Let me be clear…I don’t think I was born a morning person, I think I taught myself to be one. If that sounds like something you would like to become…then come on, here are my tips…
I go to bed around 10:30. I like to have a few kid-free hours before bed (and they go to sleep at 8:00), so I’m usually asleep between 10:15 and 10:30.
Sometimes…I’m sure I’m tired for a lot of reasons. I am a busy mom with two small kids who runs her own business…there are a multitude of reasons why I should be tired…but I’m not overly tired. I don’t ever sit around and think “gee, I’m so tired”. If that were the case, I’d get more sleep.
Listen, when I was pregnant and had small babies at home, all of these points went out the window. Those are the periods in your life when you’re just trying to survive. If I ever don’t feel well, I’ll sleep. If I ever really feel tired, I’ll sleep. There are always exceptions in life. I just know that if given the choice on a perfectly normal day, I would pick waking up early over sleeping in a few hours.
So there you have it…I’m an early bird. It’s not for everyone…but I do think it’s for some.
You know what is for everyone??? My Pot Roast. It just is. It’s for everyone. Click here to find the recipe on my foodie blog.
And then yesterday, I posted my Rodan + Fields giveaway…click here for details.
Happy Tuesday people…tomorrow, the first edition of Ask Away with Shay :).
Liz says
Thank you for sharing this!
I'm not a morning person, but I force myself to wake early. I have three children and the extra time I have before waking them is precious time that allows me to do laundry, unload the dishwasher, make school lunch (without the input of a certain picky child), and basically to get myself ready for work without them needing my assistance. Amusingly, my youngest now enjoys getting up with me because he would rather have some free time before we leave for school, instead of the rush-rush-rush out the door.
I find it is a much quieter and calmer morning if I've had time to be quiet and calm before waking.
(Plus… yesterday I had the light in my car go off to indicate a flat tyre. If we weren't ready and out the door early, we wouldn't have had enough time to go by the gas station and fill the tyre with air, DS8 still make it to school on time, and I wouldn't be able to make it to work on time.)
Sandy says
Just curious, how did you do it, make yourself a morning person? Did you just start making yourself wake up? Did you start getting up earlier and earlier consistently? Since reading this blog I have tried to wake up earlier. I have done it a few times and LOVED the time. But then I am out late from a girls night or stay up later watching TV or one of the kids gets up in the night and or I am just tired, so I snooze and snooze the alarm. One day is all it takes to break the habit when you have only been doing it for two days! So, did you just make yourself get up? Do you ever stay up late, and do you just deal with less sleep? I really want to do this but I love my sleep and the snooze button is so convenient. Suggestions??
Sheaffer {Pinterest Told Me To} says
I totally agree with every single word. I do wish I liked coffee. That would make my mornings so much more enjoyable. Getting up and having a V8 juice just isn't the same. 🙂
Alaleh says
I can so relate to this post 😉 been a morning person for so long and my brother calls me a "grandma". Love my time alone in the morning with my coffee and reading your blog before heading to work. Thanks for starting my early mornings on a positive note
Mix and Match Mama says
As simple as it sounds, the alarm goes off and I just get up. It started in college with 5:00 am, then went to 4:50 after college and I'm now at 4:30. I never, ever, ever hit snooze. I kind of think that's a habit that's hard to break…so I don't even allow myself to go there. Start small and work backwards.
Jill G. says
I force myself to be a morning person. I get up everyday during the week at 5am so I have the quiet time for myself before my daughter gets up and the day starts.
Someday's it is hard but as you said, the extra time you get makes it worth it.
Tab & Erika says
Sheaffer's comment is hilarious and gross!! EW!!! V8 juice in the morning? And…I'm not a snoozer either! Once my alarm goes off I can't fall back asleep b/c I know it's just going to go off again in a few minutes.
Alison @ Get Your Pretty On says
You should be a news anchor or morning show DJ! I'm not a morning person but do drag myself out of bed pretty early. Everyone knows that I'm probably not going to talk until my second cup of coffee. Craig is totally a morning person and pops out of bed chipper as can be every day. Although I agree, getting up early sets the tone for the day. I can get SO much done in that first hour!
Bec74 says
I'm so not a morning persona and actually have zero desire to be . I love me some sleep and think you 4:30 am people are crazy 🙂
I say that with nothing but love and respect ?
Sarah Bagnani says
I am a converted morning person as well!! Being a teacher, with 4 daughters (7-14 yrs), and a commuting husband, that is definitely my time to read all of my FAVE blogs!! with my cups of coffee!! P.S. What do you order at Starbucks??
