I’m currently typing this post at 4:15 am… not because I couldn’t sleep, not because one of the kids woke me up, not because I have too much to do, but simply because this is the time Dave and I have CHOSEN to get up at 4 am every weekday for the foreseeable future.
I know… it’s sort of crazy!
We are both very much “morning people” and are naturally more productive earlier in the day versus later at night. However, for the past (almost) 7 years, we’ve had to continually tweak and evaluate our daily routine based on how well (or how poorly) our current babies and toddlers are sleeping.
This meant often staying up later than we’d like to finish everything we had to finish that day… and then being too tired to wake up as early as we’d like to the next morning.
Who can relate to that?!
Over the past several months — essentially since Clara magically started sleeping really well — Dave and I have set our alarm earlier and earlier in an effort to regain our morning productivity.
We began our early morning routine with a 5:30 alarm and eventually transitions to waking at 4 am every morning.
So here we are… with a 4 am early morning routine Monday – Friday, and diligently getting to bed by 9:30 or 10 every night.
NOTE: We wake up around 5 on weekends.
Although this might sound completely insane to some of you, it honestly was not that hard of a transition for us to make.
If anything, we’re actually getting a bit MORE sleep now as we make every effort to be IN BED by 9:30 — otherwise, we’ll feel too tired the next day.
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Why The Early Morning Routine?
You might be wondering the obvious question of WHY we would want to wake up this early… especially since our kids go to bed super early and we have several glorious hours of uninterrupted quiet time in the evenings.
Well, there are several reasons — one of which is that we now have several hours of uninterrupted quiet time in the morning, when we feel more awake and refreshed from a full night of sleep!
Also…
- we are both morning people and enjoy waking up early (as mentioned above)
- we are both much more “with it” in the morning versus later at night
- we are now able to get a good jump-start on our day by plowing through several of our to-do’s before the kids wake up and before Dave heads to school
- Dave likes to go running early in the morning versus late at night
- I like to have time to prep that day’s meals before people wake up
- we both prefer to be awake and 100% ready for the day before any of our kids wake up
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What do I do at 4:00 in the morning?
Obviously, you won’t find me vacuuming or doing any sort of noisy construction project at 4 am… but there are SO many things I can easily do without disturbing our sleeping children:
- Look over my to-do list and mentally prepare for the day ahead
- Laundry — I can usually have 3 loads finished before the kids wake up!
- Respond to emails and blog comments
- Write blog posts
- Work on my VA jobs
- Schedule social media posts or respond to comments and messages
- Prep dinner (especially if I need to marinate meat, chop a bunch of veggies, or assemble a casserole)
- Bake
- Get dressed and ready for my day
- Stretch and/or do my physical therapy exercises
- Go for a walk outside
- Read or listen to a podcast
- Wrap gifts or write cards (I do this for a committee at church)
- Water my potted plants
- Pick the vegetable garden (it’s usually light enough by 6:45 to do this)
- Pack any bags we’ll need for the day (we usually pack lunches the night before)
- Get groceries (thank-you to Meijer for being open 24-hours a day!)
- Start breakfast
Even if you are not a morning person, I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on how fantastic it feels to accomplish the majority of my day’s to-do list before anyone else’s day begins!
I feel so much more awake and “with it” by the time my kids come downstairs (between 6:30 and 7:00), I’m more-than-ready to serve breakfast and get the kids off to school, my entire day home with the younger kids feels less chaotic, and everything seems to run smoother.
There have been several mornings when I have completed 90% of my to-do list before our kids wake up… the only reason I didn’t finish it was because it involved making phone calls, making noise, or running errands to places that weren’t open until 10 am!
This means my brain is freer to focus on my family during the day (which was increasingly difficult for me to manage when I had so many other to-dos on my list each day).
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Our Strategy for Getting to Bed On Time:
Obviously, if we’re waking up at 4 am, we NEED to get to bed on time, otherwise we simply won’t get enough sleep to make it through our day. So when Dave proposed his idea of waking up at 4 am, we both decided we had to get serious about an earlier bedtime.
