Hello friend!
I’ve officially completed a week of waking up early consistently, including the weekend!! As someone who is NOT a morning person, this is no small feat (for context, anyone who has ever had to wake me up can attest that I need multiple alarms and wake up calls to actually get out of bed, and they’re lucky if I listen to them at all, even if they let me sleep in wayyy past my wake-up time).
I’ve tried to be a morning person too. Reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, adding tips and tricks to my arsenal on how to join the 5am club - I’ve really done it all. It was something I’ve always been fascinated by, ever since I can remember.
Some pieces of advice truly did change my mornings, like weaving things into your routine that get you excited and give you something to look forward to or changing your bedtime to work with your desired wake-up time, but nothing ever seemed to give me consistency.
Hence, I’ve always been the person who “joins the club” for a whopping two or three days and then returns to a comfortable 8:30/9am.
Firstly, this was because I hated waking up in the morning without any sunlight (it has always bothered me when I wake up in the dark because then it’s like I’m waking up during the night).
Secondly, it was because 5am just sounded so EARLY! I was so used to my day starting later that every morning, I’d have this moment of “why on earth am I waking up almost 4 hours earlier when there is absolutely no point to this”… and I’d go back to sleep.
The thing with the 5am club (that I realized perhaps too quickly) is that it doesn’t change the number of hours in your day, it simply changes when you do things.
Hence, after the initial novelty wore off, I’d think it was stupid to wake up so early when I could wake up at a time more comfortable for me and still get everything done.
When I started work almost two months ago, waking up at 8:30/9am was no longer an option.
Living ~30mins away from work without traffic and having to drive through downtown Denver meant I’d be looking at a solid hour drive each morning if I’d tried waking up then, and working my 9 hour day would mean I wouldn’t be getting home until close to 8pm. Personally, that sounded even worse than just biting the bullet and waking up early… it didn’t make it easier, but it did sound better.
So, my days attempting to wake up at 5:15am began. I was in bed by 9pm, and the first few days, I was pretty quick about getting up too - I knew heading out the door by 6:20 meant avoiding traffic, and I was still energized about starting a new schedule and new life.
But that very, VERY quickly wore off, and I was slipping to waking up at 5:30, then 5:40, then 5:50, and I knew I needed to fix it. I cannot even count the number of days I made it out the door in time purely because my boyfriend packed everything for me, so all I had to do was get myself ready and run. He is a gem of a human for doing that, but I couldn’t take advantage of it forever.
This last week, I found what works for me by pure accident. It started Sunday night, when I spontaneously decided to put off going to bed by cleaning instead. I wiped down the kitchen counters, put all the random dishes into the sink, folded and arranged the blankets and pillows neatly on the couch, organized my desk and living room table, and packed my office bag for the next day.
It took all of 15 minutes, but the shift in energy was palpable... the space felt incredibly refreshed and peaceful, and it was so exciting to look around and see the cleanliness everywhere.
After that, I decided to go upstairs and spend some time enjoying the night air on my balcony, so I did my gratitude journal out there. I was feeling so accomplished and happy from the tidying up that this energy propagated through my gratitude practice, and I ended up feeling even more exhilarated by the time I ended my night.
Being in a space of joy and calm also made it much easier to find things to be grateful for and allowed me to truly embrace the feeling of gratitude as I wrote each item down. As a result, I went to bed super happy and pleased with the day.
Along with my gratitude list, I also spontaneously decided to add in an intention for the next day. I kept it simple - “weave a sense of calm and gratitude throughout my day”. I had no idea how much this small addition would impact my day.
Monday morning, my alarm rings earlier than usual, at 5am instead of my typical 5:15. I barely notice the time; in my usual fashion, I roll over, shut it off, and start dozing again.
However, this Monday was different.
Instead of sleeping in another 30/40 minutes and rushing through my routine, as I was starting to doze off, I had a different inner dialogue than usual.
