Ah yes, the wonderful joy of sleeping in. It’s one of the few things that most of us look forward to on the weekends after a tiring week. However, as much as I love to sleep in and avoid getting out of bed before noon, I basically forced myself to try waking up earlier as a part of my New Year’s resolution. Here’s how it changed my life for the better.
First, let me give you some inside info as to why I decided to make this lifestyle change. As a freshman in college, the days of struggling out of bed at 5 a.m. for high school were finally over and I sort of went nuts with the idea of waking up later than usual. My classes for my first semester were mostly in the afternoon and I found myself coming home in the evening. As the semester progressed and my homework started to pile up, I began to re-evaluate my choices of picking afternoon classes and sleeping in. I realized that choosing classes with earlier meeting times would give me a good reason to wake up early (since waking up in the morning just for the sake of it is NOT enough for me to do it). So, when spring registration rolled in, I made sure my classes started early and ended early in the afternoon which would allow me to maintain my social life, health, and grades! Here’s how it changed my entire outlook!
Back in the old days when I used to wake up late and finish class late, I barely had enough time left in the day to do what I wanted to do. So if I wanted to go to the gym, I’d have to either cancel a group study or push my assignments to the next day. This left me with literally no choices, and I felt like I was trapped. I couldn’t do what I wanted to do, and it was frustrating. On top of that, it felt as if my first semester of college was being sabotaged when in reality it was my lazy habits that were sabotaging it. Fast forward to this semester, starting my day early has given me greater freedom to choose activities I want to include within my weekly schedule, and I can even be a little spontaneous at times! Basically, waking up earlier has allowed me to become more productive throughout my day because I no longer feel this constant rush which time constraints used to cause me. Additionally, I can finally relax at times or go out with friends and not feel guilty because I know I will have enough time in my day to complete certain tasks. Besides that, I can also use my extra free time to prepare for exams weeks ahead of the date and even work ahead! Overall, I have experienced a full 180 when it comes to productivity.
Another aspect of my life that has improved is my mental and physical well-being. Now that I think about it, I used to feel horrible after waking up late in the morning. I’d sometimes feel more tired than if I hadn’t slept at all! Along with feeling like crap, I was constantly stressed out about how little time I’d have for homework and studying. Basically, I was miserable most of the time and I found myself not enjoying the things that used to make me happy. Now, I wake up feeling refreshed (hey now, most of the time) and I’m less stressed about running out of time because I literally have the entire day ahead of me to accomplish my goals. I am a much happier and better version of myself in general.
Overall, starting my day earlier has enabled me to become much more productive and to spend more time working towards my goals. If you’re interested in making the change, I highly suggest you start by choosing morning classes and making sure you do not pick ones that start in the late afternoon or evening (unless you absolutely have to). In addition to that, make sure to go to bed at a reasonable time so you can actually wake up when you need to. One last tip! In order for this to actually work, you need to put in the self-discipline and control that is required. I know it’s extremely tempting to stay curled up in bed in those cozy sheets, but at the same time, you need to fight the urge to do that and remind yourself about how satisfied you will be at the end of the day when you think about how productive you were. Starting the day early will give you more control of your life and what you want to do, so don’t hesitate! Try it out and if it doesn’t work that’s absolutely okay! Everyone is different and I really hope you can at least take something from my story!