TÚS MAITH LEATH NA HOIBRE!
An Irish proverb as old as time, but as true as steel. ‘A good start is half the work’. This can apply to anything – a football match, an assignment or your day.
Getting up can be a pain, but it can also have benefits for your mental and physical health, as well as your productivity, creativity and your mood.
I have always been a firm believer in waking up early and getting shit done. Now, while I believe in this, that doesn’t always mean I follow through on it… but over the years, I have accumulated a little list of small changes that I find helpful for getting up earlier.
Firstly, GO TO SLEEP EARLIER. It seems self-explanatory but yes, it’s true. Just because you are waking up earlier does not mean that you need to deprive yourself of sleep. In fact, according to science, and the SleepDoctor, every hour of sleep before midnight is equivalent to three hours after midnight. This is because your body is much better at restoring itself before midnight.
So, simply go to bed earlier if you want to wake up earlier.
Secondly, don’t go all-in right away, it will not end well. Start with small, 30 minute increments, or if even that is too much try 10 minutes! If your goal is to wake up an hour earlier – great! But don’t expect yourself to be able to do it all in the one go. You’ll get there!
This next one we all know but we never do. Put. Down. The. Phone. Ugh, I hate this. And the fact that we are constantly told to do it makes me want to do it even less. But…. it works! Again, start small. Even logging out of social media an hour before sleeping can make a massive difference.
My final tip is to have something to look forward to and reward yourself for getting out of bed. It could be making yourself a really nice cup of coffee or watching an episode of your favourite show, just something that makes you excited to get up in the morning. This is my favourite tip and honestly, something we should be doing anyway!
So… with all of your newfound free time in the morning…what could you do?
There are some obvious ideas like maybe getting your workout out of the way nice and early, or maybe doing some college work or extra studying.
However, I feel like if you’re getting up early then that time should be for you.
Maybe it could be time spent on a hobby you really enjoy or take some time to journal or meditate.
Some more random, but fun, suggestions include watching the sunrise, baking bread or a thorough self-care routine.
Ultimately, it’s your day so do whatever you like with it – just remember to make the most of it!