Last week on Before Breakfast, Laura Vanderkam shared a listener tip about Daylight Savings Time. Essentially, the idea was to set your alarm back an hour earlier along with your clocks. This way, you can “get up earlier” according to the clock, while your body actually wakes up at the same physical time. The listener shared how it was the smartest thing she’d ever done, including getting her PhD – so of course, I had to try it!
This morning instead of my alarm going off at 7:30, it went off at 6:30. Happily, my body felt like it was 7:30, so it wasn’t too rude an awakening, but I gained a whole extra hour to noodle around and luxuriate in my morning routine. The trick now is to actually go to bed an hour earlier so that I can make this change stick! The first night was easy, but if I keep going to bed at the same time as before, it won’t last long.
The key for me is that I need to give myself a compelling reason to wake up earlier. I love sleeping in, so it’s hard to motivate myself to get out of bed when I don’t have anywhere I need to be. My current plan is to make my morning routine as fun and luxurious as possible: delicious breakfasts, hot cups of tea, lit candles, reading fiction, or even watching TV if I feel like it.
To date, my morning routines have been fairly efficient and utilitarian – I always feel like I need to “get to work” so I don’t want to spend too much time on myself in the morning. No wonder I like my evenings better and want to stay up late to fit in “me time”! I don’t get to do anything fun in the morning!
From now on, this changes. My mornings will be goofy and fun and meaningful. I’ll put tarot and meditate and enjoy how quiet my neighbours are being. And I’ll go to bed earlier, knowing that I’ll get to have fun time in the mornings instead of staying up late. Wish me luck!