Sarah says
I was wondering why you don't just get up at 4;15 with Andrew?! Doesn't his alarm wake you?
Also do your kids sleep through the night? My problem is that when my kids get me up I can't go back to sleep and end up sleeping in.
I Like Ike says
My 10 month old just started sleeping through the night, no lie, after your sleeping post! I went out and bought a sound machine that night and he went from being up every 45 mins and some nights several hours at night to sleeping from 7-7! It's amazing! Thank you for your advice!
Now that he's sleeping I'm going to attempt to wake up early. I also work from home and a few hours before the craziness starts would be incredible.
Thanks for sharing all this with us!
Mix and Match Mama says
Smith usually wakes up right at 7:00 and K wakes up closer to 8:00. They both sleep through the night without any problems and never wake me up.
Andrew's alarm doesn't bother me…he gets up, gets his coffee and is reading his Bible when I come down stairs 15 minutes later.
And I almost always order a tall non-fat caramel macchiato at Starbucks :).
Mix and Match Mama says
Smith usually wakes up right at 7:00 and K wakes up closer to 8:00. They both sleep through the night without any problems and never wake me up.
Andrew's alarm doesn't bother me…he gets up, gets his coffee and is reading his Bible when I come down stairs 15 minutes later.
And I almost always order a tall non-fat caramel macchiato at Starbucks :).
MC says
I have always been a morning person, to a degree. I have sort of made myself sleep in before, but I usually naturally wake up early. On the days that I work, I have to be up at 5 to get to work by 6:30 (I am a nurse and work 12-hour shifts), but on my days off, I get up at 5:30 to be at the gym by 6, and I LOVE it. It starts my day off right, and even if there are still things on my to-do list at the end of the day, I know I went to the gym!
Kelly Stamps says
I've been trying to get up earlier. And by earlier – I mean like 5:45 or 6. It really does help to have a little time to get things done before the girls get up. You are awesome for getting up that early. And maybe a little crazy. ha!
Stephanie says
Since I started reading this blog, I get up between 4:30-4:45 during the week. I used to snooze until 5:30 or so and then it was a mad rush out the door and I looked barely presentable. It's much better now and I actually have time for a little breakfast and the news while I'm getting ready!
Aubs says
I get so inspired every time you talk about being a morning person! And I did really well with getting up early for a while but then hubby left for deployment and everything got out of whack! I'm thinking its time to hit the reset button!! =)
Anna H. says
I love the quiet morning hours. I've been in newborn/pregnant world for the past two years and I miss it! This is just a season, and I look forward to my early mornings again one day! Great post!
Traci says
Do you get up early even while on vacation? I'm sure you do you, don't want to waste any precious travel time sleeping.
Jen says
Shay, I just love this! I'm a student and I spend so many nights finishing up assignments (I also have two jobs, two volunteering positions, and a boyfriend!) and it's just impossible to get to bed before midnight so my "morning person" routine is waking up at 7 am. I'm thinking it's time to set this a few hours back hahaha
Lauren Nelson says
It is so encouraging to read your posts about being a morning person! A night owl be describes me, but honestly I just like sleep. Over the past year though I have learned to appreciate and see the value in morning and this post just gives me a little more motivation to enjoy them to the fullest.
{Hi Sugarplum!} says
Girl, 4:30 is not morning, it's still the middle of the night! 😉 If I ever accidentally wake up at that time, I'm excited bc I realize I still get to sleep for 2 more hours! 🙂
But we also stay up waaaaay later…so I guess that's when I'm enjoying a quiet, kid-free house, and getting stuff done.
Katie says
I loved this post! I'm a teacher and a 4:30am alarm person. Love this time to get little tasks done (like dishwasher, etc…) and enjoy my quiet time.
Sarah E @ theteacherswife.com says
Thanks for sharing. I want to be a morning person so badly, but haven't managed to get there yet. I sleep very soundly and it's a struggle for me to not just hit snooze over and over and over. Usually, I'm still so groggy that I don't even realize I'm doing it. How long did it take you to get in the habit? I think I just need to start with 15 min increments and slowly back it up. 🙂
Ashley Elmore says
Thank you so much for posting this. I am a first time mom of a 10 month old and my husband is a Police Officer and works day shift half of the year and Night Shift half of the year from 6pm to 6am. When he is on night shift I have to get her to bed and get her up and ready on my own as well as keep up with all of the stuff around the house. I always feel rushed, after seeing a few months ago that you wake up early it donned on me that if I got up early I would get a lot more done! I am not very good at it yet. Lily still wakes up at least twice a night, however, I would like to add that we had such a problem with getting her to sleep until I read about your kids sleeping. We just started putting her in her crib at 8 when she seemed tired but was still awake, and shutting the door, and sure enough she would fall right to sleep on her own! Anyway I am not trying to wake up super early… I'm just trying to get to 5:30 a.m. This will surely help! Oh and by the way… I rarely purchase things for myself but the other morning you advertised the Nordstrom robe and it caught my eye, first off my favorite color is purple, but I am been in a long time search for the perfect robe. I ordered it right away and when I got it yesterday I pulled it out and it was so soft I just buried my face in it lol! I Love it so much I almost slept in it last night! Thanks for all of your advice. I start my morning with you, I literally wake up, make my coffee, and then take 5 minutes to sit and read your blog!
