One of my goals this year is to be more focused, productive, and creative. I have a long list of personal and professional goals that will all be aided if I can pull it off, and that's motivation enough for me to figure out how to get from point A to point B. Like a lot of people, I spent a good bit of 2020 asking myself what I really want from life; now that I have a few answers (or at least ideas!), I'm figuring out what I can do to make those things happen.
There are plenty of people out there who insist that waking up early each day will improve productivity and creativity. This isn't because it simply gives you more hours in the day — the idea is that for some people, consistently waking up early activates a part of the brain that feeds what they can accomplish.
I decided there was no way to know what waking up early might do for my brain until I tried it — and here's how it went.
What are the possible benefits of waking up early every day?
When it comes to describing the benefits of waking up early, different people will say different things. For a lot of parents, there's something amazing about waking up before your children do so you can knock out work. Of course, it's not quite as amazing if you feel forced to do so because that's the only time you can work; hopefully there's some joy in having time all by yourself.
Other benefits can include having the time available for quiet reflection and thinking; Oprah has been open about her habit of waking up at 6 a.m. each day for just this reason.
What I hoped waking up early would do for me
As a writer, my biggest hope was that waking up early for two weeks would help improve my creativity and my focus. While I'm great at hitting my computer when it's time for work, I'm not as great at motivating myself to write creatively (despite the endless piles of sticky notes covered in ideas that you can find all over my house). I was curious to know if waking up early would unlock something in my mind that helped me see the world in a slightly different way, or at the very least if being tired would spur some kind of creativity that I hadn't yet accessed.
What happened when I woke up at 6 a.m. every day
So what happened? For me, there were actually quite a few subtle changes. I started this experiment in early January and am still going a month later, so it's safe to say I'm kind of into the early wake-up call, too.
I expected the first day to be rough — especially since on workdays I generally was waking up around 8, and on off days I didn't set an alarm at all. My son is 11, so he's pretty self-sufficient; if he wakes up before I do, he just makes his breakfast and gets started on his day.
I actually had more energy.
The biggest thing that surprised me is that my body and mind both responded pretty positively to the new wake-up time right away, and I even had more energy from the jump. While I like to have a cup of coffee every morning, there have been quite a few days where I don't have coffee until 10 or 11 a.m., or even skip it all day and drink peppermint tea instead!
Having said that, I do absolutely lose steam around 4 or 5 p.m., but it's not hard to keep myself going until my son goes to bed. My bedtime has adjusted to around 9 p.m.
I've also been more motivated.
While I have yet to complete any creative writing projects, I have had a lot of motivation to plan out goals and make things happen. For example, I told myself that in 2021 I would put myself out there and pitch new ideas to various publications that I've never written for because they're outside of my typical wheelhouse, and I've been following through on that (even though it's terrifying).
I also feel calmer.
Another interesting result has been that I feel calmer throughout most of the day. It's harder to get me riled up (whether or not I've had coffee!), and it's significantly easier for me to just roll with the punches without getting too stressed out. As a naturally anxious person, I haven't totally mastered my chill zone, but I'm getting there.
I plan to keep going.
Now that I'm a month into the experiment, I plan to keep it going. I did adjust my wake-up time to 7 a.m. instead of 6, but as the day gets longer and there's more light, I wouldn't be surprised if I start waking up around 6:30 again. I'm also going to take notes for the next few weeks to see if any other changes take place that seem tiny at the time but turn out to be big.
Ultimately, waking up early each day has helped me be pretty disciplined in many aspects of life. I'm in a great parenting spot with my son, focusing on my goals and plans, and even managing to make mostly healthy meals throughout the week.
Of course, waking up early might not be for everyone, and in fact there is evidence that whether or not it works for you could come down to your genes. But if you're trying to improve your focus or creativity, it could be worth a shot.
