enjoy the morning and mentally prepare for the day. It's amazing! And now that I have gotten more into the habit of waking up earlier, I want to get up because I know what I will miss if I sleep longer. As a side note, research demonstrates that this is how habits are successfully formed. You must have a "cue"(which begins to be linked with craving a reward)--something that triggers the habit--and a reward--something that reinforces the habit (The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life And Business, Chapter 2). I didn't realize that this was being played out behind the scenes of my morning routine, but now it's clear. My "cue," which I suppose would be my alarm going off, triggers my craving for the "reward" of having a leisurely versus stressful morning. 

Instead of rolling out of bed with forty-five minutes to an hour to get ready and then rushing out the door, my mornings typically look more like this now:

-Wake up around 6:30

-Shower if I didn’t the night before

-Get dressed and do the rest of grooming/makeup

-Meet Geoff (who has been up since 5) in the kitchen and pour myself some coffee or reheat the cup he’s lovingly poured for me J

-Write three things I’m thankful for in my gratitude journal

-Read a Proverb coinciding with the day of the month

-Read a chapter from the Gospels 

-Do my “Baseline” exercises (what Geoff and I try to do every day whether we go to the gym or not-mine is different from his.), which consists of thirty squats, planking for at least a minute, and thirty calf raises.

-Make a smoothie or grab some boiled eggs to eat at work for breakfast. I get there at 8:30, but have at least half an hour before my first appointment, so I usually just take my breakfast with me.

-Leave for work at 8:15, if I work that day

On days that I don’t work, I will sometimes sleep later, but I generally aim for my mornings to have this rhythm.Stephen Covey notes in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that "...when we take time to draw on the leadership center of our lives, what life is ultimately all about, it spreads like an umbrella over everything else. It renews us, refreshes us, particularly if we recommit to it" (p.294). For me, that has been one of the greatest gifts of waking up earlier--it sets the tone for the day before me and helps me to "recommit" myself to the Lord and his purposes for me. I'm often reminded of the words from Lamentations 3:23 that the Lord's mercies are new every morning. Whatever happened yesterday, however I may have failed, this is a new day and the mercy of the Lord is flowing afresh. 

I still don't jump out of bed bright eyed and bushy tailed, but even as I slowly ease into the morning, it is so freeing to be less stressed and to really be able to enjoy the stillness and freshness that the early hours of the day provide. Who knew?! Well, I guess a lot of people, I was just a little late to the party.

What does your morning routine look like?