As a chronic night owl throughout all my years of middle school and high school, I never thought I would find joy in becoming a morning person, much less at 5:30 a.m.
Back then, my daily routine consisted of sleeping anywhere from 1-5:30 a.m., and waking up at the last possible second to barely get to school on time. I enjoyed having the nighttime alone to work and was willing to trade some hours of sleep for extra productivity or quality, but I definitely ended up in a never-ending cycle of sleep deprivation and fatigue throughout the day.
It was a rough and slightly rewarding time, but I’m proud to say I’ve been able to change this with the onset of quarantine. Nowadays, I wake up at 5:30 a.m. almost every single morning, enabling me to completely shift my mindset and energy levels.
Back then, my daily routine consisted of sleeping anywhere from 1-5:30 a.m., and waking up at the last possible second to barely get to school on time. I enjoyed having the nighttime alone to work and was willing to trade some hours of sleep for extra productivity or quality, but I definitely ended up in a never-ending cycle of sleep deprivation and fatigue throughout the day.
It was a rough and slightly rewarding time, but I’m proud to say I’ve been able to change this with the onset of quarantine. Nowadays, I wake up at 5:30 a.m. almost every single morning, enabling me to completely shift my mindset and energy levels.
Why 5:30?
Personally, I find 5:30 a.m. is the optimal time to wake up. The sun has barely risen, so not only do I get to catch the beautiful sunrise daily, but the calm of a quiet morning is also extremely meditative and allows me to clear my head while setting a plan for the approaching day. More importantly, being awake before the rest of the world enables me to immediately gain a sense of gratification knowing that I can get a head start on my day, propelling me into a day of satisfying hard work.
Here’s How You Can Do It Too:
While the idea of waking up at 5:30 might sound insane, I genuinely recommend that you try it at least a couple of times before giving up. You might find it to be much more valuable in the long run, and making small but important changes such as basic sleep schedules can make the world of a difference.
Exercise: Recently, I’ve really been pushing myself to exercise right after getting up to breathe in some fresh morning air. It gives me a sense of clarity and the resulting endorphins propel me to work to the best of my abilities during the day. Furthermore, there’s nothing like a brisk run or intense workout alongside some energetic music to wake your body up.
Hydration & Breakfast: After working out, I always look forward to fueling my body and brain with some nutritious breakfast. I used to be an avid avoider of breakfast due to lack of appetite and understanding, but I’ve trained my body to utilize this meal every morning now. Hydration and breakfast are so important for almost every aspect of your health, whether it’s giving you the physical energy to stay awake, preventing hunger from interfering with work, or giving you a sense of fullness and satisfaction for the rest of the day.
Set a Plan: The night before my early mornings, I like to write down my “To-Do” list and set my goals. This way, I wake up knowing what I need to get done in the day and don’t give myself any excuses to waste the morning away. Looking over the list both after waking up and during the day pushes me to strive towards my goals, and ultimately brings me satisfaction knowing how hard I worked.
Music: Finally, music is non-negotiable. I always have music playing in the background 24/7, but change it depending on my mood and what I’m doing at the moment. Some mornings, I prefer an upbeat playlist to give me an extra boost, but other mornings, I enjoy some soft lofi or reverb indie. Of course, there’s the occasional Christmas music or French music.
Give It a Try
At the end of the day, what really matters is setting a schedule that best fits your lifestyle and your goals. For many people such as my high school self, the night owl was the way to go. However, if I had converted to a 5:30 a.m. morning person back then as well, I think I would’ve appreciated it too. So give it a try, and see how it goes.
We hope you enjoyed this article. For more content on how to find your academic success, check out some of our articles here on StarryScholar. If you have any questions/comments, feel free to leave them in our “Community Discussion” tab, or email us at @[email protected]! Remember, you got this ☆
Personally, I find 5:30 a.m. is the optimal time to wake up. The sun has barely risen, so not only do I get to catch the beautiful sunrise daily, but the calm of a quiet morning is also extremely meditative and allows me to clear my head while setting a plan for the approaching day. More importantly, being awake before the rest of the world enables me to immediately gain a sense of gratification knowing that I can get a head start on my day, propelling me into a day of satisfying hard work.
Here’s How You Can Do It Too:
While the idea of waking up at 5:30 might sound insane, I genuinely recommend that you try it at least a couple of times before giving up. You might find it to be much more valuable in the long run, and making small but important changes such as basic sleep schedules can make the world of a difference.
Exercise: Recently, I’ve really been pushing myself to exercise right after getting up to breathe in some fresh morning air. It gives me a sense of clarity and the resulting endorphins propel me to work to the best of my abilities during the day. Furthermore, there’s nothing like a brisk run or intense workout alongside some energetic music to wake your body up.
Hydration & Breakfast: After working out, I always look forward to fueling my body and brain with some nutritious breakfast. I used to be an avid avoider of breakfast due to lack of appetite and understanding, but I’ve trained my body to utilize this meal every morning now. Hydration and breakfast are so important for almost every aspect of your health, whether it’s giving you the physical energy to stay awake, preventing hunger from interfering with work, or giving you a sense of fullness and satisfaction for the rest of the day.
Set a Plan: The night before my early mornings, I like to write down my “To-Do” list and set my goals. This way, I wake up knowing what I need to get done in the day and don’t give myself any excuses to waste the morning away. Looking over the list both after waking up and during the day pushes me to strive towards my goals, and ultimately brings me satisfaction knowing how hard I worked.
Music: Finally, music is non-negotiable. I always have music playing in the background 24/7, but change it depending on my mood and what I’m doing at the moment. Some mornings, I prefer an upbeat playlist to give me an extra boost, but other mornings, I enjoy some soft lofi or reverb indie. Of course, there’s the occasional Christmas music or French music.
Give It a Try
At the end of the day, what really matters is setting a schedule that best fits your lifestyle and your goals. For many people such as my high school self, the night owl was the way to go. However, if I had converted to a 5:30 a.m. morning person back then as well, I think I would’ve appreciated it too. So give it a try, and see how it goes.
We hope you enjoyed this article. For more content on how to find your academic success, check out some of our articles here on StarryScholar. If you have any questions/comments, feel free to leave them in our “Community Discussion” tab, or email us at @[email protected]! Remember, you got this ☆