Tuesday, October 12, 2010

10 Practical Reasons to Wake Up Early



What is the most common excuse for not doing something? For me it is the same excuse over and over. Lack of time. Since it's TOP TEN TUESDAY I thought this would be a great way for me  us to see the importance of getting our cute little tushes out of bed! Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t talking here about waking up at 3 a.m. But just one additional hour in the morning can make a huge difference in your life. It's creating a new habit for yourself. It's never easy but so worth it. Before you start working on this habit, it’s very important for you to understand what you are going to spend your gained extra time on. If you have good enough goals and reasons to wake up early, they alone may be enough to keep you committed and motivated.

1. You and God Time
I don't know about you but for me this gives me time to start my day off reading the Bible or a devotional. To be honest, this is a CONSTANT struggle for me. It's the most important thing and I know I need to do it daily but I find myself always rushing and "never having enough time".
2. You and Body Time
You knew I was going to say this! The best time to work out is in the morning {at least for me}. It's out of the way, not lingering over my head. Plus I have more energy to tackle the day and run after my three little men.
3. Increase your productivity: Plan Your Day
Just think what even an extra hour added to your day could look like. You may not even realize what an hour in the morning before work or before the kids get up looks like. Why? Because you don't have a plan for the day. Yes, I know I get it things change, kids get sick, blah blah blah... But I am willing to bet if you took 10 minutes out of your morning to put a semi plan of your day together you would get a lot more accomplished!
4. Thinking Time
With three little men under six running around this house I feel like there is barely a moment {except naps} when I can think. You know what I mean right? So, I'll take 5 minutes to just sit on the couch sip a Diet Coke {yes, I will drink one at 5 am... it's my coffee.} and think.
5. Pick up and Put up Time
I try to have my house clean overnight before I go to bed. I feel like it just starts my day out better. But there are those nights where I am beat and could give two craps if I have 100 dishes in the sink. Then I wake up the next morning and am so frustrated with myself that I didn't just get it done. So, guess what? Getting up early, if I happened to leave those lovely dishes in the sink, I can actually put them in the dishwasher and tidy up before the kids get up. {and mess it all up again but that is a different blog topic;)}
6. Stress Free Morning
Those words sound so wonderful. For some reason my mornings are CRAZY. I hate it. I want my boys to have a nice morning before school and I am always rushing around like a looney tune. I think even an extra 10 minutes would be huge for me. What about you?
7. Make/Eat Breakfast
Not gonna lie my boys are pop tart kids. Not a good thing but "I don't have time" to cook them a good breakfast. Get up early woman. {sorry, that is me talking to ... me} Do they need a four course gourmet breakfast every morning? No. But what about once a month a surprise pancake and toast? Just a thought.
8. Computer Time/ Come talk to me via blog time
Well, your reading this right now so you have to be taking sometime out of your day. Are you at work? Did you give the kids a snack so you could hop on the computer for a minute. I would never do that. {fingers crossed behind my back} What if you could check a few of our favorite blogs i.e. ME and leave a comment. Side note. Seriously, why do you read this and NEVER leave a comment for me {puppy dog eyes and sad face}. I have a few of you whom I love who always leave me comments but YOU never do. How can a girl have a virtual relationship with only a one way street. {ahem} What was I saying?
9. Beat the traffic/ Get the kids to school on time
We have some traffic issues taking place on our street and I am always running late. I am pretty much starting the car and trying to go and in the background I can hear Mason yelling, "No, momma da cops are gonna get me. I'm not strapped in." 
10. Do Something for Someone Else
How often do we think of others? Um. Exactly. Not nearly as much as we should. We get so busy with our lives and our kids lives that we often forget about other people. What a great time to actually take a few minutes to do something for someone else. Big or little it doesn't matter. Just something. A short letter just to say your thinking about them. Maybe it's just a note you put on the cabinet that says, "Call Sally." I am willing to bet you will feel much more blessed in the end if you make this part of your daily routine.


Alright friends there you have it Top 10 Reason to Get Up Early. It's not easy and will require commitment and discipline, but I really feel like the reward is well worth it.  So, I am committed to this. I kinda have to be since I am the one who wrote it! Anyone else....

3 comments:

  1. I laughed out loud when I read the part about Mason telling you the cops were gonna get him! That is SO funny!

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  2. Amen lady! Love the last one because I have literally been thinking about writing someone for like 3 months and always forget until I'm in the car or something. I think I will do that tomorrow. Oh, and I'm totally thinking about making Thursday playdates about the mama's making freezer meals or something - whadda think?

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  3. Agree completely! I get up early and get myself completely ready for work, including putting all the kids stuff in the car, before I even wake them up. Once they are up and about, all bets are off and you are at their mercy! Like you, I also use the time to straighten up from a late night bender of cereal for all.

    On the breakfast front, I try to do sausage biscuits for my kids a couple times a week. I pop the pillsbury biscuits in the oven, start getting ready while they cook, and then heat up some precooked turkey sausage in the microwave right before we eat. I do cinnamon rolls sometimes too, even though I know they aren't very healthy. Both are good to eat in the car.

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