If you're not an early bird, you might sleep as long as you can in the mornings. Understandably, you might be tired from a hectic day, so you need your beauty rest. But, believe it or not, you can actually accomplish more in a day by becoming an early riser. Rather than think you're missing out on sleep, think what you'll gain by getting up early. Surprisingly, becoming an early riser can get your day off to a good start.
If you're in school or working during the week, you may fall behind on household chores. As a result, you might spend your entire weekend cleaning, vacuuming or doing laundry. The weekend is supposed to be your time to have fun and unwind, not worry about chores. So get up earlier during the week and complete some of your housework before heading out the door.
Whether you want to lose weight, tone your muscles or simply improve your health, this isn't going to happen without work and effort. And if you don't have time to exercise during the evening hours, plan to get up an hour earlier every day and squeeze in activity.
A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, and if you need extra cash to pay off bills, build your emergency fund or make ends meet, look for side hustles you can do at your own pace and according to your own schedule. When I began freelance writing over 10 years ago, I woke up two hours earlier three days a week to squeeze in assignments before heading to my day job. This schedule helped me transition out of a job sooner.
It can be difficult to enjoy time alone during the week, especially if you have roommates or a family. Getting up an extra hour earlier in the mornings gives you a chance to spend time alone. You can have a cup of coffee or a cup of tea on your porch before everyone wakes up, or you can use this time to read or work on a hobby.
One of the amazing things about online school is you can complete class work at your own schedule. If you're working full-time and thinking about going back to school, waking up earlier in the mornings might be the perfect strategy to squeeze in class work or study.
Preparing dinner after a long, hard day is tough. Wake up earlier and prepare dinner before leaving the house, or put ingredients in the crockpot so a meal will be ready when you walk through the door in the evenings.
If there's a 24-hour grocery store in your neighborhood, beat the long lines and do your shopping in the early morning hours before work. You'll save time with shorter lines.
There are a lot of benefits to becoming an early riser. Not only will your day get off to a good start, but getting up earlier can alleviate rushing in the mornings. You're more likely to leave the house on time.
What are other benefits of becoming an early riser?