3.) You will have more focus and energy.
I used to disagree with this one because I was NOT a morning person. But I realized something about mornings … I allowed them to control me. And when something controls us, we don’t like it. When I slept until 9 or so, someone woke me up or the morning woke me up. Either way, I was grumpy and my family needed my attention immediately. Bad combination.
Waking up early allows me to take control of my mornings. I wake up between 5 and 5:30, and I have time to get my bearings together. I spend time in God’s word. I spend time in prayer. I read a couple of chapters in a book. I workout. I listen to a podcast … all before my kids wake up.
Now I should note … this is not ALWAYS the case. Some mornings my kids wake up at 6:00 and I only get to do half of this. But that is OK. When they wake up, I am prepared to give them my undivided attention. Even though I have never attempted to wake up at 5:00 (or 6 or 7 or 8), I have more focus and energy throughout the day than ever before.
4.) You will be less busy doing stuff that means NOTHING.
If you choose to wake up early, you must cut out some stuff. Waking up earlier means going to bed earlier. Therefore, you must be more efficient with the time you have. You must spend less time watching TV. You must spend less time on social media.
So far this month, I have watched less TV and spent less time on social media than I can ever remember. And amazingly, the world continues to turn. I always thought I could never go without TV. But I was wrong.
It feels good to have a life free from the control of TV and other meaningless things.
5.) You will have more time to pour into others.
We can’t pour into others unless we first pour into ourselves. Here’s how.
Waking up early is about being selfish. That sounds bad, but really it is not. You see, we can not pour into other people unless we first pour into ourselves. Beginning each day by allowing God to fill me (along with being able to do other things that are productive) makes me more effective and able to pour into others. Investing in others is the core of Christian living.
If we do not intentionally create space to refill and renew our own spiritual, physical and mental tanks, we will never be effective in filling the tanks of others.
A few important points that will guide your time in the mornings:
1.) Stay away from social media and email.
If you are tempted to spend your time on social media or checking emails, do not even use an electronic device … mornings are a time for you to improve yourself and social media/emails are a hindrance to your improvement (generally speaking).
2.) Have a PLAN.
Do not wake up without a plan. If you do, you will go back to sleep. Have a schedule. Have a plan. Check out this sample schedule for my morning.
MORNING SCHEDULE
5:00 – Wake up and make coffee/breakfast
5:15 – Dwelling in the Word (Daily Bible Reading)
5:45 – Time with God (meditation, prayer)
6:00 – Read a book/blog posts
6:30 – Listen to a podcast or run/workout
7:15 – Time with God (meditation, prayer)
7:30 – Kids Awake
