Sophie Saint-Firmin, News Editor
Are you tired? Do you feel like there are not enough hours in the day? Are you sick of missing breakfast and rushing to get to your first class? If any of these questions apply to you, you are probably a student. Between classes, extracurriculars and late night study sessions, finding a healthy balance is nearly impossible for college students, right? Wrong. There is a tried and true method to get the most out of your day that some of the most successful and productive thinkers and business leaders have adopted: waking up early. I know what you are thinking: “I’m not a morning person.” No one is a morning person, but everyone can be. And here is how to do it.
Go to bed early
Our beds are one of our easiest hellos and hardest goodbyes. However, the only way to get the most sleep while getting the most out of our day is by going to bed earlier. A friend of mine once told me it is important to “go to bed today and wake up tomorrow.”
According to life coach and psychologist Nicole Martinez, a cardinal rule to getting in bed early is to stop using electronics before bed. This includes watching TV, surfing the web and scrolling through social media. “They stimulate the mind, keeping you awake,” Martinez said. You may want to opt for something more calming, like a book or a cup of tea.
Do not hit the snooze button. I repeat, do not hit the snooze!
Deciding to get up at 5 or 6 a.m. when you are used to being up minutes before class is not for the faint of heart. It’s all about the little victories. Waking up just 15 minutes earlier every week can get you to your goal time within weeks.
If you are anything like me, you either have five alarms set or hit the snooze button about three times before contemplating if you really need this degree. By placing your alarm clock or cellphone across the room, you are now forced to get up and turn it off. Genius.
Asbury University sophomore Ben Okenge said he hears students say things like, “I just couldn’t get out of bed,” or “I slept through my alarm,” when talking about waking up for classes.
“This is super annoying to me because they are just accepting defeat, and this translates to other aspects of life,” he said.
Establish a routine
Establishing a morning routine is one of the most integral parts of waking up at the crack of dawn. Early mornings can prove to be a productive time for many people due to the quietude and lack of distractions. This is a perfect time to meditate, journal and set goals.
Junior Georgia Clark said she has a consistent routine that varies depending on when her first class starts. “[I] wake up and make my bed, brush my teeth, make coffee and read the Bible and journal,” she said. “Then after that, it depends on the day.”
Eat Breakfast
We hear it all the time — “It’s the most important meal of the day” — but we still choose to replace a hearty breakfast with iced coffee. By taking the time to prepare a healthy breakfast, you are not running on fumes until lunchtime and binging on anything you can find in the meantime. Research from Cardiff University suggests that students who eat breakfast have better test rates as compared to those who did not eat that morning.
Exercise
After a long day of classes and work, getting to the gym may be the last thing anyone would want to do or have the time to do. However, by carving out the time to go on a run or hit the gym in the morning, you have no excuse — besides laziness that is. Plus, it gives you that added boost to kickstart your day.
Study
You’d be surprised how much work you can get done while most of your peers are still in REM sleep. Without the distractions of people, music or notification buzzes, the serenity of the early morning creates the perfect study atmosphere. A Texas University study showed that students who consider themselves to be “morning people” have higher overall GPAs as opposed to “night owls.” Those early risers are most likely getting better sleep by managing their time better, so they don’t have to stay up late studying or pulling “all-nighters.”
“The early bird gets the worm.” “If you’ve slept in past 6 a.m., then you’re behind already!” We have all heard one of those chipper “morning people” say these things at some point in our lives, but are they wrong? The benefits of waking up early are numerous, but the willpower to do it can be hard to find.
“Motivation gets you started; habits keep you going,” said sophomore Jack Widener. “A lot of people don’t want to wake up early — I mean who does?”
Considering all the benefits of being a morning person, would you be so brave as to try it?
“If it was easy, everybody would do it,” said motivational speaker Eric Thomas. Whether it be for health or productivity, it’s all about having a reason to get out of bed.
