How I Wake Up Early

Ok, I usually am not really a fan of those posts that are something along the lines of "how to become a morning person!" because I don't believe that you can just become a morning or night person. As we grow older, our schedules change and we have to adapt to them, but some people wake up earlier than others and some people can stay up into the night and not even think twice about it.

With school in full swing, my routine has become more concrete and those early mornings are getting (somewhat) easier. And although I'm lucky that I am a morning person, getting up can still be really hard!

When I posted my morning routine last week, I was really surprised at how many people commented on how early I wake up! I guess I'm just used to it at this point, and don't see it as all that early. (When I worked for MSNBC in February, we had to be there for the morning shows at 5:30 so my alarm went off at 3:30. Now THAT was an early morning wake up call!)

Alarm Clock // I don't use my phone as my alarm. Seriously! I have a $10 alarm clock from Target that I love. It really helps me get out of bed and not look at my phone first thing in the morning! It's also just far enough from where I sleep that I have to at least partially sit up to turn it off. I seriously recommend getting one!

Breakfast // I mentioned on my morning routine post that I don't know how people can do mornings without breakfast. It is the best part of my day!! Okay... maybe that's an exaggeration, but still. Breakfast it something I look forward to to give me the energy that I feel like I'm lacking from an extra few minutes of sleep. I eat huge, indulgent breakfasts, too, so I'm always looking forward to it from the second my alarm goes off to when I'm finally sitting down to eat it.

Down Time // This almost goes hand in hand with breakfast. I remember in high school, my best friend told me that she woke up at 5:45 every day to get ready. She explained that she hated feeling rushed and didn't want to half-ass something because she spent extra time laying in bed. Now that I'm in college, I totally understand it. I love having extra time in the morning to do one thing at a time, or sip on my coffee while I watch the Today Show, rather than drinking coffee, eating breakfast, watching the Today Show and doing my makeup at the same time.

Notion of Productivity // I'll be honest with y'all... there are totally some days when I'm guilty of snoozing my alarm, skipping my workout, and laying in bed for an extra 40 minutes. (But I never actually go back to sleep... it's a weird genetic thing I share with my dad.) The fact that I'm still up before 6:00 makes me feel more productive in a weird way though! Ultimately, that's the best part about waking up early: everyone is so impressed with you and makes you feel put-together regardless of how you actually spent the morning.

Attitude // At the orientation for my internship, we got the pleasure of talking to the strength and conditioning coach for the football team. Every time I don't want to get out of bed in the morning, I can literally hear his voice in the back of my head telling me to get up! He mentioned that you'll really only be tired for a few minutes in the morning, regardless of what time you get up, so there's not really a huge point in snoozing your alarm until the last minute. That is so true! Once my alarm goes off, sure I want to get back to sleep, but when I'm up I'm up and ready to start my day.

What time do you wake up? How do you get up early?