Since our kids are usually all sleeping by 7 pm, we dedicate to wrap up our own day around about 2 hours later. We spend those 2 hours doing things like
- finish picking up the house and yard
- pick the garden if necessary
- clean out the dishwasher and/or wash and dry dishes
- pack lunches for the next day
- write out our to-do’s for the next day
- look over the menu plan for the next day and defrost any food items I’ll need
- respond to necessary emails, messages, voicemails, texts, etc.
Around 9 pm, we take showers and get ready for bed between. Depending on how tired we feel, we might watch a short Netflix show, read, or chat about the day/week ahead.
Then it’s lights out as close to 9:30 pm as possible.
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Early Morning Routines are NOT For Everyone!
I certainly can’t write a post about waking up at 4 and going to bed at 9:30 without a HUGE DISCLAIMER that waking up and/or going to bed early are NOT the best choices for everyone!
I realize that “waking up early” and “productive mornings” have been trending topics for the last several years … and early morning routines are a great way to boost productivity. However, as a born and raised morning person, I am living proof that there are seasons of life when it is unfathomable to wake up by 7 am, let alone 4 am!
If you aren’t a morning person, embrace that and don’t try to force your body to do something so unnatural. Find your groove late at night, and enjoy some quiet productivity during the evening hours instead.
I also realize many of you with older children (and more evening commitments) are potentially laughing at the idea of 2 grown people going to bed by 9:30 every night! I know, it is somewhat comical!
And for those parents struggling through a long period of sleeplessness, thanks to a baby or young child who just doesn’t sleep, give yourself a free pass on this topic and sleep whenever you can (I do have some tips that might help you in this area though!)
I’m sharing this post, not as a guilt trip for anyone who loves to sleep in and stay out late, but simply as another option to consider if you’re currently struggling with a lack of productivity.
The beauty of our 4 am wake-up time is that IT WORKS FOR US… FOR NOW!
It’s 100% OK if it doesn’t work for you (I know it won’t work for many of you!)
I doubt Dave and I will wake up at 4 am forever, especially once we have more evening commitments with older children.
If/when it stops working as well, we will re-evaluate at that time and probably try something new. But for now, it’s working… and we do what works!
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Looking For More Productivity Posts?
Here are several of the Productivity Posts I’ve shared over the years — in chronological order so you can get a feel for how our productiveness has morphed and changed over the years!
- How I Changed My Most Productive Time of Day (from morning to evening)
- Why I Need a Paper List to Be Productive (it’s an older post, but still SO true for me!)
- 7 Tips for a More Productive Morning… and Why I’m Not Following Any of Them (when we were in the trenches of Nora’s sleep issues and Simon was a newborn!)
- Why I Choose “Productive” Instead Of “Busy” (sometimes, simply using a different word can put a new spin o new perspective on the situation.)
- When You Have the Time… But Not The Energy (a good read for anyone struggling with lack of energy and motivation)
- Creating Change When You Just Feel Too Busy (a good lesson for any of you who’d like to change anything in your life)
- My Morning Productivity is Making a Comeback! (at least for a little while it did!)
- Creating Routine When Every Day Is Different (helpful information for those of you with non-traditional jobs)
- 2 “Secrets” to Being Productive AND Being a Present Parent (I’m getting wiser as a mother to 3 children now!)
- Why I Prepare to Be Productive (It’s amazing how much of a difference this makes for me!)
- How I Create More Time, More Simplicity, and More Peace
Just for discussion purposes, I’d love to know what time you wake up!
Sasha {Pathologically Literate} says
I love that this early morning schedule works for you while your children are so young! I was a night owl for the majority of my life. I struggled mightily to transition to becoming an early-riser for years and years while my son was growing up (he is now 20 years old). It’s only in the last year, since I’ve become an Empty Nester, that I have begun to wake up religiously between 4:00 – 5:00 AM every single morning — without an alarm, even!! *sigh*
Andrea says
it’s nice because they go to bed early so Dave and I can actually get to bed earlier too — in a few more years when the kids start staying up later, it might not work as well… so we’re just enjoying it now while we can!
