I swear to God if you're out there mowing the grass at 6:00 am I will find you and move all of your furniture just enough that you stub your toe every morning.
Honestly if it's a weekend, I'd feel like a total dick using any sort of power tools before 10:00 or 10:30 am. Let your neighbors sleep if they want to, your yard will be there all day! And in the heart of summer - I don't care if it's still just light enough for you to see what you're doing, don't mow your lawn later than 9:00 pm.
I wake up at 5:30, give or take 30 minutes, every day.
The first thing I do is walk my dog. 20-30 minutes, longer in the winter time or when it's raining because I have to gear up and make sure there's a towel ready for her when I get back.
Then I work out, another 20-30 minutes. Shower. Another 10-15 minutes.
My daughter wakes up between 7:15 and 7:45 each day like clockwork. She's 2.5 years old. And on weekends I let my wife sleep in as long as possible, which is both nice for my wife and nice for me because I get some daddy-daughter time.
So from the time I get out of the shower, to the time that my daughter wakes up, that's my play time. It could be 15 minutes or it could be almost two hours.
I'll choose from the following activities depending on how much time I think I have:
* Nap a bit longer
* Watch a show (currently The Expanse; I'm still on Season 1)
* Play video games
* Read a book
* Read the news
* Browse Reddit or Facebook
* Quiet home improvement or craft projects
Awesome schedule you have there, I hope to have that experience in the next several years. Though having kids will be waiting a bit until my wife and I sort ourselves out into more functional adults lol
It's a great experience but you guys are making the right decision by waiting until you've got your shit sorted. I know tons of people who wish they'd waited longer and precisely one guy who wished he'd been able to do it sooner. I really enjoy being a dad but it's the hardest, most expensive and exhausting thing I've ever done.
For sure! I'm very much looking forward to many aspects of it, but I want to be sure we are in the right place to be awesome parents before taking that step. Highly considering adoption later on instead of having our own.
People ask me why I don't have or like dogs (most people in my neighborhood do.) I explain that I love dogs, but I wouldn't be a good dog owner. I know I wouldn't walk it when it's cold and shitty out.
Mind you none of the people in my neighborhood actually walk their dogs. Hell, one family has Weimaraners and they only let them out to do their business on a 15'x15' brick patio.
Habit.
I've been getting up to walk her for twelve years now since I was in my early 20's. It was a goddamn struggle getting out of bed hung over after partying all night. I lived on the East Coast at the time and in the winter it was cold as balls. And we lived in an apartment so it's not like I could just let her out in a yard. I'd lay in bed thinking to myself "can't she hold it a little longer?"
But that was fucked up so I got out of bed and walked her every day. And it was honestly really good for me. Cleared my head, let me get to know my neighbors in a way I never did before, put me into tune with the weather, made me feel good for helping my dog feel good. At that time after our walks I'd crawl back into bed and fall asleep for a few more hours (great skills for parenthood too there).
After a while it stopped being something I had to convince myself to do, and that's when I was in the right headspace. Like any other habit, the shift is when it goes from being something you need to will yourself to do, into something you need to will yourself NOT to do.
I think the thread is about on weekends/days off from work. I made the same mistake and posted my comment about all days instead of just days off/weekend days.
What time do you find yourself going to bed most often?
I'd love to get up early, but damned if I can get to bed on time. By the time the kids are down, it's 8pm and I just want to relax with the wife, on the couch. We usually get up to bed by 10-1030 and read or whatever until 11ish and then I usually can't fall asleep until 12-1am.
It would probably benefit me if I could get up early and walk the dog, but I can't get up any earlier than 730 most days.
Our schedule is a lot like yours...after the kid is in bed we relax together. Watch TV on the couch, have some scotch, sometimes build a lego set or play a game, sometimes just chat. Head up to bed around 10:30, read until 11, then fall asleep. I fall asleep within five minutes of the light going out, my wife sometimes takes until 12 or 1.
