When I first became a mom, I would hear one piece of advice all the time: get up before your kids. It was the last thing I wanted to hear, especially at the beginning when you’re up all night with a newborn. (Or a not-so-newborn… both my children didn’t “sleep through the night” until closer to their first birthdays.) I did dip my toes in the water occasionally, mostly on days when I was fully booked and had to get up early or had a deadline that needed extra time. It wasn’t exactly enjoyable, though I personally find deadlines very motivating, so it was never a problem to hit the alarm and jump out of bed.
If I didn’t have to get something done? Forget it. I would click snooze or decide to “try again tomorrow.”
This past fall, I hit my busy season at work and felt like every waking moment was spent either taking care of my kids, keeping the house running, or working. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, and I’d get into bed intending to read—only to fall asleep within five minutes. So I decided to start waking up at 5am to sit on the couch, curled up with a blanket and a cup of coffee, and read my Kindle in peace.
It was, unfortunately, life-changing. I didn’t want to love it. I didn’t want all those people to be right. They were, though. 100%. What made it work for me was not using the time to be productive. Instead, I used that hour or two for something I genuinely enjoyed. That became the motivating factor for not clicking snooze or crawling back into bed.
These days I wake up at 5:15, which somehow feels more humane than 5am. (And for the most part, I only do this Monday through Friday.) It’s still early enough to give me time to read, even if one of the kids wakes up ahead of schedule. Our house is old with creaky floors, and we share a wall with the boys’ room, so getting downstairs before 5:30 is critical if I want to avoid waking them up 😉
I’m such a better mom, wife, and overall human when I start my day before everyone else. I feel more grounded and regulated, and our mornings as a family run so much smoother. I’m also very much an introvert, and lately I’ve had more evening plans, so this solo morning time lets me recharge. It’s like a reset from whatever happened the night before and a little gear-up for what’s to come.
What my current routine looks like:
5:00am | Hatch alarm starts the wakeup routine (it slowly increases in brightness)
5:15am | My Hatch alarm “goes off” (it’s actually a very soothing “Harmony at Dawn” sound)
5:15-5:30am | I make coffee and let myself scroll through TikTok/play some of my fave NY Times puzzles while my coffee cools. Mike and I are hooked on Cometeer coffee– it’s so easy to make every morning and tastes better than drip.
5:30-6:45am | I read with my coffee. (BTW I am still using and loving my Ember mug. It has changed the morning coffee game for me because my coffee stays the ideal temperature the entire time!!) I will admit that some mornings I find myself a little distracted and I just want to doom scroll more, but I really try to keep this time to reading for pleasure only!
6:45-7:00 am | The boys are usually starting to stir around this time, so I get breakfast started so it’s ready when they wake up. If I have more time, I usually get backpacks packed, dishes put away from the dishwasher, and maybe back upstairs to start making our bed/opening the blinds, throwing on workout clothes.
7:00am | Bring the boys down for breakfast and start their morning routine! (Which is honestly just breakfast and then we usually play in the playroom until it’s time to get them dressed!)
I’ll always be able to stay up late if I need to for work (again, love a deadline), but staying up late just to read? Nearly impossible. Even if I get into bed by 9pm, I can barely keep my eyes open. Waking up earlier has solved so many little problems for me as a mom.
Maybe eventually I’ll add a workout class outside the house, but for now? I’m really happy with this setup.
Does the hatch wake up Mike too? I’d LOVE to start getting up earlier to read too, but my husband is a light sleeper!
He works with an international team so he’s usually either already up, getting up too, or he falls back to sleep no problem (if it wakes him up). But we’re both understanding of each other having different wake up times
Having my me time in the morning is so crucial for me! I love the quiet and stillness it provides!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
100 agree … I’ve been a 430 am person since my kids were little… workout, scrolling, coffee , laundry.. those hours make me a better human!! Yay for you tine!
I am not a morning person. At All. Like hate them. But, last fall, I joined a Pilates gym and fell in love with it. Because of my work schedule, I had two options – only go on the weekends or start going at 6am. In February, I gave it a try. And it was life changing. I feel better. I sleep better. I’m a better me.
I don’t know when I exactly fell into this kind of schedule – probably around turning 30 – but it is crucial to my mental health at this point. I don’t have kids yet, but having 1-2 hours to myself where no one (my husband, my 2 dogs, work messages, etc.) needs anything or touches me is AMAZING. If I feel like my mind is wandering or worrying more than I want it to, I do a quick 3-5 minute breath work on Headspace with my airpods and I find I am able to focus more after. Love knowing this type of morning flow works for other people!
I’m loving (and living) this post.
My son is 22 months, once I started waking not only before him, but super early 4:00/5:00am I became a new mother. The coffee, reading, thinking, time alone in general allows me to be beaming with a smile when he wakes.
I am always trying to improve the organizational structure of our day, I still get so little done even though he is almost two.
love getting an inside look into your life like this. i can’t bring myself to do it, but maybe i’ll try it once and see how it goes. thanks for sharing!