Debbie says
This sounds great to be able to get 90% off from your To Do list before the kids wake up. I’m normally an evening person. I should go to bed by 11 pm so I can wake up by 6 am and squeeze in a morning workout. However, I tend to stay up later. There’s weeks I have back to back meetings for church and I don’t get home until 9 pm. I then have to put together my lunch for the next day and then get ready for bed. Instead of going right to sleep after all that I want to relax and watch YouTube or a Netflix show. If I don’t have any meetings my normal routine is go home, change clothes, wash my lunch box/containers, eat dinner while decompressing by watching a show with my hubs or talking with him about the day. There’s also weeks that I do things for church in the evening at home. When I do feel I’ve decompressed enough I put together my lunch for the next day and clean the kitchen. I often don’t get finished until 8:45 pm. When I end up extending that “relaxing” phase I go to bed later, then I’m too tired to wake up by 6 am so I stay in bed for another hour. I think I can do the early morning bit like you, but I will definitely have to shorten the “decompressing phase” in the evening by not watching any videos or shows.
Cindy says
Interesting post …for years when my girls were in school, I would wake up and 4:00 (sometimes earlier) and start my day. My work day began at 8:30 so this gave me about 2 to 3 hours of personal time, cleaning time and whatever else time. There was always some quiet time included in this but I got so many things done. I never really planned my days but every morning it included emptying the dishwasher, laundry, running the sweeper (the bedrooms were upstairs) and other odds and ends. Sometimes I would even take time to do some quilting or crafting. I guess the moral of this short story is make the best of your time and prioritize what is important. Btw, I still get up early, between 4:30 and 5 AM. My work day begins at 6:00 now and I am a little older. I have slowed down but still get quite a few things accomplished in the early morning hours!
Andrea says
yay for another morning person! I’m glad to hear your mornings are still productive, even with older children and a different schedule!
Natalia says
I love this idea!
The final “official” wake up of the day is sometimes between 6:45-7:30, depending on what time my little one convinces me that “it’s morning, mommy!, look, no dark!”. I say “final”, because she wakes me up at least 3-5 times during the night until then. Most of the nights I can’t get back to sleep right away, so I get a little quiet time to myself at random times between 1am and 4am. There have been occasions when I slept better until 5 or so and I felt rested enough to not go back to sleep and I loved it, but for now – i have to absorb all the sleep I can… whenever I can. I’m dreaming of one day when I can get better quality of sleep so I can wake up earlier and earlier…
Brandie Curtis says
I am SO HAPPY to see this post! For the last 3 years my friend and I get up at 4am and meet to workout every week day as to not inconvenience the husbands (ha) and be able to be home and helpful (and NOT working out) in the evenings for kids homework, supper, cleanup, baths, bedtime, etc…. Her and I both have full time jobs outside the home. So it was either early mornings or late nights for workouts. We tried late night workouts for a little bit and it just didn’t work for us.
It did however take our husbands a while to ‘get used to’ us going to bed so early. I go to bed the same time as my daughter (1st grade this year and requires ALOT of sleep) at 7:30pm, asleep by 8-8:15pm at the latest.
My husband and son (4th grader) go to bed at the same time around 9pm.
I get home from workout around 5:30am and get ready for work and then I get kids up at 6am and get them ready for school, breakfast and all of us are out the door about 7:15am.
Most people think we’re NUTS #1 for getting up so early and #2 for going to bed so early but it really does work for both our families and of course we stay up later and get up later on the weekends! HA!
