Waking up is hard to do
Why you should try joining the predawn brigade
My baseball coach was an early riser. My dad was always up at the ass-crack of dawn. Tiger Woods and Mark Wahlberg famously would start their days at 3:30 for the longest time. And they’d all do it for the same three reasons
Peaceful
According to a report based on information gathered through the Sleep Cycle app, the average wakeup time for Americans is 7AM. That means most people are still asleep at 4 or 5 AM. For me, barring an early morning diaper blowout from the baby, it’s guaranteed to be peaceful in my house in the predawn hours.
Productive
Since it’s peaceful in the mornings, I can be productive. That’s defined in several ways. Some mornings, I write. Some mornings, I do household projects, and most mornings I’ll exercise. Whatever the case, once I trained my brain to stop thinking about 4:30 as crazy talk, it was easy to get a head start on the day.
Personal
Depending on how much time being productive takes, there’s usually some personal time left over too. With a toddler in the house, time for things like reading or watching non-animated movies is slim pickings. I’ve triaged what I do take in from the boob tube outside of live sports and Disney+. Whether watching something or reading something, something usually only is available between 4:30 and 7AM via DVR or Kindle.
I’ll admit, waking up early isn’t for everyone. I don’t think my roommate will ever consistently be part of the predawn brigade, but that’s all right. I’ve seen her work her ass off into the wee hours of the morning when yours truly turns into a pumpkin shortly after 9PM.
“To each their own” said Mrs. O’Leary before she kissed the cow.
