Are you feeling the need to wake up early as a working student? Have you tried squeezing all your to-dos into the hours you’re not working or sleeping, and still feel behind? If so, this post is for you.
Waking up early can be hard. I’m going to be blunt there. But, it is so amazing how much time you can add to your day by doing so.
In this post we’ll cover 5 ways to get up early as a working student, and how to make the process more bearable.
Determine your reasons why.
Have you already tried staying up late to get things done? Is homework piling up and you can’t find time to catch up? Do you just want to have time to cook something delicious in the morning?
Any reason is valid, as long as it brings a strong emotional response to you.
For example, my reasoning for waking up earlier was that I didn’t understand my Accounting class, and that was stressing me out.
Waking up early gave me enough time to actually read and take notes on the textbook, and now I’m caught up and confident in the concepts.
Don’t just wake up.
Actually get up. Even if all you do is walk to your couch and sit and doze, that’s better than staying in bed. I also find that leaving the bedroom is helpful. If I see my bed, I am going to be more tempted to jump back in it.
Recognize that Day 1 is going to suck.
I had been waking up 20 minutes before I had to leave for work for weeks. Making that decision to wake up early on day 1 was more out of desperation than desire.
Anyways, the first day you wake up early, may feel painful in your soul. But, it gets so much easier after that. I think it’s because we’re breaking a habit, cold-turkey. As a result, it acts like a hard reset.
Go to bed at a decent time.
Most of us need 8-10 hours of sleep a night. My husband says I need 9. How can you expect to wake up if you don’t go to bed? It may feel like grandparent hours going to bed at 8pm, but it is so worth it.
Make being up early a pleasant experience.
Don’t overcommit to exercising, studying, going for a run, and cooking a 4 star breakfast on day 1.
It’s an adjustment.
Just commit to doing the one thing you wanted to do when you said you were going to wake up early, and count it as a win. As the days progress, and you get used to the new routine, then it makes sense to gradually add more activities. Overfilling that time leads to stress.
When I’m stressed out about something, I don’t want to do it again.
Instead make a cozy environment. I like to wear my fuzzy robe, socks, drink my coffee, and play a Study with Me video on YouTube while I’m studying for my Accounting class.
My husband is amazing because he has an early start as well and has been making me coffee. Having someone in your corner while waking up early is helpful, but it is still most definitely doable if you’re by yourself.
Have your space ready to get started right away.
If you woke up early to study for a test, make sure your laptop is charged with your tabs, flashcards, notes, etc the night before.
Having everything ready in your workspace removes a barrier of having to set up before getting to the main activity. This also makes the wake up process easier because you don’t have to dread about random side quests you’ll have to take.
Conclusion
I hope you find these tips useful! After waking up early just for a week, I’m already addicted to how much I can get done in a day. I was also able to catch up in my Accounting and Government classes.
What’s great is, the more often you wake up early, the easier it gets. You also feel incredibly productive when you accomplish your goals for each day!
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