One More Time: brand new course on waking up early

Back in March I wrote a series of blog posts on my practice of waking up early. Those were some of my more popular posts, and it has continued to be a passion of mine and didn't feel like I've yet said everything on the subject. So today I'm happy to announce on my blog that I've created a brand new course called Waking Up Early: get in shape, gain focus, achieve your goals. And for being a loyal blog reader, I'll give it to you for 50% off (only $5!) until the end of the week.

For those of you who have enrolled in one of my online courses before, you will notice that I am now using a new platform. I have previously published on Udemy and will continue to do so, but my main publishing spot will now be my own course page that you can see right here:

All of my courses will first be published on my own course page, and only later will arrive on Udemy. And the Udemy course will probably be a higher price as well. If you'd like to read more about what to expect in this course, check out the course page right here.

I hope to see you in the course!

Tips to Help You Get Up Early

In this final post on getting up early I want to provide some tips on waking up early and making the most of your morning time (see part 1 and part 2). I've at the very least convinced you how important my morning ritual is to me, and hopefully I have perhaps intrigued you at the possibility of you having your own morning routine. That doesn't mean that it is always easy for me to get up. I still struggle at times with rolling out of bed. And my struggles don't always end there. Sometimes I distract myself and sabotage my own morning plan. So in no particular order, here are some tips on getting up early and having a good routine:

 

You Still Need Sleep

In telling you to get up early, I hope that I have not given you the impression that you should cut back on sleep. Nothing could be further than the truth. You need to determine what amount of sleep you need. And once you do that, then you need to aim for that each night. This often means going to bed a little earlier. For instance, I'm usually in bed and off to dreamland by 10:30, because I want to get up at 5:30. But, if for some reason I am up until 11, my alarm is set to 6:00. This is because I need 7 hours. If I sleep less than 7 hours for more than 2 or 3 days, I get neck cramps and have trouble concentrating.

 

Nap

Part of the reason that I can function on around 7 hours of sleep is because I have no qualms about taking a quick 20 minute nap at my desk if I feel the need. A short nap is very rejuvenating. Check out my post on the subject here.

 

Move Your Alarm Clock

If you struggle to get up, putting the alarm clock right next to you is not a good spot — it is too easy to hit the snooze without becoming full conscious. What may help you is to move your alarm so that you have to actually get out of your bed to turn it off. And once you're up, stretch a bit, and DON'T LAY BACK DOWN.

 

Start With a Tall Glass of Water

I start every morning with my "inner bath." I drink a nice big glass of water very quickly, and then go on to drink another 1 to 2 glasses during my morning routine. This is good for your system, as it is naturally dehydrated from your sleep. And the cold starts to awaken your senses.

Give Yourself Another Reason to Get Up Early

Sometimes you need something or someone else to motivate you. Instead of getting up just for your own morning routine, add something to the morning that needs to be done for your house or another family member. For instance, as a family of 5, we do laundry every day. I set our washer for 4:30am, and it is done at 5:30. I need to get up after it is done so that I can stick the clothes in the dryer. This gives me added motivation to get out of bed and get started with the day. Find some other motivation to get up early, like a house chore or a pet chore.

Do Something the Night Before to Free Up Morning Time

If you feel like your morning time is already too busy, think through the things you do every morning — is there anything that can be done the night before to free up some of your morning time? If so, do it!

Don't Get Sucked into eMail/Facebook/Twitter

The one thing that derails my morning routine more than anything else is Facebook. I start reading my feed, and next thing you know, half of my time that I had planned for more important things in the morning disappear. On my better days, I am disciplined enough not to bother looking at Facebook until much later in the day.

Time Your Morning so it Doesn't Get Away From You

I mentioned this in my first post, but whatever you decide to do in the morning, have a timer keeping you to it (I'll mention the great Seconds app again).

Even 7 Minutes of Exercise Can Do Wonders

Even if you don't have a lot of time, you still do have some time. It is amazing what even a little bit can do for you, both reading, meditation, and exercise. I recommend that even if you can't get more than 15 minutes in the morning, do 5 minutes of silence/meditation, and do a 7-minute workout. There are all sorts of 7-minute videos and apps, etc. Here is the one I use.

Thanks to everyone who has read and shared these last few posts on getting up early. I hope I've encouraged you to do the same!

Getting Up Early: The Difference It Can Make For You

In my last post, I briefly described my morning routine. In this post I will explain the positive benefits it has had for me, and hopefully convince you that it can make changes in your life too. Following this post will be my last post on the subject, which will provide you with some tips and tools to start your own morning routine.

The Difference It Has Made For Me

Getting up early consistently has made some significant differences for me in my life, and they are directly tied to the different components that make up my morning.

