I loved the time to myself after the kids went to bed. It was quiet and still. It felt like there was an endless amount of time in front of me to use how I liked. And that is how I treated it, endless. I would go to bed way too late, spending time on things that, in the grand scheme of things, didn”t really matter. It started affecting me in a negative way. I was behind the 8 ball when I woke up. I felt tired during the day. I knew I had to make a change.

I thought that if I advertised it to the world through my blog…then I would have to go through with it. I thought about using twitter. I was not familiar with twitter, but I thought I would give it ago, and learn as I went along.  Not only did it help with reporting my progress, but it helped me with my motivation and accountability.

If there is a goal that you are working on, but you’re not sure if you have the will power to pull it off. I would totally recommend “twittering” about it. I know it helped me on at least 3 occasions when I felt tempted to slip into old habits.  (Staying up late on Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday morning, and having a “nana nap” on Sunday afternoon) Knowing I would have to twitter about my downfall, convinced me to keep on track with my goal.

6 Things I got out of my Goal of “Early to Bed, Early to Rise”

1. Alertness. I felt alert and prepared for the day ahead. My mind and my body felt alert, and I had more patience. Having a 20 min power nap, drinking plenty of water and getting sunlight also helped me with alertness.

2. Downtime in the evening. I logged off the computer at least between 30mins-1 hour before my bedtime. This meant I was not tempted 5 mins before my bedtime to “just look at this other website, because it will only take a minute!”. I read books, magazines and chatted with my hubby. It was a nice transition into sleep for the night.

3. Quiet time in the morning. It is so peaceful in the mornings. Just you and your thoughts. There is time for nice long prayers, and just to be still and think. It was a perfect start to the day.

4. Exercise. I had not exercised in a while, but because I of the extra time in the morning, I was able to fit in a daily walk/jog

5. Empowerment. I felt empowered because I was making good choices that affected not only me, but my family as well. When I woke up earlier, I felt a lot more in control, and ready to face the day having made my first good choice for the day.

6. Family Involvement. Both my hubby and I were going to bed late and waking up late before I started the goal. After I started, my hubby decided to join me, and raved about how much stuff he was able to get done in the morning. I noticed the whole household started getting up earlier. My 7 & 9 year old daughters also joined me on occasion on my early morning walks. They prepped their stuff the night before, and woke up and got themselves ready all by themselves.

6. Happier! Good sleeping pattern + Exercise +Feeling of achievement = Good Mood!

Some good reads:

Simple Mom: 4 Great Reasons to Wake Up Early

Serene Journey: My Favourite Time of the Day

Zen Habits: 10 Benefits of Rising Early, and How to Do It