THANKS for posting this, we were beginning to think we were the only CRAZY ones! 🙂
Andrea says
haha –we’re all crazy together! Glad you found a routine that works for you!
lyss says
Sorry, but 4 am is the middle of the NIGHT in my book! lol! Yes, I know it’s technically morning, but well before daylight is nighttime to me. I would have to go to bed by 7pm everyday in order to feel good at 4am. Not happening. Oh, to have your energy!
Alicia says
I’ve actually been doing this exact same thing for the past couple months too, for the same reasons! I also love it! 🙂
Angela says
Good food for thought. I’ve incorporated an earlier bedtime and earlier waking time, just because I seem to be more tired as our kids are older and busier (and so am I.) But I struggle with creating a to-do list for the early mornings that makes the early rising seem appealing and worth it. My early bird’s bedroom is right above the kitchen, so any noise I make in there will wake her up, and then that quiet time goes out the window. 🙂 And I don’t feel like I can go for a walk until the sun comes up, because we have coyotes that make me nervous. And the early morning journaling or Bible study ideas that are all over Pinterest seem great, but honestly they’d put me right back to sleep. Hmmm…I’ll probably read through this post multiple times to see which ideas might work for me!
Andrea says
ok, definitley do not go walking in the dark with coyotes! Also, I agree with you that reading or doing devotions would put me back to sleep. I guess for me, I just love being awake when it’s quiet and no one is bugging me or asking me to do something for them. No one is touching me, talking to me, asking me to watch them, asking for food, etc. So that’s motivation enough for me — even if I don’t get all that much accomplished 🙂
But… you might be in a very different stage of life than I am, and it might not be worth it for you to wake up early — it’s definitely not for everyone!
Julia says
The crazy thing to me about your schedule is not how early you’re getting up, but how little you are sleeping. I can barely survive with less than 9 hours in bed! You people who can get by on less than 7 hours of sleep amaze me.
Andrea says
haha — yeah, I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten 9 hours of sleep… at least not as an adult! Good for you for knowing you need that much sleep and figuring out a way to get it each day!
Carol says
I get up at 5:15 on the days I work (I’m a nurse who does 12 hours shifts from 7am-7:30 pm 3 days a week) but sleep until I wake up on other days. I’m an empty nester with a retired husband so no other morning commitments (I’ll even confess that it’s 9:45 right now and I have been awake since 7:30 but I’m still in my pajamas!).
I think life would be easier and I would be more productive if I got up at a regular time which would have to be 5:15 due to my work schedule. So I’m curious how you got to the 4 am wake up time; did you go cold turkey and set your alarm for that time or back up your old wakeup time in smaller increments?
Also wondering about your “sleeping in” until 6 or so on the weekends. Is that when you “naturally” wake up? Do you think it makes those 4 am wake ups harder on your weekdays? I’ve read that it’s best for the quality of your sleep if you try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
Andrea says
honestly, we don’t seem to be affected by waking up early or sleeping in — we just get more sleep some nights and less others. It doesn’t seem to mess with our routine or our quality of sleep.
Miranda says
I find this so fascinating! During the summer my kids sleep until 8:30 and I find it a struggle to even get up at 7:30 ha! I’m a night owl, not because I’m productive but because I need more hours in the day to relax! Half an hour just wouldn’t be enough for me haha. And I personally much rather get work done with kids around, so I can save the time they’re asleep or having quiet time for some self care.
Andrea says
I literally laughed out loud when I read “I personally much rather get work done with kids around”… that seems like an oxymoron statement to me! I’m guessing your children are either older than mine, or very good at entertaining themselves and the babies for long periods during the day!
Also, if our kids are sleeping by 7:00, we have at least 2 hours to decompress before we go to bed 🙂
Calliope says
I‘m also a morning person. During school days (teacher also) I wake up at 6 for an hour of quiet coffee. I started doing this for my son‘s sake as I am a better person and mother after my coffee!
I‘d like also to wake up a lot earlier so as to start exercising in the morning. But…I hate exercising and also I don‘t see how I can fit in shower, hair, makeup and all the other stuff till 7:45 that we have to be out the door and in the car.