Ashley says
Wow! I'm ipressed Shay. The sole reason I homeschool is so O don't ever have to get up early and do things before I absolutely have to.. Ha! Just kidding…well partially kidding 😉
Anonymous says
Would you consider doing a post about Christianity? A shade of Shay? I would love to hear what devotional, book, etc you are reading and how to get started. What a great way to spread the word of Jesus and help others get to know him!
Ashley Elmore says
I found your blog through The Bachelor and Andrea. Andrea designed my blog and so I saw you on hers and didn't realize who you were until I watched the bachelor. I had never watched the show until Sean's season because I went to school with one of the girls who was on there, and her dad was my dentist lol… Lesley Murphy). Anyway I am so glad I found it!
Thank You so much for posting this. I am a new mom of a 10 month old and my husband is a police officer who works half of the year on day shift and the other half on night shift. When he is on nights he works for 6pm to 6am, and spends the rest of his free time trying to catch up on sleep, so I literally have to pretty much do everything! I have never been a morning person but after reading a month or so ago that you wake up early to get things done it makes since. I have started working on it. I am not trying to go super early… just 5:30. I have went from 6:30 to 6:00 so far and even just that extra 30 minutes does wonders. This post helped give me ideas of what to do to help myself reach 5:30.
Your blog about your kids sleeping habits changed my world. I honestly felt bad about just putting her in her crib and leaving while she was still awake. I felt as though she needed me there to rock her to sleep lol. Now I realize that by me holding her she wanted to stay up longer and play with me lol (sometimes until 9 or 10pm). So my husband and I waited one night until she started getting tired at around 8pm and just went and laid her in her crib and shut the door behind us, by 8:15 she was asleep! Now not only is she in a better mood but I have a bit of free time in the evening before bed!
And last but certainly not least. I never ever purchase anything for myself, but I feel like I have been on a never ending search for the perfect robe. It helped also that my favorite color is purple and I have always wanted a purple robe that didn't look childish… anyway as soon as I saw your post last week and the picture I ordered the same one and oh my gosh…. as soon as I opened it, it was so soft I literally buried my face in it! I love it. Last night was my first night using it and I seriously almost slept in it because I didn't want to take it off.
I'm sure you get told this all the time but what you do with writing your blogs really does touch lives. It has mine. I don't have any close friends who are mothers (my best friend actually just found out she is pregnant a month ago which is exciting) but I find myself feeling alone in the craziness of new motherhood (my husband is wonderful and helps a lot, but its just not the same as what we moms go through).. your blog and some of your friends blogs help me to remember there are others hahaha, it gives me great ideas and tips, and reading your blog is now part of my morning routine. I love to start my day off with my coffee and 5 minutes of mix and match family! Thank you so much for letting us in on your life!
JenJen says
I have being trying to wake up early and work out and have some quiet time but these past couple of nights I have been waking up at 3ish and can't sleep for about an hour. I then feel like I need to compensate for this by sleeping later and working out later. I will change my alarm. What are your thoughts- just get up and lose the sleep or sleep in? As I am typing this I am thinking I already know the answer!
Jaren says
You are my inspiration! I will get to this point one of these days. Now that I'm feeling a little more like myself (19 weeks pregnant and mornings and exhaustion are a little better now)I plan on starting this. I know I'll hit a bump in the road when my fourth is born this summer with all the kids at home, but I really do want to do this to be a better mom and overall more productive person.
Tammy says
I am a MORNING person too. I love drinking my coffee and having a few hours to myself before heading off to work. Mornings are wonderful, I'm usually tired around 8 in the evening. I'd love to stay up past 10:00 p.m. but at this time I can't do it.
Kristy Goode says
This and some time with God this morning is JUST what I needed! I've been waiting for this post.
I'm a college student and LOVE your blog. I feel like your preparing me for future life!
