Yes, you read that right. And no, I am not a psychopath for waking up at an absurd hour in the morning. To start, before waking up this early, I was already a morning person. Now, I’m not one of those morning risers who jumps out of bed singing “Here Comes the Sun” and opens the windows to hear the birds chirping, but I enjoy getting up early to have quiet time with God. I also like working in the morning because I feel more productive and focused.
After moving back home and transitioning to online classes, I wanted to make sure I kept a healthy schedule because the structure helped me. I started getting up earlier than normal (9:00 a.m.) a few weeks after we moved back home, and to be honest, the first few mornings were rough; but as I continued to keep a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed around 9:30 p.m., I maintained energy throughout the day.
A few days I woke up a little later because I went to bed later. Getting to bed at a good time helped me to wake up and feel more motivated the next morning. With my new schedule, I had breakfast, completed full body stretches, worked out, showered, and read my devotion, all by 7:30 a.m.
Once my early morning routine was complete, I started working between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., taking a 30-minute break after that. The breaks helped me to stay focused, because I was motivated to see how much I could get done before the break. Because of this schedule, I was able to get ahead of my schoolwork and be done earlier in the afternoon, allowing for time to rest and to do something fun!
So, why 5:00 a.m.? I’ve heard of people starting this for a couple of years now, and it’s become popular for YouTubers like Casey Neistat and Matt D’Avella. While Matt didn’t benefit from this habit, Casey did. He said has highly productive hours without being distracted, and I agree. There’s less temptation to look at my phone because no one is awake. It also creates a sense of accomplishment by waking up this early. Once you “win” the battle of waking up, you can work out or eat a healthy breakfast, and these small victories carry you throughout the day to get increasingly more done. This has affected my mindset on what I can accomplish; I love getting up at 5:00 a.m. now because it motivates me to be a better me.
As summer semester begins, it’s important to keep up a consistent schedule. This doesn’t mean you have to stay inside all day doing schoolwork and missing out on fun memories; with a set schedule, you can be more productive and finish projects earlier so you have more time to enjoy the summer!
I hope this blog can help motivate you as you get ready for summer classes, and even if you don’t wake up at a crazy time in the morning,
you still have some sort of structure for your day.
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Zach Walker is a business major and works for TMU’s marketing and communications.
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