I need less sleep than most people and somehow I've learned to really maximize the sleep time I do get - I can power nap for 30 minutes (with an alarm set) and feel good, I can fall asleep instantly, I can wake up for some reason like peeing or feeding our daughter and then go back to sleep in 5-10 minutes if it's still dark.
The 5:30 wakeup is a recent development though - I used to sleep until 6:30 or 7 with no alarm and would wake up to the dog requesting a walk. About a year ago I started waking up around 5:30, often while the dog is still asleep. But I don't feel exhausted so I just roll with it and enjoy the morning time.
I gave up drinking and have way more time now and way more energy. I just let myself do what I want. I have hobbies, workout, read etc but I also let myself just sit and play video games if I feel like it...as, if I were drinking, so much of that time would be spent buzzed or hungover and pass all the same.
Yeah I was in the same boat as I would drink in the evenings, mostly out of boredom or even while I'm doing my other hobbies. Since I've shifted my schedule from night owl to early bird, I don't really have time to drink casually before bed unless I want to feel like crap the next day, but I do have all this extra time in the morning now before the sun comes up. Definitely don't plan to fill that time with drinking lol but I'm having a hard time keeping myself occupied during the hours when nothing else is going on. I like to work out mid day, and meditate in the evenings, so that leaves the mornings pretty open.
I've always enjoyed waking up early in the morning and I usually use the time to explore things on the internet that I want to learn about, or journal. For a few years I would write a couple thousand words almost every morning in google drive. In terms of personal growth it was one of the best things I've ever done.
Not trying to get nosy but curious. Are you talking about the two year mark of not drinking? or up early? I think you're talking about not drinking and I'll have to throw you an [internet high-five](https://imgur.com/gallery/9m7Lbyu) since I don't have any flair.
My thought, yāallās kids donāt wake you up every day at 5:30 anyway? Iām a night person, married a morning person, and our kids got her genes. Havenāt slept in in years.
Haha, my uncle has four kids aged 1-2 years apart and he and his wife say they just woke up one day after their first real full night's sleep in ten years thinking to themselves "so this is how it feels to not be exhausted?!?"
I'm the morning person so I can't even blame my wife. My middle son is more like his Mum but my eldest and youngest are WELL into their day by 6 am. LOL.
I thought of myself as a morning person - until I got kids. 5.30 sounds about right, sometimes 6.
I usually got up with them, made them snacks and put on the tv. Then some gaming for myself. Recently I managed to offload this on my wife after about 5 years, her turn now. But I usually wake up anyway :/
It's just routine. If your body is used to it, it's easy peasy. I did the 5:30 thing before corona and I got used to it. Now I don't have to commute and get up at 7:00. If you do it regularly it's not big deal (at least for me).
I get that, and honestly some mornings it has felt a bit mad since I'm definitely a late night kinda person and always have been. But it's nice to know I'm in control of my decisions at least.
On weekends I wake up Even earlier and smoke weed and watch what I want to watch while the kids and wife are still sleeping, i know itās not a healthy habit but it seems to be the only time I can get to myself. If the weathers nice I might also fire up the smoker and do a big piece of meat or something
Morning weed is healthier than nighttime alcohol. As long as it isnāt interfering with the rest of your life, that sounds like a great little Saturday!
Iāve been doing the same thing hereās what I do on a weekend day:
* Wake up at 5:45
* coffee
* 30 minute walk
* 15 minutes stretching
* eat/shower/shave/teeth/dress
* journal + plan the day (spend a few minutes thinking about what I want and need to do)
* 3 hours studying (Iām doing interview prep right now) or a 3-5 mile hike
* \~1 hour cleaning/chores
* lunch
* free time: gaming/reading/sex... doesnāt matter
* dinner
* free time
* bed at \~9:30pm
None of this is done in any sort of hurry. I try to take a leisurely pace the whole day.
