How I Add a Month to My Year
Before I had Stella, when it was just Brian and me, I would wake up at 5 am every day. I’m one of those rare introverted extroverts: when I’m on, I’m totally on, but I need time to myself to re-energize and recharge. I loved having time all to myself, before Brian was up, to prepare for my day.
Then I had Stella. After being up all night with a baby, the last thing I wanted to do was wake up at 5 am. Shortly after, I had the boys. Same thing. Somehow, five years have passed since I regularly woke up at 5 am. And I miss it.
Let’s say the average person wakes up at 7am everyday.
By waking up at 5 am, you get 2 extra hours extra each day, 14 extra hours a week, and 728 extra hours a year. That translates to 30 extra days.
That gives you an entire extra month.
I really wanted that time.
Every month last year, I wrote down this one goal: Wake up at 5 am. Every month, I failed. I just wasn’t making it happen. This year, I decided enough is enough. I was so dang tired of writing down that goal, knowing I hadn’t made any steps to accomplish it.
As some of you know, working out isn’t my favorite thing. But in 2018, I prioritized exercising. I know myself. I knew that if I just joined a gym, I would never go. I needed to feel that someone was depending on me to be there and relying on me to pay them. So every day, before I pick the kids up from school, I work out with my trainer. When I don’t feel like going, I’m reminded that someone is depending on me, only me, to be there and to pay her. I value people’s time and money; I can’t just not show up!
I figured the same premise would work for my 5 am wake up time.
So, at the beginning of January, I signed up for a spin class. I prepaid the $70 for the month of classes. It starts at 5:10. There are only twelve bikes. I know that I’ve already paid for the class, and I hate wasting money. I know that if I don’t show up, I’m taking a bike that someone else would have used, and I’ll feel terrible!
Now we’re three weeks in, and I haven’t missed a class. I get home with an extra thirty minutes before the kids wake up, and have time to do stuff around the house, prepare for my day, or just be alone. Our mornings run much more smoothly, and the extra time to myself energizes me more than an extra hour of sleep would.
While I still not a ‘health-nut,’ I will gladly add a second work-out into my routine for a few months until my new schedule becomes habit.
And let me tell you, it felt really good when February rolled around and I felt satisfaction instead of failure because I had achieved my 5 am wake up goal!
Learn how to set more guidelines and boundaries for yourself with my freebie below.
