I bet you’ve
heard this quote before: “The early
bird gets the worm”, but honestly, how do you feel about waking up earlier? As
the sun’s rising, I feel like I have the whole world to myself. I love taking a sip of hot tea and taking a bite
of my toast while the air outside is still fresh. 5:00 AM is my usual
wake-up call and yes, I’m an early riser, even when I’m not doing
it consistently enough :p
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I spent most of
my years thinking that waking up early equals self-torture. But then I realized, waking up late will worsen
my body’s internal clock, which affects my mood, mental alertness, hunger, and
heart function. I also hate feeling
rushed and you know what? Waking up early prevents that. What we can do to set up this habit
and make it more bearable? Here’s what I’ve been doing for the past months:
1. Sleep early
I try to go to bed earlier and make it consistent.
My first goal is to be sleeping by 11:00 each night and become earlier day by
day. Now my bed time is 9:30 pm. I choose a time when I normally feel tired, so
I don’t toss and turn.
2. Stop taking smart phone to bed
Sometimes I cannot resist checking my social
networks, news feeds, playing games and read articles throughout the evening
with my smart phone. These leads to sleep troubles at night. So after I set up
my morning alarm, I don’t put my smart phone nearby.
3.
Enjoy morning exercise
What I love most about dawn is its peacefulness.
Right when I wake up, I usually breath deeply and stretch my arms and legs. Sometimes
I do some yoga poses or running outside too. Morning time also the best time to
have a small thought exercise. Something like organizing a positive mindset
perhaps? It helps me set the mood for the day, making myself more productive,
and all these can only be done perfectly when the vicinity is still quiet and
serene in the morning.
4.
Breakfast time!
Its time for the food, everyone’s favorite! Waking
up earlier gives myself time to eat breakfast properly and discover any great
spot for weekend breakfast. Lately I’ve had breakfast experiences in several
coffee shops in town, and found this place: Bong Kopitown, a prison themed
coffee shop in Kelapa Gading that also serves breakfast menu. I tried their
Nasi Hainam and it was delicious! The best part is they also has dimsum on
their menu, what a perfect extra treat!
No matter how busy a person's day may be, mornings
should be cherished. It is the best time of the day and you can get a lot done.
It’s always better to start a day early than to finish it late at night,
I always think that there is a reason why nature sets its daylight cycle the
way it is, so it is natural for us to wake up and sleep following this cycle.
By waking up
early we can start the day by organizing what we will do today with a clear mind. No more stress about rushing to
work and still arriving late, no more stress about not taking your breakfast
because there’s not enough time, no more stress about commuting by car, bus,
train, and with so much less stress in our life it also means that it is
healthier for us. There are always
things that can be done to turn our morning around in a better direction, what’s
your tricks to do that?