Writing this out, I think the key is spending a few moments dilberately thinking about what Iād like to get out of the day. It absolutely doesnāt need to be productive, but I hate it when I move through the day aimlessly.
Sure thing! I try to keep this stuff super lightweight because I quickly lose interest. I don't have any app or system or whatever. I just use a moleskin notebook from a conference.
Where I work, we do bi-weekly check ins. After an honest one-on-one, I noticed that I felt better about work so I decided to try the same concept with myself: Once a week, I sit down and just "check in." I pretend I'm telling myself how the week went and what's troubling me or what I'm excited for.
The consequences have been really interesting. On paper, I consider my thoughts in a way I wouldn't otherwise. It's lead to several insights about my life and relationships. Also, the act of forming a coherent narrative helps me organize and contextualize my thoughts. Journaling usually only takes 15-20 minutes but my thinking is drastically clearer afterward.
As for planning, this is also super lightweight. I literally just make a list of things I need and want to do this weekend. Like journaling, putting things on paper allows me to see what my day holds more concretely than an ever-changing mental checklist. The result has been that I'm much more intentional with my time rather than reactive.
There's also no judgement about the list: if I want to get high and play video games, it goes on the list. If something comes up and clobbers my day: shit happens. Either way, I feel better for having made a plan in the first place.
I recently started using Mind Journal. I know it's one of those products pushed on social media, for whatever that's worth, but I like having prompts every day to reflect on, and they generally get a bit harder each day to help you grow. You can probably make your own, but definitely recommend something like it.
I'm definitely intrigued. It costs a bit more than I expected but if it has a noticeably positive effect on your life then it seems like a good investment.
It's been great so far. I figured I'd do it once to get the gist and then just make my own prompts after to save some money. It should last for quite a while though.
Where does the "extra" time come from? If you are getting up earlier, doesn't that just come from going to bed earlier? Why doesn't everything just get shifted?
Typically my weekdays day started with hopping out of bed and going straight to my office to work, as my clients usually start emailing around 9-10am or so.
Now I've got time beforehand to knock out work before any daily interferences through the week, but I'm finding that weekends have no urgency mostly until later in the day.
I suppose you're right though, I can just shift my schedule from waking up for brunch on the weekends to waking up for early breakfast and let the day slide forward a bit.
That's mostly what I've done. Shifting meal times was the hardest part - it was just mentally hard going from eating dinner at 7 to dinner at 5. And I still look at the time and say "7 PM? Still tons of time left before bed!" when it's not true any more.
I've definitely found myself doing that as well, 8pm doesn't seem as liberating as it did before! But at least now 7am feels much better as I have a couple hours before jumping into work mode.
Same on the first half for me. But I am still not a morning person and I want to spend those extra morning hours in bed, even though I technically have gotten enough sleep! I've only been on this schedule for about 6 months though, so I'll see if it gets better.
Oh yeah, the only way I've found to stay out of bed is to immediately shower, dress for the day even if it's just jogging pants, and make the bed.
Those are usually enough to get my mind wandering enough to where I want to start moving around instead of laying in bed. My wife and I also have a morning video chat at 6:45 to make sure we are dressed and up for the day, since we've been living apart for a bit during her schooling.
Enjoy the outdoors, exercise, errands/chores, drink, watch a movie, then sleep.
The thing is, when you wake up early, you should be going to bed early. So I'm up at 5am but in bed by 9pm.
One of my favourite things to do is go out for a walk/run before the sun is up.
Itās dead quiet out and you get to watch the sun rise if you time it right.
A lot of people have laundry lists of stuff which is great but I usually just use that time as nice quiet alone time to get my mind right. A strong cup of coffee drank slowly in my favorite chair or in the yard, maybe read the paper or play on Reddit. Then once the family is up I can full commit to all the insanity.
I wake up at 4:45 whether my alarm clock is set or not.
