Can I Wake Up Early?

This was originally going to be a "Tricks and Tips" post on how to wake up early. Unfortunately, I found myself a terrible expert on this topic. I could not consistently find a way to wake up early!

Here's my best shot at inspiring you to give it a shot.

First Try

Expectation: When I returned to work in August of 2015, I planned to wake up at 6:00am each day. How hard could this be? I had an infant that would be awake anyways!

Reality: I snoozed until the last minute. Luckily I can get ready quickly and have a short commute.


Second Try

Expectation: I would wake up earlier in 15-minute increments, to make it easier on myself!

Reality: This lasted a week and a half.


Third Try

Expectation: I'm just going to do it! I read an article about someone who read 2 books- The 5am Miracle and Sleep Smarter. Now, I didn't actually read the books, but I looked up podcast interviews with the authors. I definitely recommend that as a substitute if you are in a time crunch and/or just don't want to read two whole books.

My goal: No screen time after 7:30, go to bed between 9 and 9:30pm, wake up at 5am.

Reality: 
Day 1:
Stats: I lost track of time, and went to bed after 9pm. I literally had dreams about waking up too early/ too late. 5am alarm went off, and I was up!
Productivity: I spent my extra time fa-diddling on the couch, as I was paranoid of waking up Jake or Danger.  At 6am, I woke Jake, and he got up around 7am. I was able to unpack the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, workout, and shower all before Danger woke up. Imagine if I hadn't fa-diddled for an hour.
Observations: Tons of energy mid-morning. Tired at lunch time, though that could be due to the 2-hour walk I took while pushing a stroller.

Day 2- infinity (it felt like that, at least): 

I got sick shortly after I started this plan. My intentions were wonderful, but a sinus infection got the best of me. As soon as I was over the sinus infection, I found out- surprise!- I'm expecting. Excuse me if my joy was obscured by the morning sickness and extreme fatigue. Cue a lot of naps, turing in at 7:30pm, and waking up with Cayden.

Fourth Try

Expectation: Just get out of bed and get to work by 7.

Reality: Surprisingly successful! I may not do a full load of dishes before work, and I may fall asleep on the couch at 8:30pm, but  have successfully arrived at work by 7am (sometimes before!) for 2 months. This, even with the first trimester fatigue! After about the 18-week pregnancy mark, I got some energy back. The last two weeks have been a nice mixture of staying up past 9pm and not being a zombie when I wake up.



So what did I learn? Well, when you have kids/ are expecting kids, your best intentions will probably not go as expected. I still hope I can one day be a crazy productive morning person, but I've learned to not be too hard on myself in the baby/toddler/who knows when years. I've got a good routine, I'm never late to work, and I get to spend more of my afternoon hours focused on Danger. At this point in my life, that's really  best-case scenario.


Now if I can just eat more vegetables- then I can really start bragging.


What are your thoughts on waking up early? Comment below!