Here’s why I wake up at 5am (or earlier) every single day.
For the longest time, I tried to sleep in until the last possible moment. When you have a baby and a toddler, life is exhausting. It can be extremely difficult to want to pull yourself out of bed in the mornings until you hear that first peep from your kids on the baby monitors.
However, whenever I would start my day by being woken up by the kids, I didn’t have any time to myself before the day began. Mornings were rushed as my husband and I scrambled to get ourselves ready for the day alongside our kids.
When my youngest was about 8 months old, she frequently woke at 5am for a feeding and then would go back to sleep for another hour or two. This was when I first discovered the power of waking up at 5am.
Back then I was hit or miss – some days I would go back to bed for another hour after feeding her, some days I would drink some pre-workout and exercise. The days that I chose to start my day with exercise went infinitely better than the days I tried to catch a few more minutes or another hour of sleep.
Even when my baby dropped the early morning feed and started sleeping in later without it, the 5am habit stuck.
By starting my day before my kids or my husband is awake, I’m able to accomplish just about everything on my to-do list that makes me feel like I’ve had a productive day. Type A moms, ya feel me!?
Before the 5am habit, I was always trying to cram in my daily tasks whenever I could squeeze them in during my kids’ days. Jumping on the elliptical when the baby’s naptime and my toddler’s quiet time happened to overlap. Opening up my laptop and getting work done in the evenings after the kids were in bed. Reading my Bible and journaling when the kids were engrossed in books or a toy for 20 minutes or so.
Now, by starting my day so early when the house is quiet, I can get all of that done before my kids get up. This offers such a sense of peace & calm when my kids’ days start, just knowing I’ve already taken care of myself and not needing to try to squeeze in “me time” during their day.
My 5AM Morning Routine
Here’s what my morning looks like every day.
5AM: Alarm goes off. I use a silent alarm on my Apple Watch so I don’t wake up my husband. I change into my workout clothes, mix up my pre-workout energy drink, and am starting a workout by 5:15am.
5:15-6:00AM: A glorious 45 minutes of uninterrupted exercise! I’ll usually do 30 minutes of cardio (either on the elliptical, bike, or rowing machine), followed by 15 minutes of strength training or core work. I absolutely love exercising, and starting my day with a solid sweat session makes me feel so so good. I love getting my body moving first thing in the morning to feel alert and energized for the day ahead.
6:00-6:15AM: Drink my post-workout protein shake, pop in the shower, and get dressed.
6:15-7:00AM: Sit down at the computer to work. Get started on a blog post, tackle a difficult task, or take care of other important to-dos. I make sure to never check my email in the morning because it’s a waste of that precious morning energy. Save your email for the afternoon or evening when you have less brain power. Trust me, responding to email should not take priority in your morning routine. Email is a never-ending cycle; you’ll be busy but not actually productive if you spend too much time focusing on it.
Sometimes my kids sleep in a little later and I get to work past 7am. If they wake up earlier than that, we don’t get them out of their rooms until 7. Training our kids to stay in their rooms until we come to get them is a habit that was very important to both my husband and I, and it has definitely paid off.
I can’t stress the value enough of starting your day with exercise, even if it’s only 15 or 20 minutes. Getting your blood pumping first thing in the morning will wake you up better than any cup of coffee (but we still love coffee)!
How To Wake Up At 5AM
The reality of a good morning routine is that it starts the night before. You will not be able to keep up a 5am morning routine if you are a night owl. Everyone functions differently on certain amounts of sleep, so try to figure out how many hours you need to feel your best, and work backwards from there for your bedtime.
For me personally, I absolutely need a good 8 hours or I don’t feel human. So that means I need to be asleep by 9pm, which means heading to bed around 8:30. If you’re lucky enough to be able to consistently function well on 6-7 hours, I’m jealous 😉
The night before, I’ll set out my workout clothes and my pre-workout energy drink so it’s ready to go first thing when I wake up. Every single one of those early morning minutes are precious!
I also have a consistent evening routine that I follow each night before bed. Having this consistency gives me my best shot for a good night’s sleep. I’ll circle back on my evening routine later.
From there, I find that a gentle alarm works best for me, rather than an obnoxious buzzer across the room that makes you have to jump out of bed. A silent alarm is especially useful if you have a partner who does not wish to be a part of your 5am morning routine. 😉
Do not – and I repeat, do not – bring your phone to bed with you. Plug it in in the kitchen overnight and make your bedroom a tech-free zone. If you are using your phone as an alarm, use your smart watch, buy an alarm clock, or buy an inexpensive wrist fitness tracker if you don’t want to shell out for a smart watch. Most of the cheap fitness wearables on Amazon include the capability to set a silent alarm. Don’t use your phone; just don’t do it. The temptation will be too great to wake up and scroll or get distracted by your notifications. You will have so much more success getting up and out of bed if your phone is not in the vicinity.
By setting an appropriate bedtime the night before, preparing what you need for the morning ahead of time, and leaving the phone out of the equation, you’ll set yourself up for success for waking up at 5am.
How To Create A Morning Routine
If you’re still not convinced of the power of a 5am morning routine, think about your top priorities for each day.
Maybe it’s not exercise or getting work done. Maybe it’s reading a book, meditating, prayer, journaling, writing, sewing, crocheting, or some other kind of craft. Everyone has some kind of solo, self-care activity that fuels and refreshes them.
Now imagine starting your day with that activity every single day. How amazing would you feel!?
The first step in creating a morning routine is to ask yourself, “If I got nothing else done except for these 1-2 things, how would I feel about my day?”
For myself and many other busy stay-at-home-parents, I feel incredible if I can get my exercise and some work done in a day of caring for my kids. If you work full-time apart from parenting, it could be these activities or something else that makes you feel amazing when you can get them done alongside your daily responsibilities.
Once you’ve identified your top one or two activities as your daily priorities, it’s simply a matter of scheduling them from your 5am wake-up time.
If we take 30 minutes out of the two-hour time block for showering and getting dressed (two 15-minute blocks in my morning routine, if you don’t exercise this could be shorter), that leaves 45 minutes for one activity and 45 minutes for another.
Or an entire 1.5 hours of uninterrupted activity. If you’re a creator, imagine starting your day with 90 minutes at your craft!
Daily Routine For Success
Your successful early morning routine will depend on your priorities.
If you’re spending those precious morning hours doing something that is not a priority (like checking email, for example), you’re not going to feel fired up and productive by the time the sun comes up.
But if you’re accomplishing tasks that fuel you, energize you, and make you feel alive, you will feel successful every single day, no matter what life throws your way.
What are you waiting for? Get to bed early tonight – and set that morning 5am alarm!