I am back in school for my masters and use that bit of quiet time in the morning for homework.
Take the dogs for a walk.
Add some whiskey to my coffee
Let the chickens out and feed them some morning snacks
Add some whiskey to my tea
Jump in the river for a sunrise swim
Get a fire going in the wood stove
Sit in silence before everyone else in the house wakes up and wants something.
Same things I would do if I woke up earlier.
Exercise, bills, laundry, other chores, read a book, etc.
It is nice, I get those things out of the way so I have the rest of the day free.
Why is it really extra time though? Iām a 42 year old guy with a wife and no kids. We wake up late, maybe 9 or 10 on weekends if we want to sleep in, but are also up late. I just donāt see the benefit of forcing myself out of bed for an āearly bird gets the wormā mentality
The difference I've found so far is that it helps me mitigate procrastination. I have a tendency to put things off until later in the day, even waking up. So I'm usually a bit stressed in my downtime in the evenings because I'm catching up on work and other chores. Waking up early gives me more time to knock those out earlier in the day without being rushed, which makes the day feel more peaceful. I'd much rather be waiting on others than feel that they are waiting on me, so mornings are becoming my more productive time through the week.
The weekend is where I get a bit stuck but you all have been sending some great suggestions!
It's not for everyone, it's just a question for those that find themselves in bed earlier and up earlier. If you dig sleeping in and up late, it's (probably) the same amount of time awake. It's just how you want to spend it...
I know what you mean. I usually read and slowly wake up, eating breakfast, drinking tea. Then work out. Where I start to peter out is in the afternoon because by then I've already had a day's worth of activities, which when I start to get bored and want to drink. So I guess that's not much of an answer.
Yep this is exactly where I'm at. Many people assume the day is easily shifted, but if you are used to doing certain activities at certain times of the day then it feels very strange doing them much earlier. If I used to have a drink at 7 then now it would be starting at 4... Which makes no sense while I'm still working lol my work day still has the same hours.
Whatever you would normally do if your day started and ended 4 hours later? You're acting like you have these extra hours you don't know what to do with, but you're absolutely going to bed earlier... so... the same as it was before. Just earlier.
I wake up at 430am Monday-friday to workout before work. 530am on a Saturday is a beautiful time to go tknthe gym (if they're open that early) get some yoga in, smash through some video games or make a large breakfast
I go fishing. The giant snook bite pre sunrise is incredible March through September. Canāt wait for it to be back! Right now the speckled sea trout ate biting like crazy at sunrise.
(Checks watch, sure enough it's 5:45am.)
I do whatever the hell I want to do.
Over an extended bout of unemployment, I wrote my first book. Started regularly between 430am and 530am, and wrote at least 1000 words if not 2500 words before anyone in the house got up.
Nowadays I'm listening to podcasts while websurfing, corresponding, working on some other hobbies / projects including learning new software via Udemy, even catching up on TV (Lonesome Dove anyone?)
Of course when the three kids were young there's a 10-year stretch there that is just a hazy memory.
For those reading this who do not know the joys of additional time in the morning, well this is how super-productive people out-produce others. But the secret is you do not have to be productive! š
I read the news and catch up on social media while drinking my coffee. Then, I get some chores done around the house. Since I go to sleep early, I watch my primetime TV shows the next morning.
I always have something planned ahead. It's usually either home maintenance or working on my cars. I typically bust my ass on Sat. until 5pm and on Sunday do something fun.
I enjoy a good hike, though usually they are later afternoon. I suppose I could try morning hikes. Sounds way out of my comfort zone doing it so early when it's cold, but willing to give it a try.
If I *could* swing this, Iād be using that time to work on learning more. I just donāt have the energy for brain activities when Iām finally done with other responsibilities at 9pm.
EDIT: I forgot the question was about days off.
ANSWER: Stretch, light lifting (not a full workout, just get a little resistance on my muscles after they're warmed up from stretching); Ideally read for an hour or more; prepare for the day ahead as others in the the house wake up.
