Everyone who lived with me during college knows I don’t like waking up.
Freshman year, Alexis would watch me snooze my 7:30 a.m. alarm as I counted how many unexcused absences I had from Italian Diction before begrudgingly rolling out of bed and walking to the music school in my pajamas.
Sophomore year, Macy’s alarm woke me up most days, sometimes early enough for me to actually take advantage of the omelets in the Chi O kitchen. Other days, I woke up 15 minutes before graphic design class and brought breakfast with me, despite knowing food was NOT allowed in the computer lab (I’m sorry @ the entire CoJMC).
Junior year was great because I had my own bedroom and bathroom, so no one ever actually knew if I was awake or just being antisocial. I also perfected my schedule so I didn’t have to be anywhere until at least 11.
Senior year was probably the worst because my class schedule in Italy prevented me from ever adjusting to the time change. I didn’t have to be anywhere until 5 p.m. every day except Thursday, so I’d stay up until 4 a.m. and wake up at 2 p.m. Love a healthy sleep schedule! One time I slept through a field trip even though missing it would make my grade go down one whole letter (it didn’t because the professor liked me, and this was actually an accident, but that doesn’t make it much better).
Second semester, my earliest class was at noon and I STILL sometimes slept through it (because it was intro to stats and I took it pass/fail, there was really no reason to attend, ya know?)
I didn’t need to explain all of that, but there you have four years of anecdotal proof that I suck at waking up, no matter what I actually have to do in the morning.
Six weeks ago, though, I decided I’d start waking up at 6:30 every day to go to the gym. Waking up early and exercise are my two least favorite things to do, so this was quite a bold decision for me to make. Thankfully, it went over much better than my decision to become a runner – I went on one 35 minute run through Central Park and decided never to do that again.
I’ve learned it’s actually easier to go to work when I wake up more than 15 minutes before heading to the office. Shocking, I know. It’s also easier to go to bed at a reasonable time when I’m exhausted by 7 p.m. every day. Less shocking.
On the flip side, I’ve developed an unfortunate dependence on coffee, which I somehow avoided all through college. Thanks to Starbucks for making these early mornings possible. (This post is not sponsored, but honestly it should be). No matter how much coffee I drink in the morning, I’m still apt to crash by 4 p.m. every day. Whoops.
My recent change in sleep schedule has inspired everyone around me, from my roommates (one of whom also wakes up early to work out, another who thinks we’re crazy) to my coworkers (who all think I’m crazy). I should probably start a health and wellness Instagram account to show everyone how they, too, can narrowly avoid falling asleep at work if they simply wake up two hours earlier than usual and consume copious amounts of caffeine.
I can’t say I’m entirely a morning person at this point, but I can say I’m more confident I have my sh!t together on the days I wake up earlier. (Two months into the) New Year, New Me; am I right, ladies?