Waking up an hour before my kid has completely changed my life for the better. I am more efficient, productive and in control of my time now. Find out how it can benefit you too!

As an individual, I love my sleep. If I don’t get my eight hours of sleep in night then I am a big mess the next day. So what do you think actually happened after I had my daughter in 2017?? Honestly, I was a huge mess and for a very long time. I wasn’t getting enough sleep in the night, most mornings I would just roll out of my bed and wear whatever I could find in my closet to get to work, struggle with time to have a decent breakfast in the morning, mostly be late at dropping Mishika to school and above all show up at work late, feeling sleepy and lost.

This continued for quite some time when finally after Mishika turned a year old, I realized that something had to change. I could not go on like this anymore. I was feeling tired most of the time, could never find myself any clean clothes in the morning to get dressed, and to top it all I was really struggling personally as well as at work.

As a parent, I am glad that I did one thing right from the start that was making sure I was following a strict routine with my baby. She had a fixed time to sleep, fixed time to eat, and would wake up usually at 7 AM in the morning. For the next few days, I started setting an alarm for myself an hour earlier than what Mishika would wake up.

It was not easy to put myself in a schedule like that. There were nights when Mishika was cranky and did not leave my side or I had something else going on, so during those days sticking to waking up at 6 AM in the morning no matter what was extremely challenging. It took me some time to get used to this routine but now I don't struggle any more waking up at 6 in the morning.

What changed after I woke up at 6 AM in the morning?? MY life changed, the way I looked at it changed. I found myself more relaxed and had things around me in a controlled state. The list of benefits of how waking up an hour before my child has changed my life is endless but below I am just listing out a few that have really started to make a lot of difference.

My power hour

Waking up at 6 AM means that my house is the quietest as everyone else is sleeping. I eventually started to love my one hour spent with myself in the morning in this peaceful environment. I would call this my power hour as it is only about myself. I usually spend this time relaxing, collecting my thoughts, taking care of myself, or making myself my favorite cup of coffee (it is all about me!).

Become more organized

During this one hour, I am usually able to get dressed as well as prepare breakfast for Mishika and Mayank. Being able to get ready, plan for work, have breakfast ready in the morning without having to think about the kid running away here and there, or trying to find myself something to wear made me feel more relaxed and at peace.

Have more focus and energy

There is something so powerful about waking up early in the morning. I usually find myself so focussed that I am able to spend my time doing things that are important rather than just wasting time and feeling lost. I would spend this one hour to get dressed, create a to-do list for the day, already be able to check my emails, and spend some quiet time with myself. By the time Mishka wakes up, I am happy that I have already achieved something in the day.

Be able to meditate

After I started waking up at 6 AM in the morning, I decided to commit myself to a 5 minutes simple meditation. I would just wake up, wash my face, and sit by the side of my bed and close my eyes for 5 minutes and think nothing. I never thought of myself as someone who would meditate but I cannot describe what a big difference just 5 minutes of meditation can make in your life. Those 5 minutes, when I shut my mind completely I can feel a sense of peace within and a lot more gratitude towards my life.

Feel confident

Did you know that the feeling of being ‘out of control' of your time is the major source of stress, anxiety, and depression? Developing a good habit like waking up in the morning has helped me value my life, be thankful for every day, and help me manage my time better.

I have a good routine

Lastly waking up at 6 AM makes me want to go to bed in the night at a fixed time. Being in a routine makes me feel so productive and I am able to achieve way more than I would have done if I would give myself this extra one hour of me-time in the morning.

There are a lot of more benefits that you can reap by waking up an hour to two before your kids. The key is to have your expectations set straight. For me my one hour is all about me-time, 5 minutes meditation, getting dressed, feeling organized, and making sure I follow a routine to stay productive. Find your balance and try this out. I am sure you will love it!

In case you are looking for similar topics to read on the blog here they are:

  1. 15 SIMPLE HABITS OF A HAPPY MOM
  2. HOW TO RAISE HAPPIER KIDS
  3. 10 TIPS TO BALANCE YOUR CAREER AND MOM LIFE
  4. 5-STEP EASY MORNING ROUTINE FOR A WORKING MOM
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