I was thinking of how nice it would be to have a slow, relaxed morning, and how if I left just a few minutes earlier than usual, I’d be able to enjoy even more of the killer Colorado sunrise that greets me every morning on my way to work;
I was thinking of how nice it was going to be to go downstairs and see such a pretty, clean space and how I might even have some time to meditate and journal before heading to work.
And so, I slowly opened my eyes and looked outside into the slowly-fading darkness, and said good morning to my boyfriend. I laid there, talking with him, enjoying those peaceful, slow moments, and when my normal 5:15 alarm would have gone off, I slid out of my covers and started my day.
Boy, was that an incredible feeling. I enjoyed a nice, lazy morning, completely in contrast to what my usual mornings before work look like, and it felt like a mini-vacation day before my work day actually began. And sure enough, I also enjoyed my beautiful sunrise on my way to work, which only helped boost my energy even more, so by the time I reached work, I was happy, grateful, and feeling the energy of the day.
As the morning rolled on and the work day kicked into full gear, the power of my morning became increasingly evident. Since my energy was so grounded when I started my day, I was barely feeling flustered as things popped up at work.
More importantly (and more interestingly), every time I would start to get frustrated or overwhelmed, I’d remember the intention I set the night before, maybe war with myself for a moment about not having enough time to try and bring that sense of calm, but then I would win myself over by reminding myself how much more productive and enjoyable work would be if I was feeling good and take a pause… to breathe a long, deep breath… or two… or three.
Those 5, 10, 15 seconds I would take to ground and realign myself again completely shifted my energy every time, so I had a much better day at work purely because of those few seconds.
After work ended, we did a Costco run for our groceries, made dinner, and watched a show before turning in, but it still didn’t feel crazy busy.
Having seen the immense power my nighttime energy had on my morning, and the consecutive power my morning had on my day, I made sure to repeat the tidying up and journaling that night.
And it worked, again. And again. And again. And again.
This week was much busier in the evenings than usual in terms of chores/errands, so I didn’t have the precious personal time where I relax a bit, but because I had this peaceful energy already woven into my day, I didn’t need the extra time to decompress; my personal time was just time I wanted to keep chasing my goals, not time I needed to relax and enjoy my day.
So, what made this week different from the hundreds of other attempts at joining the 5am club? It wasn’t the mornings, but rather, the nights.
Taking the time to refresh and clean the energy of the space last thing before heading upstairs…
taking the time to enjoy the summer night while basking in gratitude for everything in my day…
taking the time to set an intention around groundedness, gratitude, and peace for the next day…
it all allowed me to end my night with calm, clean, grateful energy.
Which meant starting my morning with calm, clean, grateful energy…
Which, in turn, meant wanting to start my morning early and enjoying it…
Which, in turn, led to a really great, positive day ahead.
So, yes, everyone ever who has said that mornings are extremely important for your day is 100% correct. Waking up at 5am, getting to watch the sunrise, and starting your day early can help you feel motivated and enjoy more of the daylight hours. But I would add that the night before is what makes your day since the energy of your night feeds the start of your morning.
Just think about it for a minute. Have you ever found anyone who spent the night out having drinks till the early hours of the morning ever jump out of bed early the next “day” with high, upbeat energy? No, of course not! They’re usually absolutely drained from the night before, probably came home and crashed from exhaustion, and may or may not have a hangover.
Now, have you ever met anyone who had the absolute best day of their life, went to sleep happy, and then woke up on the complete wrong side of the bed with the worst feeling ever? Also, probably not!
We fall asleep with one energy, and we wake up with the same energy. Unless you’re sick, you’ll find this to always be true. So most days, you’ll wake up feeling meh…. Because you fell asleep feeling meh.
So if you’re someone like me, who struggles with mornings or has extremely stressful days or sometimes feels like they just don’t have enough time to finish everything up - try making time in your night, whether it’s only 5 minutes or 15, to ground yourself and set an intention for the next day.
Your day really starts the night before, so to control your day, start controlling the way you end your night first.
With peace and gratitude,
Shreya
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