As I write this, it’s 5:18am on a Wednesday morning. I’ve been up for 38 minutes. So far, I’ve weighed in, made coffee, spent time in meditation, and began my writing for the day. All of this is possible because, when the alarm rang at 4:40am, both Alison and I got up at the same time.
If I don’t launch out of bed like an ICBM missile when the alarm goes off, you can bet that I’ll be in bed for the next two hours. It’s hard to wake up early, even when you go to bed early. Since Alison needs to be out the door by 5:30am, I thought it would be a good idea for us to wake up at the same time. If we’re both up, she can get to work on time and I’ll get about the business of the day instead of sleeping until the still morning air is pierced by Benedict’s shrill “FEED ME!!!” cry.
The morning is an amazing time. If you capitalize on it, you can unlock a whole new destiny for your day. I’m a morning person, so even though it can be hard to get out of bed without hitting snooze half a dozen times, I generally feel better about how a day went if I started early.
Generally speaking, we all know that a stable sleep schedule is good for our health. If we go to bed at about the same time and wake up at the same time, we harvest many benefits. We’re more rested, we fall asleep more easily at night, and waking up much more pleasant. If you stay on schedule long enough, you may find that your body naturally wakes you up at the appropriate time, meaning you don’t have to listen to that awful alarm clock anymore.
Waking up at the same time as your wife gives you both accountability. I can’t tell you the number of times I used to tell Alison that I was waking up early and overslept. With us both agreeing what time we’re waking up, we can be sure that the other person can help us along if we need it.
If you both wake up at the same time, you can spend some time together before work. The start to your day might be a tornado of activity with people running all over the house trying to get out the door on time, which can be a challenge if you don’t have those extra wide doors installed in your home. When this whirlwind blows through, you don’t have time to really stop and say hello. Getting up at the same time allows you to find some more calm together time at the start of the day.
If your wife is on board, but you’re having trouble getting up, harness the power of light. Light plays a big role in how our brains operate. We’ve trained them to sleep when it’s dark and wake when it’s light. If you’re up before the sun, turn on lights in your room to help wake up. It’s actually not all that unpleasant. If you want to be a pro, put your lights on timers and use them as your alarm clock.
While you and your wife have different schedules, if you can align them so that you both wake up at the same time, you’ll both get to enjoy a little more “us” time in your day.
Tags: Community
