You’ve been saying for months (years??) that you wish you could get up early before the kids.
Mama, it might be time to actually do it.
Stop making excuses, stop making choices that you know are going to make it harder. It’s time to make the decision to change.
Several weeks ago I was in a bad cycle...going to bed later and waking up later, skipping my Mama’s Morning. I would tell myself, “Ok, tonight we are not watching ANYTHING. We are reading, chatting, and getting to bed on time!”
But, inevitably the night would come and with giddy energy I would turn on the next episode of Suits...and then 3 episodes later we were still glued to the laptop.
I was making bad choices.
So if you are ready to start making better choices - choices that will lead to more energy, creativity, and patience, here are 10 ways to get started:
10 Hacks To Getting Out Of Bed
1. Know your reason. Write your reason. Review your reason.
According to a study done by the Harvard Business Review, individuals who write down their goals are 3 times as successful as those who don’t.
Understanding why you want to wake up early, and actually writing it down, will make you more likely to follow through.
I don’t always keep commitments that I make to myself. And if I make it, and leave it, in my head that is sure enough where it is going to stay.
It wasn’t until I bought a planner last year that had a “habit checklist” in the top right corner of every week that I started following through with my goals - I started being consistent with the habits and routines that I wanted to be a part of my daily life.
So physically write out why you want to wake up before the kids.
2. Pick a treat to enjoy (uninterrupted) in the mornings
My husband has a hard time waking up early. He does not love the mornings quite as much as I do and tends to prefer the warmth of the blankets to the harsh hardwood floors.
But we recently moved and now have an office attached to our bedroom.
So he put up a coffee maker on a table in the office, right by the door that leads to the bedroom. Every night he sets it up, and every morning at 5 it starts brewing. The smell floods our bedroom, and it makes getting out of bed a little more tempting.
Maybe, like me, you're not a coffee drinker, but a cup of hot herbal tea cupped in your hands on the couch sounds like a dream. Or a small piece (or two!) of dark chocolate.
Choose something that is enticing enough to get you out of bed but won’t leave you regretting it all day long (like a piece of double fudge chocolate cake).
4. Put your alarm clock out of reach
The other morning I nearly broke my arm when my alarm started blaring at 4 AM - it jolted me out of a deep, deep sleep and I jumped out of the bed and fell onto the hardwood floor.
But it got me up and out of bed! And I didn’t find myself waking up 1.5 hours after my alarm only to realize that it has gone off and been turned off in my sleep.
Put your alarm out of your reach. You’ll get up quick, I promise.
4. Tidy your house the night before
Have you ever stumbled out of bed at night to grab a glass of water, and found yourself writhing in pain from the little car that was left on the floor the night before?
Me too. When I was staying at a friend’s house, before I had kids of my own.
Why don’t they pick up?? I almost yelled.
But now I have kids and understand how truly tired you can feel at the end of a long day. And then it's all too easy to leave a mess for later - tumbling into bed sounds much more enticing.
Don’t do it. Clean up. Waking up early will be more appealing when you know it can happen in a clean and tidy home.
5. Choose a special early morning cozy spot
A spot that is set up for you and your mornings. It can be used the rest of the day for whoever and whatever, but make it comfortable and inviting for your early morning routine. Where you can sit and enjoy that treat we talked about.
Raise your hand if there is a chair at your grandparents or parents house that people LEAP out of when the “owner” walks in the room?
My papaw can do as little as pass by the entrance to the den and whoever is sitting in his oversized armchair will fling themselves out like a jack-in-the-box.
Pick a spot like that 🙂
6. Get to bed earlier
And this is where it all starts.
Like a delicious, mouth watering, creamy + spicy curry takes proper prep to come together, so do your mornings. And it starts with getting to bed earlier.
7. Get the kids into a good routine
Before kids, your life was a little simpler.
You made your own choices, and could do what you wanted when you pleased.
Like the rider of a balance bike you had full control, it was just your legs telling the wheels where to go and which way to turn.
But now with little ones around you’re in full blown “pedal bike” mode...your wheels are connected to the pedals, and when the pedals aren’t working smoothly, the wheels won’t either.
If your kids are not in a good bedtime and morning time routine, you won’t be either.
8. Get off electronics at night
According to The Sleep Foundation, 90% of adults in America use their phones as part of their bedtime routine.
No wonder so many of us complain about poor sleep habits!
The Sleep Foundation + common sense tells us that screen time right before bed not only makes it harder to fall asleep, but it also reduces the quality of sleep.
So get off those phones and grab a book (or another screen-time alternative).
9. Exercise during the day
A few months ago we hiked a steep 5 mile out-and-back trail with our 3.5 year old - and he made it to the top! It was the longest, hardest hike that he had done to date.
And guess which hike he mentions the most? You got it.
The effort and striving made the experience and joy more full.
Your sleep will be more restful and when your body has worked to “deserve” that rest.
10. Stop making excuses, and just do it!
And that, in a nutshell, is really all that it takes.
These other nine hacks will help you make better choices, but in the end you still have to make decisions and follow through with them.
Now it’s your turn: get up early!
You can read articles all day long with tips and tricks to getting out of bed, but they won’t do you any good if you don’t make the hard choice.
That choice can only be made easier - it can’t be made for you! So make it easier by:
- Knowing your reason and writing it down
- Choosing a small treat that you enjoy by yourself in the AMs
- Place your alarm clock out of reach
- Tidy up your house before you go to bed
- Choose a designated early morning “spot”
- Get to bed earlier
- Set up good nighttime and morning time routines for the kids
- Stop using your phone right before bed
- Exercise during the day
You can do it mama.
I’m rooting for you!
