The beauty of waking up early

One of the hardest things in life that most people would think of is, waking up early. You just can’t resist the temptation to land face-first into your comfy bed and the warmth of the blanket makes you want to stay in bed forever. Undeniably, we love sleeping a little too much.

I too definitely am no exception. Waking up late has been one of my bad habits ever since I could remember. Whenever I do so, the first thing I’d hear in the morning is my mom screaming on the top of her lungs from downstairs, nagging me to wake up and start my day early. Especially during the holidays, I find it irresistible to fall back asleep after my morning prayer but when I wake up late in the end, it feels like time flies by too quickly and there are a lot of things unfinished.

When I started university, I decided that I wanted to be an early riser even when my classes start late or are cancelled as well as during the holidays. It didn’t take me a week to realize how much I have changed whenever I wake up early and it became a rather enjoyable routine.

• Waking up early helps me make a good start of the day.

Waking up all refreshed is the ideal feeling after a good sleep. I feel good about myself whenever I wake up a little earlier than the world. Watching the sunrise from the balcony with my mug of hot coffee makes me feel at peace especially when I don’t hear the annoying honking of vehicles. Aside from the peaceful environment, I tend to have enough time for a good breakfast. Sometimes, walking to class earlier than the rest of the students while listening to music is therapeutic. Aside from improving my mood, the feeling of being early gives me the motivation to get things done during the day.

• Waking up early makes me more productive than usual.

As I feel more motivated to get things done, I tend to accomplish things much faster. Compared to the me who usually spend four to six hours to complete ONE assignment, I spend only two hours on it and that is a huge jump. Before I knew it, everything or at least more than half of my to-do list is marked completed. Hence, I realized that waking early enables me to handle my time more efficiently and as a result, I have more free time to myself. Also, I get to sleep early and the cycle repeats.

Waking up early makes me feel less stressed.

It’s a busy world out there and everyone experiences stress. Waking up early means no facing the traffic jam in the morning and no nasty glares from lecturers when coming to class late. Besides keeping to my time, I notice that everything around me and everything I do goes smoothly. Arriving to class early gives me more time to relax before the lesson starts. Sometimes, I use that time to read my notes, so I don’t have to pull all-nighters or study last minute for an upcoming test.

Unfortunately to this day, waking up early as a daily routine remains a challenge for me. After all, no one can resist sleep. One thing for sure, waking up early changes me from being constantly grumpy, stressed and unmotivated, to someone who enjoys every second of the day. If any of you are interested in switching to this lifestyle, I highly suggest that you should sleep earlier. You should have at least a minimum of six hours of sleep. No rationalizing your plans because once you do, it’ll become a habit. Discipline is key to waking up early. Motivate yourself by making the routine as a reward. There is absolutely nothing better than having more time for yourself.