Getting Up 1 Hour Earlier Changed My Life

Are you a night owl or early bird? Do you wish you had more time to do ALL the things? This week, Liz is talking about the one change she made for 30 days that changed her life and how taking some time for yourself is the first step in getting things done!

Today we're going to talk about a crazy idea I had.

I get them from time to time – like running a half-marathon or training for triathlon. Or starting a podcast!

I also love a good challenge. I live for those 21-day meditation experiences that Oprah and Deepak host. Or the 6-week Bikini Series from Tone It Up.

I love the idea of trying a new habit or action for a set amount of time. so I kind of created one for myself recently.

While working on this podcast (and my blog and the other fifty-eleven ideas that swirl around in my brain) I found that I just didn't have the time. Scratch that. I was not making the time. I had plenty of time, plenty of time to watch TV and scroll through Instagram.

But I was not making time for my blogging or the podcast. And so I started thinking about how I could get more hours in the day. What I was doing clearly wasn’t working.

I was working at my full-time job, coming home to take care of my son and then working on my projects after he went to bed. Only, I wasn't doing that. Instead I was scrolling through Instagram while watching Netflix or maybe reading a book or doing laundry. I wasn't taking advantage of that time. And I learned that it was not my most productive time. I was exhausted at the end of the day.

So I needed to find another time to work on my projects. The only other time of day that left was in the morning.

I created a challenge for myself because I can sign up for a limited amount of time. I challenged myself to get up an hour earlier for 30 days and to use that time to only work on my creative projects.

I was getting up at 5am to workout because I knew if I didn’t exercise in the morning, I would find an excuse not to do it later in the day. So I dragged myself to a 5.30am workout class, which meant getting up at 5, rolling out of bed and waking up along the way.

Getting up an hour earlier meant getting up at four o'clock in the morning which, let’s be honest, is basically the middle of the night. But how badly did I want this? How badly do I want to make this podcast a reality? How badly do I want to start work on my book? This is where the rubber meets the road. If I really want this, then I'm going to get up that early.

For 30 days, I decided to get up at 4am and committ to working on my projects. At four o’clock in the morning, I was not going to be scrolling through Instagram. I wasn't going to be watching Netflix. I am not getting up that early to sit on the couch and watch TV. I am not getting up that early to go on Facebook or scroll through Instagram. I could be sleeping, for crying out loud! If I'm going to get up that early, I'm going to commit to doing the damn thing!

So that's what I did.

I got up at four o'clock in the morning for 30 days. Sounds crazy, right?

The first week was probably the easiest, as far as getting out of bed. I was excited! I was going to get so much done!

Except, that first day? I had no idea what to do with myself! Sure, I had plans to make an editorial calendar, brainstorm topics and guests, create a website. I had a whole list!

But getting up that early messed with my morning routine and flow and it took me a couple of days to get into a groove. Once I did, it was great to have the house to myself.

Well, sorta.

The very first day of my experiment, I am in the kitchen at about 4:15am and I’m cracking open the laptop and my son wanders in. He rubs his eyes and sleepily says “Hey Mom”.

I guess he heard me get up and figured it was time to get. Yeah, no. I sent him right back to bed.

So how did I do it?

Some people start slow, waking up 15 minutes earlier ever few days. I decided to go cold turkey. I used the Mel Robbins 5-Second Rule and practically jumped out of the bed when the alarm went off. The 5-Second Rule (no, not the one about eating food off the floor) is about taking action. When you come to something you are putting off or scared to do, you count down from five and DO IT! So when the alarm went off that first morning (and many mornings after), I would say 5-4-3-2-1-GO!

It helped that my alarm was “Work Bitch” by Britney Spears.

Besides having time to work on my projects, I noticed my workouts improved. Before this challenge, I would wake up on my way to the gym. Getting up earlier meant I was wide awake when I hit the gym. No more waking up during the warm up. Instead my workouts were more focused and intense. I could lift more, run faster.

Over the thirty days, I learned I need sleep. Seems obvious, right? I knew I needed to sleep but I didn’t know exactly how much I needed. Or that my body would be so adamant about it. By day three, I could not keep my eyes open past 9pm. Before this challenge, I would push through sleepiness at night. How crazy is that? But I thought I was missing out. On what, exactly? More Instagram? This challenge forced me to go to bed when I felt tired – if not, I would be feeling it the next day!

I loved that this challenge made me focus on my goals, break them into chunks and tackle them. I wanted to mediate more and this extra morning time helped me accomplish that. Everyday I picked certain things to work on and made the most of that hour. The great part of that was how accomplished I felt before I even went to work. I felt like one of those old Army commercials where they get more done before 9am than most people do all day.

Yes, it sounds crazy to get up at four in the morning. But what’s crazier is not making time for you and your goals. You only get this one beautiful life. Use your time wisely. Guard it. It is so important to take time for yourself and your damn thing. Whether it’s exercising, journaling, meditating, working on your passion project, baking. Take the time to invest in it, nurture it. This is so SO SO important.

Your goals don’t just happen. You have to work for them. You have to dedicate your time and attention to them.

Am I still doing it? Yes! In fact, I am typing up these show notes at the crack of dawn. J

Are you going to try getting up an hour earlier? Have you done this in the past? Tell me about your experience!