How Waking Up Early Made Me A Better Mom

Anyone who knows me know that I am NOT a morning person. 

Never have been.

Even after I had kids I vowed to do everything in my power not to have to wake up super early every morning – once they were on a sleep schedule and sleeping through the night of course. 

I’ve just always been more of a late night person.

Still Am!

But you know what they say…

Motherhood changes you!

As cliche’ as it sounds, it’s true!

I’ve had my most productive days when I made it priority to wake up early.

It also puts me in a better mood overall, since I’m able to have a few moments to myself before the day starts.

If you’ve been wondering how you could be more productive, less stressed, and actually enjoy motherhood again, check out the tips below. 

Create A Night-Time ROutine

If you’re a night owl like me, creating a night-time routine is crucial for ensuring that your morning goes smoothly. 

Completing a small to-do list at night once everyone is already sleeping, has done wonders for my sanity. 

By small, I mean 4 to 5 simple tasks that you can get done in as little as an hour.

The rest of your night-time routine can be spent enjoying the quiet. 

If you’re not sure where to start, feel free to check out my 5 Step Night-Time Routine For SAHM’s.

Don’t Hit Snooze

Ahhh, the good ole snooze button. 

I’m guilty of setting 3-4 different alarms – a few minutes apart, all because I know that I plan to hit snooze the first couple of times.

Sad right?

I know.

However, it wasn’t until my son kept waking up before me that I realized that I was basically setting myself up to fail. 

So instead of hitting snooze every morning, I decided to pick a time to be up in the morning – and STICK TO IT. 

No matter how tired or sleepy I was. 

Before I knew it, I was waking up BEFORE my scheduled time – without setting an alarm!

Needless to say, ditching the snooze button was one of the best things I did!

Try To Go To Sleep Earlier

I know some of you are rolling your eyes at this. 

Don’t worry, I rolled my eyes as I typed it. 

But hear me out…

Going to sleep earlier than my usual 1am-3am window (hey, I told you that I’m a night owl!), made a world of difference in how easy it became to start waking up earlier. 

Once I finished my son’s bedtime routine, and he was sleep for the night, I’d give myself a two hour (sometimes 3) curfew. 

I had to be in bed by at least midnight or I knew waking up the next day, would be a struggle. 

As hard as I thought it’d be to actually get to bed earlier, especially being a full time wife, mommy, and blogger, it actually wasn’t hard at all! 

In fact, aside from the boost of energy, the extra sleep made me feel a lot sharper throughout the day. 

Since I knew I only had a 2-3hr window at night, I was able to focus more on completing my night-time routine, with time to spare for a little ‘me-time’. 

As far as the blog, I’m now able to easily brainstorm ideas and write posts 2x faster.

So try it out yourself and see what a difference it can make!

Avoid Social Media First Thing

I used to be one of those people that picked up my phone as soon as I opened my eyes. 

I’d love to say that I was just ‘checking the time’ or ‘checking to see if I missed any calls’, and while that is true, I also hopped on social media within minutes of waking up. 

Initially it was just out of habit, but then I realized that even when I was waking up early, I was spending so much time on social media that I wasn’t fully utilizing that quality time before my son got up for the day. 

So now, I follow a ‘strict’ morning routine. 

This way, I know that I’m really maximizing my time, instead of wasting it laying in bed on my phone. 

Enjoy The Quiet Time

The quiet is a luxury that I had taken for granted until I started waking up early. 

While I do get a little peace and quiet at night while my son is sleeping, nothing compares to the peacefulness of a new morning. 

That said, I also created a morning routine that helps me make the most of these quiet mornings.

Being able to really pause before I start my day has made a world of difference in the way that I parent throughout the day.

I’m a lot more patient and less likely to have a mini breakdown due to frustration. 

Treasure These Moments With Your Little Ones

Deciding to wake up early has been one of the most beneficial things that I have done for myself as a mother. 

It wasn’t until I started feeling like the days were passing me by that I started to do something about it. 

Now I’m more productive both in my home life and business than I’ve ever been, and I’m 10x more patient with my little one.

So don’t wait until things get tough to decide to do something about it! 

Instead, take inventory of your day and start making small changes, such as getting up earlier, or creating a to-do list. 

It’s the small habits that in turn create BIG change in our lives.