Adjustments: I'm not a Morning Person!

My schedule has never been what one would call "average".  I had a horrible habit of staying up way too late and not getting up early enough in the morning.  As a result, my kids would end up staying up well past a good bed time for children and getting on a regular routine was all but impossible.

I have to admit, in certain living situations, it's been all but impossible to get onto a regular sleep schedule.  With my partner working late at night for some jobs, or room mates who would want to stay up all night and chat, it's been all too easy to find myself in bed far later than I needed to be.  Getting up in the morning was always a struggle, and if I got to exhausted during the day, I could always take a nap, not something that would ever help me get a good night's sleep.

I'm sure it doesn't help that staying up is how I deal with stress.  I push myself to the point of exhaustion if that's what it takes so I can sleep at night.  I'm not exactly the kind of person who drifts right off into a blissful sleep, or just plain knocks out from exhaustion.  Stress has me up all night long, and there's been a lot of that in my life.  I'm not saying my life is miserable or anything like that.  It's definitely not!  However, moving, getting on a new schedule, and all of that does come with it's own special brand of stress, not something I'm particularly good at handling, but definitely need to work on.

For the past week or so, I've been making an effort to get up early.  We're not talking "cock's first crow" kind of early.  We're talking about being up before the alarm goes off to remind me about homeschooling.  I'm usually up by eight these days, if I can at all manage, even though that has still been a struggle.  By next week I hope to make it an hour earlier.

This whole up in the morning thing has helped in a lot of ways.  The kids are going to bed earlier, and are up earlier, so I'm able to be up with them.  We're able to start school bright and early in the morning so we can get more done during the day.  I feel so much more accomplished.

A side of this whole morning thing that I hadn't much thought of until now is energy conservation.  Energy usage tends to be lower when you're up in the morning, making the most of the sunlight, and sleeping when it's actually dark.  Of course, there's the obvious way to save energy.  Opening up the curtains and blinds to let the sunlight in will save money on electric lighting.  Day time is also typically warmer than the evening.  On a nice day you can open up the windows and let some fresh air in, saving on your heating or air conditioning bill.  Sun filtering in through the windows can also warm the house, which can also save on expenses and resources.  Turning the temperature down slightly at night will mean the heater doesn't have to work quite as hard for that time period, and it's far easier to sleep bundled up in blankets than to run around bundled up all day long.  It's the best way to make use of natural resources.

Being awake in the morning also has other advantages.  Just like the old farming communities, any gardens, compost, or anything like that is easier to tend during daylight hours.  Any crop watering should be done first thing in the morning or in the evening, so this is an excellent time to tend the garden and care for that which you're producing on your own.  Getting out and getting everything done in the morning means having the freedom to spend time with the family in the evening while trying to wind down, instead of trying to get it all done in a hurry before everyone's bed times.  For those who homeschool, starting in the morning means there's more time in the afternoon to take care of errands and all of that.  Bills can be handled and mailed out before the mailman comes to pick it all up, if you're even the sort of person to send bills in the mail anymore.  Of course, they can also be done early while still fresh in your mind.  Cleaning can be done bright and early so there's very little to worry about until the end of the day.  Best of all, there's no reason to worry if stores and banks will still be open by the time you get there.

I'm finding the longer I'm in this habit of getting up in the morning, the more ready I am to face the day.  Who knew such a small habit change would have such an impact on my whole life?