How waking up at 6am everyday changed my life

I've been waking up at 6 AM for the past couple of years and it has changed the way I experience life. I won't even pretend to be original: you have probably seen countless articles or YouTube videos about these « Morning People » who wake up before dawn to kickstart the day. Well... I’m one of them. And I think you might be too.

Morning, who?

Picture this: your iPhone rings, it's 07:30 AM and you have to be out by 8 AM. Ain't got time to think: you jump in the shower, your toothbrush in your mouth, with only one idea in mind: "I am going to be SO LATE ... again". If this story feels more familiar to you than fictional, well... welcome home. I used to be there too.

Waking up at 6 AM and watching the sun

© Leon Biss, Unsplash

Night Owl vs. Early Birds

I used to be a night owl through and through and, nobody who knows me well could deny it. The night was my holy ground, my place, my home. I knew some people might actually be ‘awake’ in the morning but I certainly wasn't one of them. What’s the point of waking up earlier than you should when you could be sleeping instead, right?

Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. From being stressed and forced to get ready to leave in a rush without even eating breakfast, mornings have quickly become the best part of my day. I still thrive in the latest hours of the night but I wouldn’t trade my first awake moments for anything in the world.

Waking up at 6 AM • The Routine

My Morning Routine has evolved quite a lot over the years (since 2016), yet it stays rather simple:

1. Waking Up

I usually wake up at 6 AM every day. I make sure to let my phone on my desk instead of my nightstand so that I’m forced to get up to turn the alarm off.

What if you woke up without your phone?

2. Getting ready

Once up, I make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and shower, get out and dress, hairstyle, etc.

3. Prepare breakfast

Time to eat! I get the water heated for the tea, get my fruits out, and, depending on the day I’ll either bake eggs & bread or have rice milk + cereals. If I haven’t done it yet, I also get my lunch ready for the and put and in my bag. By then, it’s around 6:35 AM.

It's important to have breakfast in the morning.

4. Pray, meditate, and read

Once everything is ready, I settle into my bed to take time for myself, while sipping my tea. - I take the time to pray and to think,

• I meditate for 10 minutes with the Waking Up App by Sam Harris,
• I recite my Personal Mission Statement to make sure I remember my long-term goals and priorities.
• Lastly, I read.

Usually, in the morning, I like to read a Self-Help, a biography, or a science book before diving into fiction later in the day. As I’m writing this post I’m reading “Show your work” by Austin Kleon (Highly Recommend!). I usually read on my Kindle.

I usually read on my Kindle.

5. Create

Then (and this is my favorite part), I take time to actually do something I love : writing and creating. I launch a timer for 10 minutes and for the next 600 seconds I have only one goal: to write as much as I can, whether for the blog, for the newsletter, for clients, etc. It’s amazing how only 10 minutes a day can have so much impact on my life and overall happiness. This is my 10 minutes rule.

By this time it’s around 07:30 AM and it’s almost time for me to go, so I get my bag ready, check if there is anything else I need to do (did I turn off the stove?), get my coat on and go!

Let's chat

Thank you for reading, I hope you found something interesting in this post. Now, what about you, are you more of an early bird or a night owl? Have you ever tried waking up at 6 AM for an extended period of time?