Any ideas anyone?
Also, aren‘t you tired by 10-11 am? I think I‘ll be exhausted or sleepy or both by then. Is it something that your body has to get used to given time? Thanks!
Andrea says
I’m a fellow non-exercisers here… so I have no tips for you on that (except to accept the fact that you don’t enjoy it and stop feeling guilty about not exercising!)
As for feeling tired… no, I don’t. I never drink coffee (never have) so I’m not sure how caffeine would play apart in my day, but I rarely every feel tired until after dinner when we’re getting the kids to bed, cleaning up dinner, preparing for the next day, etc. Thankfully, by that time, I only need to make it another hour or 2 before I go to bed 🙂
Linda says
I am by nature a morning person, but I live with an extreme night-owl husband. In my perfect world, I would go to bed by 9 pm and get up at 5-6 am. In my real world, I go to sleep around 10:30-11 pm, wake up these days at 4 am (I call that insomnia), am up a couple of hours, go back to sleep for another 1.5 hrs. Then do my day and often get a nap somewhere between 4-6 pm. I can usually do this, because we are basically empty-nesters, and I don’t work outside the home these days. We fairly often have evening commitments. It’s a pretty crazy sleep schedule, but it does help my energy levels. Our family has a huge stress (serious illness), so we try to be kind to ourselves, and get naps when we need them.
When our children were young & at home, and we homeschooled them all, I found it imperative for me to be up at least an hour before them. Treasured that quiet hour when I could think without interruptions. And I homeschooled with a set routine/schedule in the mornings, with some flexibility within periods of time during the day.
Andrea says
Yes, I would think you’d need a great deal of structure and routine to successfully manage homeschooling AND running a home/family/kitchen/etc.
And I also agree that being “kind to ourselves” is very important. Dave and I currently do not feel like we need more than 6-7 hours of sleep at night, but we know people who NEED 8-9 every night just to function. It’s crazy to think that we literally have 2-3 more hours than they do every single day… but they have to do what works for them or they will get sick and get nothing done!
Glad you found the routine that works for you (even if it is a little unconventional!)
Mrs.M in MI says
I guess I’m in the minority but I am a total night owl and I have tried but am not able to change. Once my kids go to bed at 7:30, I get so much done before I head to bed at 10! And/or I’m able to fully relax and enjoy some alone time, which is also really important. I do have to get up by 7 most mornings in order to be ready before my kids get up at 7:30 so we can be out the door to grandma’s, preschool, and work before 9.
I seem to also be in the minority in that I need a good 8-9 hours of sleep to feel my best. 6 hours would not cut it for me and I would be chugging caffeinated drinks and feeling so tired all day long.
Mary says
I’m in the minority with you, lol. I need a good 8-8.5 hours per night. Have tried many times to reduce that number simply to gain more hours a day of productivity. It just doesn’t work for me either. I am grump-y when I try to do that! But man, I am jealous of people who can function on 6 hours/night!! I cant imagine what I could get done with an “extra” 2 hours a day!
Andrea says
it IS crazy to think that Dave and I literally have “extra hours” in our day, compared to people who require more sleep. If you know you need more sleep, then definitely listen to your body — you’ll regret it if you don’t!
Andrea says
Dave and I have had periods of “night owl productivity” in our lives before — but ultimately, we are the most alert and productive in the morning… so since our kids (usually) let us sleep through the night these days, we’re sticking with mornings for now!
And yes, Dave and I might simply require less sleep than you… which is pretty normal I’d say. There’s a large spectrum of how many hours of sleep adults need — ranging from only 4-5 hours, all the way up to 9-10 hours. I’m personally glad I seem to function well on 6-7 as it’s nice to have a couple extra hours in my day… but I’m certain it’s more important for you to listen to your body versus try to force yourself to function on less sleep.
