“I still can’t wait to get my pants on in the morning,” said three-time Pulitzer Prize winning American Journalist, Thomas Friedman.
Does this describe you? Or are you the person that wishes morning happened at noon?
Perhaps you’re more like American writer, Nicholas Baker, who stated in an interview with Mason Currey, author of Daily Rituals: How Artists Work: “The mind is newly cleansed but it’s also befuddled and you’re still just plain sleepy.”
But Baker didn’t let the sleepiness stop him. He hit the pages early. In fact, he enjoyed “sleepy writing” so much that he developed a strategy to squeeze two mornings out of one day. Curry states,
“[Baker] will get up around 4 or 4:30 a.m. and write for an hour and a half—but then he goes back to sleep until 8:30 and gets up again, this time turning his attention to ‘daylight kind of work,’ like transcribing an interview or editing what he wrote during the first morning session.”
That’s one way to become a morning person.
I’m not on a mission to make (or guilt) you into becoming a morning person. But I do hope to inspire you. A whole new world might open up to you if you’re up and at ’em an hour or two before the crush of the day. Just think what you can do and accomplish during that time that you’d otherwise not make time for: Meditating, exercising, journaling, reading, personal project work, and so on.
Over the years I’ve grown to deeply love my early mornings. In the pre-dawn hours, before the pressures and episodes of the day take their toll:
I’m up at the bell.
Gym clothes on (laid out the night before).
I knock back about 16 ounces of water.
I pound the iron in the gym.
I shower up.
I down a protein and greens shake.
I kickback in my favorite chair.
And there’s the steam of my coffee, the feel of my journal, the smell of ink and notebook paper, and most of all peace and quiet within and without.
Magical.
How can you become more of a morning person? By being a morning person!
Try it for 10 days.
Get up at 5:00am.
Have a plan in place. What will you do? What will be your routine until time for work or before you wake up the kids? You may discover this will be the most meaningful, productive, time of your day.
For 10 days give up the late night sitcom(s), surfing the Internet, and the like.
Get to bed early. Shoot for 6 – 7 hours of sleep.
Set your alarm—for 5:00am.
Dis-alarm your snooze.
And when the clock strikes 5:00am, GET THOSE PANTS ON!
You game? Let me know how it goes!
Are you already a morning person? What’s your experience in those early mornings? What is your morning routine?
Awesome, Ruth. Wonderfully put! Thanks for commenting!
As a hater of all things morning and an insomniac… I love this. The times I’ve shaken off a sleepless night to hit the iron at 4:30am I felt like I had 2-hour head start on the rest of the world. It seems impossible for me not to feel “productive” on those days even though I may drink what feels like a gallon of Redbull to keep my eyes open. Perhaps someday I’ll learn this art as a regular routine instead of the exception. Great insights.
I hear you. Thanks for sharing, Ben!
Getting up for school is not easy the struggles i have!! But I know God’s got my back and he will do awesome things through me!!!!!
Yessir, he will! Proud of you.
It is the best time of my day. I have always liked mornings. I especially like being up before it’s light out. I enjoy the quiet so much. I use the time for prayer, worship, reading, journaling, the one thing I really need to work in is exercise. I’m not an exercise person but I think it’s time to give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration
Yes! As far as exercise, just begin with some stretches. Go for a walk and pray. Do jumping jacks, some push-ups, and the like. Just moving a bit is better than nada. Thanks for sharing.
Morning! Bless the ones who are innately able to enjoy watching God’s earth lighten up!
I, too, am one of them. Presently retired from teaching, but still a morning person, just a little later than 4:30 AM. However, when working it was a discipline I adhered to daily. My strong belief is that it is a MUST, especially as a Christian, at least for me. I MUST start my day on my knees, in God’s Presence, talking to Him, giving Him my day and telling Him everything that He already knows is going on with me. If not, I am OFF the rest of the day! Just beware of not falling into the “legality” so to speak. Routines for we humans can become more important than living, if that makes any sense. Thanks. phyllis
Great word, Phyllis. Retired and still up around 4:30am. Amazing! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never been a night person – I am pretty much worthless after 10 these days… My goal is to get to work by 7 and I have a 45 minute commute (time I treasure by the way!)… so my alarm is set for 4:15 (mind you I set that is time the alarm is set for!)… I do my best to get 20 minutes with the Lord (currently that is time in the bible and my SLD homework) and then I am out for a 2-3 mile run or a mile or so walk with the dog depending on the day and training regimen. This is valuable prayer and reflection time and for me the absolute best time of the day (except for the hugs I get when I walk in the door after work!). Dawn is breathtaking, inspiring, humbling… a smile from God… what a better way to get in gear and get after it. Thanks Pastor Jarrod for sharing your thoughts and routine.
Hal, this is terrific. I’m newly inspired. 4:15am? And Im challenged! Thanks for sharing your routine.