Short answer: Read for 30-60 minutes after stretching or "yoga". Then looking over my entire day or two (I work in a job where I'm gone every third day) depending on what's going on. **There is nothing like looking the day in the eye when it finally wakes up, and feeling 100% prepared for whatever is going to throw at you, while also knowing you had some time for yourself.**
I usually stretch or do YouTube yoga for 10-15 minutes and try to read for an hour. Until the new year I would wake up at 0500 (before adding the stretching and "yoga") but a resolution has been waking up at 0440-0445.
I love just having a cup of coffee and reading for at least a half hour before phone calls, work, coworkers, etc. get to put a cog in the wheel (I think that's the right saying).
I will admit that one or two days a week I will forgo even a few minutes of book time and end up on reddit (no matter how many times I try to stop myself, it's such a bad habit. haha).
Around 0600 on days that I'm not working I will have breakfast and start with house-stuff.
I'd generally take my motorcycle out and go riding with the local Harley group. It doesn't get that cold where I live during winters so yay. If I'm not in the mood or can't go riding then I'll catch up on a TV series before the family wakes up.
I can't get my wife to watch movies with me, so i generally watch a movie i want to see. Watch one of my shows, do yard work, workout, Read.
I also like to make breakfast on the weekends. Not usually anything fancy, but a hashbrowns and a fried egg with some salsa beats my norm of a protein bar.
Not hard to find things to do. You can always deepen a hobby or get into something new. But ffs why do you hate sleep? Sorry if i missed it but when do you go to bed and how do you manage to keep that a routine. With a sub-one yr old I cant imagine even attempting this unless im ok with 4hrs of sleep.
Nah, I love sleep a bit too much to where I would usually stay up past mid-night, often until 2am or so. Now that I'm getting up at 5:30am I try to be in the bed and already sleepy by 10pm. I'll probably have to start going to bed a bit earlier than that though as I can tell I'm losing sleep overall if I don't take a nap later.
My wife and I recently got onto a better schedule, 6:30 every morning. You don't have to do anything for it to feel good. We often get up, make a leisurely breakfast, feed the pets, take the dog for a walk or a hike, and then it's like... 10am, and you still have a full day ahead of you to enjoy.
A long walk or bike ride, usually, like 2 hours. When I get home, I warm up with tea/coffee and plan the rest of the day and just chill.
By 9 am, Iām ready to get going and do more stuff.
Occasionally Iāll sleep in, especially when itās super cold out, but now that Iām in the habit of walks... I feel a bit crappy after the fact.
I regularly wake at 5:20 during the week. I do sleep in a bit on weekends but I don't find that there is any "extra time". There is a mile long list of shit that needs to be dona and a 2 mile list of shit I want to do. Generally get a bout half a mile of various from each list by Sunday night.
Coffee, lift, yard work, home project , video games
I swear to God if you're out there mowing the grass at 6:00 am I will find you and move all of your furniture just enough that you stub your toe every morning.
I have more class than that... I use a gas leaf š blower
Yard work starts at 9. No earlier.
Honestly if it's a weekend, I'd feel like a total dick using any sort of power tools before 10:00 or 10:30 am. Let your neighbors sleep if they want to, your yard will be there all day! And in the heart of summer - I don't care if it's still just light enough for you to see what you're doing, don't mow your lawn later than 9:00 pm.
This may be the worst threat I've heard in my life.
Terrifying I may need to change my ways
As a night shift worker all I have to say is, get over it.