Rachelle says
Oo- I think 4:15 is a bit early for me! However, I agree that mornings are a more productive time … and the peace, tranquility (and sunrises) prior to an awakening household is wonderful. I have a fairly early morning bus run with my 14 yo and get up at 5:30, which is enough time to get organised and out the door by 6:30. I used to get up at 5:15 to enjoy that special aloneness for 15 mins until …. my husband decided to get up then too!…. ha ha… bless him, but kinda wasn’t the same…. so went back to 5:30. Getting to bed by 9:30 – 10:00 is fairly crucial for me to survive the week though. Great post and interesting to hear what the rest of the world does!
Andrea says
yes, it’s definitely not for everyone! Glad you found a routine that works for you!
Siobhan says
Thank you for this motivational post! I returned to work from child care leave and have been waking up at 4:40, as I have a long commute. Lately, I have been thinking that it would be better for me to wake up even earlier as I am so much more refreshed in the morning. I am so upset with my routine lately..staying up until 10:30 pm trying to get ready for the next day. It takes me a long time to do simple tasks because I am so exhausted. I also snack on unhealthy foods to help give me an energy boost. It has been a bad cycle that I am not proud of 🙁
I know if I get to bed earlier I would wake up feeling more peaceful and be more productive. Your’re my role model in this; I feel I can relate to you and when that 4 am alarm goes off…I know other people are getting up as well 🙂
Andrea says
That’s exactly what Dave and I were doing over the summer — staying up too late, working slowly because we were tired, eating unhealthy snacks, etc. It’s hard for us to go to bed knowing there are other things to do, but we are so much more efficient and productive in the morning that it’s worth it for us.
Maybe try it for a week or so and see how it goes — I’m sure it’s even more challenging for you though, having such a new baby! If it doesn’t work not, it might be something to try again in the future, once your baby is a little older.
Aggie says
Great post! I am a 4:00a.m. riser as well, always have been and I love it. My husband is the same way so it works for us as well.
Cara says
I’ve been thinking about getting up earlier so that I’m ready for the day before my kids get up. I’ve also thrown around the idea of waking up earlier to workout. Once school starts for me I hope to wake up at 5:30. Can you share the article that Dave read?!
Andrea says
I have no idea what article he read — it was a couple months ago and he just shared the concept with me. Sorry!
Heather Ratliff says
I turn out the lights between 10:15 and 10:30 and am up at 5 every day, including weekends. on weekdays, I have 20 minutes or so before everyone else starts waking up so I read or even nap! On Saturdays, I realized I was pretty grumpy if I got up after my kids so I started getting up at 5, just like any other day. It really helped my mood!
Karen says
My sleep is from about 12-7am. I’m definitely not a morning person, but love the way I feel once I’m up and going. I’ve noticed in the last year or so I’m not as productive as I used to be in the evenings. As I’m aging I think it might be better to try to go to bed earlier. I only have a 10 year old left at home and we homeschool. You’ve given me some things to think about…..I would love to get ready and knock some things off my to do list before school starts each day. Do you think you will rise that early in the cold dark winter? I live near Lake Tahoe and I was just thinking about how changing my wake time would feel in the winter…..maybe if i start now I wouldn’t have so much adjusting to do
Andrea says
Karen, we definitely adjusted our wake time gradually over the past 6 months or so… but our intent is to continue waking early even in the winter (although, I agree, it will be more challenging).
As long as our house is nice and warm, we should be fine! I doubt we’ll do any outside activities early in the morning as it will be so dark, cold, icy, etc. so we’ll just turn the heat up 🙂
Cathy says
I also love the quietness of the world at that time!
Andrea says
yes! I love the quiet! It might be a little harder when the house is cold in the winter months… but I’ll just wear my robe and slippers 🙂
Cathy says
I totally agree! I am a stay at home Grandma(by chwaoice) and my wakeup time is 530 and It works!!!
Amy says
I wake up around 6:30 on work days & 7-7:30 on days I am home with the kids (this is the time they wake up too). I’ve been toying with the idea of waking up earlier so I can feel more awake and with it when the day starts, but just haven’t taken the leap. And now I’m due with baby #3 in March, so it feels a bit futile to start it now & then go back to crazy sleep schedules again in a few months.
