I do not like to get up early. There is nothing about losing an hour of sleep that I find enjoyable.
However.
I’ve learned that when I do get up early, I’m more productive. I use that hour or so to knock out several tasks like responding to emails, writing a blog post, doing a load of laundry or anything else that I feel inspired to tackle. Getting those tasks out of the way early in the morning starts a sort of productivity snowball for the rest of the day and, by the time my child is in bed, I’m able to actually relax. I can watch Sons of Anarchy or something else without stress. I can read without that nagging “do this instead” feeling. I can go to sleep knowing that I got shit done.
Which is why, for the month of November, I’m challenging myself–and you–to get up early. Not every day because that’s just crazy talk. But I’d like for us to agree to wake up early a few mornings per week and use that time to be productive. What you do during that time is up to you. I’ll mainly be working on my NaNoWriMo book. You can use that time to read blogs, paint your nails, exercise, work on a side gig, write that eBook you’ve been thinking about, put dinner in the crock put or just sit, meditate, and relish the silence.
It doesn’t really make a difference what you do. I just want us to use that time productively so we can lessen some of our daily burdens. We can stop saying “if I only had the time, I’d…” We can eliminate the excuses. We can take more control of our time and make it feel like we’ve added that extra hour to our day we always wish for.
It’s basically putting us in charge of our lives instead of the other way around.
So, if you’re going to participate, feel free to leave a comment, grab the button for your site, and tell everyone what you’re doing. If that’s not your style, you can choose to do it privately, too. I understand not wanting to talk about every detail of your life (because although I overshare here, I’m very private in real life). Regardless of which avenue you choose, I hope you’ll join the discussion on Facebook. We’ll be using that as our month-long support and accountability system.
See you in the morning!