Inside: Why consistency in your wake up time should be a non-negotiable, and why being "spontaneous" is sometimes code for a less desirable attribute.

Are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kinda girl? Or do you live by the philosophy that if you stick to the rules, you’ll be OK? 

When you go on vacation do you plan every outing, schedule pee breaks, and prepare a detailed meal plan? Or does just getting the bags packed and thrown in the car (even if it is 30 minutes later than planned) make you feel like a champ?

How about when a mom friend calls and asks to meet up for an impromptu play-date. Are you thrilled with the invitation or thrown off by the sudden change of plans? 

If you are like me, you find yourself somewhere in between - I love a plan and schedule but also don’t like being bound by one. I crave the occasional spontaneous detour. 

But there is one thing in my day that I know needs to be consistent. One thing that I must be diligent in, even when it gets boring - my wake up time.  

And I'm here to convince you, mama, that you should be waking up at the same time every day, too. 

Here are 4 reasons mamas should wake up at the same time every day

1. A consistent wake up time will make waking up early easier

Having your first child can throw you for a loop, in more ways than one. 

Lying in the hospital bed the day after my oldest was born, I had the abrupt realization that my son was 24 hours old and I had yet to change his diaper. In fact, I hadn’t even thought to check his diaper at all. I guess the nurses had been keeping the poor boy dry, because I sure wasn’t...

Shocked and slightly embarrassed (at the sight of Larry in a towel 😉 ), I immediately focused on getting in the habit of changing my little man's diaper at regular intervals. I tend to be forgetful, and it didn't help that our little one could sit in a dirty diaper for hours without making a peep!

And it took a while to get into the rhythm (please tell me I’m not the only one..).

But slowly this discipline turned into habit. And now, with my second child being 20 months old, most days I change his diaper and don’t even remember doing it.

The discipline I forced myself to have during those early days with my oldest has now turned into a routine and rhythm with my youngest. 

And the same goes for waking up before the kids. 

If you are consistent and disciplined in waking up at the same time every day your body will soon start to conform to your new schedule. And one day the discipline will turn into habit - and waking up at your chosen time will become second nature. 

And what a beautiful day that will be!

2. Your self confidence will increase when you start to wake up at the same time every day

The discipline that forms into habit will inevitably transform into increased self-confidence (and who doesn't need a little more of that these days??). 

Because when you make a decision, a commitment to yourself and stick with it, your self-respect will go up a notch. 

You know that friend who is always late? No matter what the occasion, time, or day, they can never be where they say they are going to be, when they say they are going to be there. 

Compare that to the person in your life who is always there - the friend you know you can count on to be sitting at the playground bench, waiting for you to arrive, ready to chat. 

You may love and enjoy both equally, but who do you respect more? Who do you put more trust in? 

My guess is the friend who keeps her word. 

When you make a commitment to yourself, and keep that commitment, you will start to build a confidence in yourself that was not there before. 

3. When you wake up at the same time every day, the elusive alone time becomes a daily treat.

We all want it. We all crave it. 

As stay at home moms, time to ourselves seems to be fleeting and, some weeks, non existent. 

That time to ourselves, however, is necessary.

But when you wake up at a consistent time each morning, you are guaranteeing (most days:) ) that you will get be getting alone time .

Of course this means that your wake up time must be set to well before the kids wake up. 

Having a consistent wake up time, and getting some time to myself every day has:

• given me a chance to work on projects that I LOVE
• provided more (yes...more!) energy and patience for those that I care about most
• opened up opportunities to be in the Word of God, uninterrupted

 I know it can do the same for you. 

4. Having a consistent wake up time will help you to make better decisions throughout the rest of the day.

Think about the fuel tank in your car. When you start on a road trip it’s full and ready to go. But it doesn't stay that way and eventually your car will be puttering to the next gas station. 

Your ability to make good, reasoned, and positive decisions throughout the day is like the gas in your car - you have a limited reserve of good decision making skills. The more decisions you have to make throughout the day the more of that resource is used up.

There is science to back this up: it’s called decision fatigue. 

And basically means that the more decisions you make during the day, the more exhausted your brain gets. Consequently, the quality of your decisions will start to decrease.

And I know you know what I’m talking about - it's the end of the day, you're trying to get dinner made, and one kid hits another. Instead of stopping what you are doing to give correction and  discipline, you just say “go to your room” and leave it at that. 

You’re tired, and you’ve already made too many decisions that day!

Eliminating the “what time will I wake up” decision will leave more decision making power for those things that can’t be planned. And as a mama, you know you will have plenty of decisions to make throughout the day:) 

So wake up at the same time every day - and your brain will thank you later. 

Take control of your morning, take control of your day

I am a lover of structure and systems. Except when I don't feel like following them and then I like to be spontaneous and fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants. 

But “spontaneous” can sometimes be a cute word for “undisciplined”.

I know when it comes to my mornings, spontaneous is not what I need to be. 

So Mama, take control of your day by first taking control of your mornings. Set a consistent wake up time, every day - and follow through with it. Doing so will:

• Make waking up early easier
• Increase your self-confidence
• Give you time to yourself every day
• Help you make better decisions for the rest of the day

You can do it!

I’ll be right here, rooting for you all the way.