Andrea says
It’s TOTALLY worth waking up early now, even if you’re having a baby in 6 months (you can get A LOT accomplished in 6 months of early mornings)!!
Meghan says
I love that this works for you! So amazing to get so much done so early! I have a weird relationship with sleep. No matter how much I get, from 6-9 hours, I hate getting up. I’m not a “eyes pop open and spring out of bed” person at all. I’m more of a “stumble out and run into a wall” person. I wake up easier if I’ve only had five hours of sleep.
Holly Sanford says
LOL, I’m obviously in the minority on this site but I have always been a night owl and I love nothing more than being able to sleep in on the weekend. I’ve thought about trying to learn to be a morning person but I’ve just come to accept that although I can stay up and late and still get to my morning job 5 days a week like a responsible grown up, it’s okay to take a day or two on the weekends and sleep in as late as I want now that my kids are college age. I do admire you early morning risers though.
Rhonda says
My husband and I go to bed around 10 pm (give or take 30 minutes), and wake up around 6 am. Kids (5 and 8) got to bed about 8:30 pm in the summer (wake time about 6:30-7am) School year will have to be earlier to bed for them.
One reason we don’t get up earlier is because of the layout of our house – all the bedrooms located on one floor, and near our open floor-plan kitchen/living area – we have dogs, then they get up and make noise, and it wakes the whole house. However, I think if we actually got up MUCH earlier than the kids normal wake up time, rather than just before, they might not hear it and wake out of their deep sleep as easily. I think I might give it a try just to push our wake up to 5:30 or 5:15 am. My husband should do it too, as it would allow him to get back to his running habit BEFORE work, rather than try to do it after work (doing it after would mean he’d miss supper with the family; less ideal).
Thanks for the motivation!
Andrea says
yes, it works wonderfully for us that the 3 older kids are all sleeping upstairs. They never hear a thing.
And… one more reason we don’t have pets! 🙂
Julia says
This is my situation too! My husband tried to sneak down the hall one morning at 5:30 and all three of the kids were instantly up! They usually sleep until 7:00. It was a long day that day…
I’ve been trying to stage a few quiet things to do in my room, but the walls are so thin it’s always risky to move around before wake up time.
Andrea says
oh boo — definitely not worth an early wakeup if the kids wake up then too! do you have fans or noise makers in their rooms? If not, that might help??
Lori says
I currently wake up at 5 to be out the door by 5:25 to exercise. If I don’t workout first thing in the morning, it won’t happen! I’ve been toying with the idea of waking up at 4:30 to have time for reading and/or devotions, but… I don’t know… that’s SO early! Thanks for the vision and encouragement!
Andrea says
if you’re already waking up at 5:00, switching to 4:30 shouldn’t be much of a difference, but you might be surprised how much more you accomplish in that time!
Avia says
Presently I try to get up between 5-5:30. I have to leave the house with my 5 and 3 yr old at 7 in order to make daycare drop off and get to work on time. Getting up at this time really doesn’t get me any “extra” time; just enough time to get us out of the house without feeling overly rushed. I have just recently been thinking about getting up at 4:30 instead so I can have a little extra time. I was wondering if I’m crazy to think this way so reading your post today was very timely for me! We’ll see how it goes.
Leslie Alexander says
Our alarm goes off at 4:30 every morning. My husband and I (we’re empty nesters now) have our first cup of coffee together every morning. We’ve started going to bed between 8-9:00 and some evenings it’s not even dark outside! But you are so right – for us morning folks, those hours before 8:00 are twice as productive as any other hour of the day.
Kim says
This appraoch definitely makes sense for me. I juat cannot stay up much past 9, and if I do, then I seem to have a hard time getting to sleep. Quirky, I know. But, then I am up at 5. I am definitely more of a morning person. This makes perfect sense to me.