1. Keeping Sight of My Goals

I have numerous goals I am always working on, but goals mean nothing if they aren't on your mind and you aren't constantly moving towards completing them. I would wager to guess that most everyone has goals in their life, and at the same time those very people have not completed those goals. I aim to complete them. My morning routine has provided me a consistent time, at the beginning of every weekday, to remind myself what my goals are and to renew my resolve to complete them.

It is important also to tie your goals with the most immediate actionable item(s). For instance, one of my current goals is to achieve my ideal weight. But that high and lofty goal needs some concrete actionable items. For me, the actionable items are: 1) counting my calories in MyFitnessPal app, 2) exercising every day, and 3) weighing myself weekly. These are daily/weekly things I must do to achieve my goal.

 

2. Connecting With My Creator

I believe the ultimate reason for my existence is to live in relationship with my Creator – something I am able to do by God's Spirit and through the cross of my redeemer. My morning time of meditation and Bible reading gives me a consistent time and routine every day to hear from God.

 

3. Pushing to Be the Best Version of Myself

We all fight against the resistance — that inner saboteur that pushes us to mediocrity and bad decisions. By reviewing my mission every morning, I encourage myself to act and live to be the best version of myself.

 

4. To Stimulate My Mind

Beginning the morning with some book reading (not to mention Bible reading) and morning exercise (even if just a few minutes) awakens my senses, gets my body moving, and makes my mind alert and ready for the day. Imagine heading out of the door every morning alert and ready to go rather than groggy and wishing you were still in bed.

5. It Provides Extra Time to Work on Current Projects

Particularly on weekend mornings when I don't do my weekday routine, waking up early (when the rest of the family sleeps in) provides me with extra time to work on any current projects I might be working on. Or, if I don't feel like working, it gives me extra time to read another book on my ever-increasing books to read list.

Hopefully you can see that what my morning routine has done for me can make the same difference for you. Can you imagine feeling better every morning? Walking out of the house with more energy? You can put boots to the ground and accomplish your goals. You can be healthier than you've ever been.

Go on, I dare you.

photo credit: Sunrise over Brigsley 2 via photopin (license)

The Ordinary Practice Regular People Do To Achieve Great Results

There is a very ordinary and unassuming practice that many people just like you subscribe to — I'm one of them. It helps them feel better, get more done, and feel more focused and centered.

Waking Up Early.

I've been doing this consistently for quite a while now, and more recently in the past few months my practice has become a more strict routine that is very effective. Let me break down exactly what I do each morning (weekday mornings that is, weekends are a little more casual), and in my next post I'll talk about the benefits and why you should think about doing this too. So here are the five things I do in the morning after I get up,  before the morning routine of getting myself and the kids ready commences:

1. Silent prayer and meditation. I close my eyes and stay totally silent. I try hard not to focus on random things. But if a concern arises, or a person comes to mind, I pray for them/it.
2. Review my Goals. I have a list of goals that I am working towards as well as what is essentially my personal mission statement. I review this every morning. In the world of personal development, this is akin to what is often called "Affirmations."
3. Dream Big and Realistic. For a short amount of time, I imagine what it will be like when I complete one of my goals. But I'm also realistic and remind myself of the things which I actually need to do in order to achieve these goals. In the personal development world, this is often called "Visualization."
4. Read. A spend a few minutes reading. I have been (and probably will continue) to read some Christian spiritual classics. Right now I'm reading The Wounded Healer, and plan to read The Imitation of Christ next. I have a whole long list of books I would like to read that aren't directly related to my field of study and this is the place that I am slowing working through that list.
5. Bible Reading. I read my Bible, typically in Greek, and spend time reflecting on what I read.
6. Journal. Some people recount their whole day in a journal, and maybe one day I will too. But for now, my journaling is pretty simple. I make notations on whether I finished my 6 morning rituals in this list, and make quick notes about anything on my mind, anything I'm excited about, concerned about, etc.
7. Exercise. I have been doing a 25-35 minute kettle bell routine on M/W/F, and a 7-minute workout on Tu/Th. I'll be actually doing the 25-35 each day now, as I'm currently doing a fundraising weight loss challenge with several colleagues at Acadia Divinity College.

This doesn't take as long as it looks, and I often change up the routine based on the time I have. My average morning I am in silence for 8 minutes, review goals for 5, dream for 2, read for 8, read the bible for 8, journal for 4, and then exercise. That's 36 minutes plus exercise, so just over an hour. And in case you're wondering, I do keep myself to that time using the wonderful Seconds app on my iOS device. Days when I was up late and so slept longer, I cut back. Days I'm up early, I do a longer routine.

While I've told you what I do, I probably haven't convinced you to give it a try. I'll talk about the benefits in my next post.