How Waking Up Early Makes Your Weekends Better

I have never been a morning person. Never. I’ve always envied those people who seem to naturally bound out of bed, bright and early. I’ve secretly wanted to join the club of people who love waking up early. However, I have never been one of those people. Not in the slightest. I love sleeping in and snuggling up for as long as my internal clock will allow me. If hitting snooze was an Olympic sport, I’d be Michael Phelps.

I’ve never been a natural morning person. I’ve never liked waking up early.

However, something has shifted in the last year. I’ve started to see the value in getting up early. This has been particularly true in the last several months, as I’ve taken on the commitment to LIVE on the weekend. In deciding to radically change how I spend Friday through Sunday, each weekend hour seems to be more precious. Similar to prime real estate, the morning hours are prime weekend hours, meant to be used and enjoyed. Waking up early has been my way to gain access to these prime hours.

Getting up early on the weekend is something that has stayed constant since week one of the challenge, and I’ve kept it around because I genuinely love it so much. It makes a huge difference in my weekend feeling full and nourishing. When I used to sleep in, my Saturdays felt like they were halfway over, even when they were only starting. By the time I got up and going, I felt like I only had the afternoon and evening to do something. But now, I feel like I have an extra part of my day that wasn’t there before. It’s like a freebie; I feel like I’ve been gifted four extra hours each day!

I know I probably sound like one of those morning people. (You know, the morning people I mentioned above who bound out of bed.) I promise, I’m still not one of those people. I don’t think I’ll ever become a natural morning person. However, I do think I’m becoming a trained morning person, one that sees the value in extending the day, starting it earlier and leaving more time for actual living. 

If you’re like me and making an effort to reclaim your weekend, I encourage you to go to bed at a decent hour on Friday, and set your alarm clock a bit earlier on Saturday and Sunday. Just try waking up early for a weekend or two. You might be surprised at how much better your weekend is a with a few extra hours!

PS: Want some tips on waking up early? Check out this helpful post.