Chris says
Great post! I have become more of a morning person over the years. My husband and adult son who live have to be at work at 4, so they get up at 3-something. Not me! lol I usually sleep until 6:30 or so. But I do take advantage of packing both their lunches, setting out my husband’s vitamins and water and usually making him a green smoothie for his breakfast. (I like packing my adult son’s lunches because it helps me “use up” what needs to be used, etc.)
Jen says
I don’t know that I’m necessarily a morning vs night person. I can get up early and/or stay up late, depending on what our schedule requires. But, since we’ve had a week of empty nesting, I am finding I enjoy the mornings very much. Since I work at home, I am free to do many things during the day as I have a lot of flexibility, but even with that, I enjoy getting things “done” before the day really starts. I am typically up between 5-5:30 every morning. I don’t even need an alarm–age does that to you! LOL! Jeff leaves for school about 6:30 (he likes to get there early and get a head start on his prep for the day) and he eats a cold breakfast that doesn’t require me, and I generally start work about 8-8:30. By that time, I’ve walked the dog, emptied the dishwasher, showered and dressed, made the bed, thought about/prepped for dinner, and sometimes done several loads of laundry. (I usually put the laundry in at night and set the delay wash so it’s ready for the dryer by the time I get up.) It’s a great feeling to have that much done before I start “working”. 😉 Glad you’ve found a schedule that’s working for you at this stage of life!
Amanda says
Good Morning, Andrea!
I LOVE your post! I’ve followed your blog for several years now and I love reading about productivity and routine. Unfortunately for me, I lack productivity. I love the thought of getting up early and knocking out some tasks for the day but when it comes to actually getting up, it’s so hard for me.
Up until 2 years ago I worked a full-time job outside the home. I told myself that I was more productive in the mornings than any other time of the day. Then….I became a full-time stay-at-home-homeschooling-mom. Not having to get up at a set-time to punch a time-clock every morning was such a nice change for me. However, it’s also been a bit of a problem as well. I have no structure to my day at all. I WANT structure, but making myself get up at the same time every day is so hard. I can set my alarm on my phone for a specific time and almost every day without fail, I’ll wake up earlier than that, turn my alarm off and then go back to sleep. I know what I NEED to do, but I can’t seem to MAKE myself do it.
Thank you for posting what works for you. It gives me motivation to try and change myself 🙂
Andrea says
Thanks Amanda!
I know a handful of women who decided to homeschool their kids and almost instantaneously lost all sense of schedule, productivity, etc. It seemed completely crazy for me (but I’m guessing you can relate to them).
For me, I would need EVEN MORE structure and routine if I would homeschool… wouldn’t you need a pretty strict schedule and structure in order to accomplish your schooling and complete your other household tasks every day? It’s basically like 2 full-time jobs at the same time (plus caring for younger children if you have any).
I have no tips or magical advice for you! It sounds like you know what you have to do, you just need to motivate yourself to do it. 🙂
Tonya says
We get up at 4:45AM on weekdays. I start work @6:00AM. I find I have much more energy Monday-Friday then when I sleep in on weekends. We are in bed @ 9:00PM too.
Annette Silveira says
I’ve heard that there’s some science saying that the hours you sleep before midnight have more quality than the ones after midnight. I also get up early because my granddaughter gets here at 7:30 and she hits the ground running. I have to be ready to go! I’m a morning person and I thoroughly enjoy the quiet house and my time alone in the (very) early morning. I also have no problem packing it in at a reasonable hour at night.
Andrea says
Interesting… I’ve never heard this, but it does make sense! I sleep SO well when I go to be on time versus trying to push myself to stay up a little later to finish my to-do list!
sherry says
I get up at 4:30—love the morning hours.
Luba @ Healthy with Luba says
Andrea,
What an amazing post! I am so glad Clara is sleeping through the night.
My husband is up at 4:15 am, and I wake up at 5:30 during the week. My goal is also to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier.