Getting Up at 4:55 AM

Last week, I had afternoon classes for the first time. That meant I didn't have to get up at 7:30 AM every day to be at school by 9 AM. Instead, I had the opportunity to sleep in every day and start my day slowly. But I wondered what would happen, especially with my productivity, if I continued to get up at 7:30 AM every day, and of course, I did that.

A Week of (Un)necessarily Getting Up Early

So, every morning my alarm still went off at 7:30 AM. Then I got up and did my morning routine. What did that include?

1. Meditating

2. Writing

3. Visualizing

4. Affirming

5. Exercising

6. Reading

If you want to read more details about it, you can read more here. But I mostly did these six things within 1-2 hours every morning. And that did something to me because many of these things you plan to do every day, but you never get around to it, caught up in the moments of everyday life. But simply getting up a little earlier every morning and taking the time for it, nothing stopped me. So, I kept getting up early and worked through one point after another. Sometimes I read for 30 minutes instead of the designated 10 per activity, sometimes I exercised for 30 minutes. Every morning I got up and put some time into this morning routine/self-improvement. Within a week, I read 60% of a book, which would normally take me a month because I don't have the discipline for it. But now I enjoy reading so much that I plan extra time for it every morning.

After the Morning Routine

What was particularly exciting for me was the time that came after the morning routine. Because in the morning routine itself, I visualized for the day and imagined all the things I planned to do and the difficulties I might encounter. And that made the following day extremely easier for me. Before I even went to school, I had already completed most of the daily tasks, and knowing that I was so productive gave me even more motivation for the rest of the day. I planned some things more, some things I didn't even try to do. And because I reflected on the previous day every morning and asked myself how I could do it better today, each day got a little better.

Of course, it was exhausting and still is. As a balance, I didn't do anything productive on the weekend. I probably should have done it anyway, but hey, I didn't care. I wanted to relax, and I also took the time for that. It was a great and highly interesting week.

The Return of Morning Classes

But this week we have morning classes again. Probably next week too. And all my ideas for the morning had to be given up. I had the idea of getting up even earlier, but somehow the idea was too crazy for me, and I thought that with 7:30 AM as a starting point, I would still have enough time for my morning routine, and then I would go to school and finish the rest in the afternoon. But that was not the case at all. I didn't have a hard time getting out of bed and started my morning routine, but I was stressed. I knew I had to shower and get ready soon. So, I reduced the designated hour of my morning routine to 45 minutes and then just made it to class on time. I had energy for the class, but that energy quickly faded. I noticed that I felt similarly drained compared to the afternoon classes. I went home and felt the need to take a nap, but then I had a good idea:

The Plan

I was tired, yes. But I could do something with the tiredness. I had a plan. I managed to complete my tasks for the day, like learning new vocabulary, writing my daily article, and even writing my current story. Then I cooked my dinner and watched a movie. It was only 7 PM. I finished the movie and brushed my teeth. 9:30 PM. I turned off the light and set my alarm for 4:55 AM. Even 5 minutes earlier than 5 AM, so my slow waking up wouldn't stress me out. As tired as I was, I fell asleep immediately. I would get my stress-free morning back.

This Morning

So, I got up at 4:55 AM today, and not 5 minutes later, I was outside the door in full jogging gear. I grinned; it was still completely dark, and during my 40-minute morning jog, I encountered a total of 10 people. Just jogging motivated me so much for the day because I thought: Who likes to do this?

I ran along the canals and grinned every time someone looked at me. I was proud of this decision to go jogging so early. I also saw only about 20 cars. Then I came back to the apartment, showered, and continued with my morning routine. Now it's just after eight in the morning, and I've been up for over 3 hours and have accomplished quite a bit. I'm going to review some vocabulary now and then go to school. After that, I'll continue writing my story and do my Japanese homework. Then the day is over for me in terms of productivity. And that's fun.

Conclusion

I think it's understandable why these ideas of being productive fascinate me. I was in a long-term relationship and always tried to adapt. Now I'm in Japan, completely alone, and I can do whatever I want. I don't bother anyone if I get up at 5 AM and want to go to bed at 9 PM. I can do it because I feel like it. The thought of being so productive while others haven't even heard their alarm yet motivates me. I'm still learning to find my way, and I thought I had to be less productive and enjoy the moments more. And that's why I wrote less and walked more. But at the same time, I also enjoy putting my energy into these things. I get one or two good ideas every week that I want to implement, and finally, I have the time and desire to implement these ideas. Now it's just a matter of sticking with it. But since this is so much fun for me right now, I'll probably get through this week without any problems. But I'm also curious about the challenges that this new routine will bring. How will going out with friends be this week? Will I have to say no to friends more often? Many questions, but they will resolve themselves. Until then, for now!