This post was perfect for today because EVERY Tuesday morning I don't make it to that Tuesday morning 8 am class… (that probably sounds so lazy to you) But, it has really become more of a bad habit than anything. I NEED TO SHAKE THE BAD HABIT!
I would love a little time in the morning to get in my workout, breakfast and a quick shower.
So, I just have one question for you, what year of college did you start the 5 a.m. routine??
Thanks so much, Shay!
Shelly says
You have inspired me to try! I get up at 5am 3 days a week for working out…but the other days I do not. My hubby gets up every day at 4:15 for a commute…thinking this would definitely put us more in tune with each other and our daily routines. I do love a quiet house in the morning!
Tracy says
I am a nightowl. I am a nurse and have always worked 2nd shift. But now that I stay home with kids, I am learning to get up earlier. I'm not quite a "morning person" yet. I think it's best to start getting up a bit earlier everyday. I couldn't go from 7am to 430am over night. baby steps.
Bama Girl in AZ says
I SO am a morning person! I wake up between 4:15 and 4:45 (depending on the workout of the morning) and I just love it! On the weekends I get up a little later, but still the first to rise. I love waking up and doing "stuff" that won't take me away from my family later in the day!
mommydontplay says
Love this! I'm a 4:30am-er myself! I get my workout in before my little girl wakes up. And its my quiet time. Silence is golden!
Thalia Miller says
For the past 20+ years I was a morning person by necessity. Raised a small army of kids in school at one time and needed to be up and at 'em. lol Now that we're pretty much empty nesters, I find getting up before the crack of dawn is no longer a priority. 🙂
Paula says
I keep telling myself I will make this a priority. Rip the bandaid and just get up early…good tips! Biggest…NO SNOOZE….I CAN DO THIS!
Anonymous says
Hey Shay! Question… do you and Andrew go to bed at the same time too? I am also a morning person, but my hub is not, and it's because he stays up later watching ESPN and stuff before bed. I wish we'd both go to sleep early, so he could be an early riser like me and we could get more done on the weekends. Any suggestions?
Hayley Chandler says
I LOVE this!!! I wish to be more of a morning person. The days I am able to get up get completely ready, empty the dishwasher, and throw in a load of laundry I feel so accomplished. I can only imagine if I had even another hour how much more I could get done.
Mix and Match Mama says
Andrew goes to bed at the same time as me. I really think this does help us. We are always more motivated knowing that the other person is up too.
Michelle Ragsdale says
I'm a work at home mom…this post is so inspirational to me…puts the day into perspective…mom (me) time is needed…you need to take care of yourself, so you can take care of your family…thank you for sharing!! Michelle
Blue-Eyed Bride says
I love this. I had about a month where I was doing it. I have a good friend that does the exact same thing as you and I'm always so inspired. Tomorrow is the day!
Julie Rogers says
That is impressive:):) I attempt for about a week and then I'm back to using the kids as my alarm clock. Maybe once the kids all finally sleep through the night I will be good at this. Now, you better head to sleep NOW if you get up that crazy early!
Julie
http://www.thechirpingmoms.com
Mona Brawley says
Thanks for sharing this post! I have emailed your post out. I think this a great success strategy. I used to get up early and start dinner prior to leaving for work. It made my day feel more complete. I think I will go back to it.
Aubrey says
Mornings are my favorite time of day too! Mind you, I think 4:30am is STILL NIGHT. 😉 But anything after 6am is prime time for peace, quiet, coffee, and an early start to the day.
CWestlake says
I love this post, and keep coming back to it. I'm definitely a morning person, but still in that "survival" type of mode because Brenna still wakes up at night. I always get up before the kids (except on weekends), but now that she's sleeping a little better in recent weeks – only getting up once or twice a night, and I'm praying that keeps up! – you have inspired me to start working toward getting up even earlier and making myself go to bed earlier. I LOVE the early morning quiet and am so productive in the morning!
Spirt Mom says
I triple love this. I'm a 5 am girl. You may have inspired me to shoot for 4:30!
Maddy Haggerty says
I came across this post today from your other posts:) I forgot how much I love this one!! I wake up early before going to teach just so I can read both of your blogs. It has been in my routine now and I love reading them before I get my day started.
Mary E says
Love this post. My husband gets up for work at 4:30…I'm wondering if I should join him. We have an 18 month old and mornings are often a rush because I tend to get up as late as possible before going to work and since my husband leaves at 5ish-I'm on my own with the baby and things get hectic. I'm liking to idea of having the time to get ready leisurely and workout before our son gets up!