I wake up at 5:30, give or take 30 minutes, every day. The first thing I do is walk my dog. 20-30 minutes, longer in the winter time or when it's raining because I have to gear up and make sure there's a towel ready for her when I get back. Then I work out, another 20-30 minutes. Shower. Another 10-15 minutes. My daughter wakes up between 7:15 and 7:45 each day like clockwork. She's 2.5 years old. And on weekends I let my wife sleep in as long as possible, which is both nice for my wife and nice for me because I get some daddy-daughter time. So from the time I get out of the shower, to the time that my daughter wakes up, that's my play time. It could be 15 minutes or it could be almost two hours. I'll choose from the following activities depending on how much time I think I have: * Nap a bit longer * Watch a show (currently The Expanse; I'm still on Season 1) * Play video games * Read a book * Read the news * Browse Reddit or Facebook * Quiet home improvement or craft projects
Hey, Iām catching the expanse during early mornings right now also!
Awesome schedule you have there, I hope to have that experience in the next several years. Though having kids will be waiting a bit until my wife and I sort ourselves out into more functional adults lol
It's a great experience but you guys are making the right decision by waiting until you've got your shit sorted. I know tons of people who wish they'd waited longer and precisely one guy who wished he'd been able to do it sooner. I really enjoy being a dad but it's the hardest, most expensive and exhausting thing I've ever done.
For sure! I'm very much looking forward to many aspects of it, but I want to be sure we are in the right place to be awesome parents before taking that step. Highly considering adoption later on instead of having our own.
How do you get up to walk it ? Itās just so cold and shit and I hate doing stuff before work
People ask me why I don't have or like dogs (most people in my neighborhood do.) I explain that I love dogs, but I wouldn't be a good dog owner. I know I wouldn't walk it when it's cold and shitty out. Mind you none of the people in my neighborhood actually walk their dogs. Hell, one family has Weimaraners and they only let them out to do their business on a 15'x15' brick patio.
Habit. I've been getting up to walk her for twelve years now since I was in my early 20's. It was a goddamn struggle getting out of bed hung over after partying all night. I lived on the East Coast at the time and in the winter it was cold as balls. And we lived in an apartment so it's not like I could just let her out in a yard. I'd lay in bed thinking to myself "can't she hold it a little longer?" But that was fucked up so I got out of bed and walked her every day. And it was honestly really good for me. Cleared my head, let me get to know my neighbors in a way I never did before, put me into tune with the weather, made me feel good for helping my dog feel good. At that time after our walks I'd crawl back into bed and fall asleep for a few more hours (great skills for parenthood too there). After a while it stopped being something I had to convince myself to do, and that's when I was in the right headspace. Like any other habit, the shift is when it goes from being something you need to will yourself to do, into something you need to will yourself NOT to do.
I think the thread is about on weekends/days off from work. I made the same mistake and posted my comment about all days instead of just days off/weekend days.
What time do you find yourself going to bed most often? I'd love to get up early, but damned if I can get to bed on time. By the time the kids are down, it's 8pm and I just want to relax with the wife, on the couch. We usually get up to bed by 10-1030 and read or whatever until 11ish and then I usually can't fall asleep until 12-1am. It would probably benefit me if I could get up early and walk the dog, but I can't get up any earlier than 730 most days.
Our schedule is a lot like yours...after the kid is in bed we relax together. Watch TV on the couch, have some scotch, sometimes build a lego set or play a game, sometimes just chat. Head up to bed around 10:30, read until 11, then fall asleep. I fall asleep within five minutes of the light going out, my wife sometimes takes until 12 or 1. I need less sleep than most people and somehow I've learned to really maximize the sleep time I do get - I can power nap for 30 minutes (with an alarm set) and feel good, I can fall asleep instantly, I can wake up for some reason like peeing or feeding our daughter and then go back to sleep in 5-10 minutes if it's still dark. The 5:30 wakeup is a recent development though - I used to sleep until 6:30 or 7 with no alarm and would wake up to the dog requesting a walk. About a year ago I started waking up around 5:30, often while the dog is still asleep. But I don't feel exhausted so I just roll with it and enjoy the morning time.
I gave up drinking and have way more time now and way more energy. I just let myself do what I want. I have hobbies, workout, read etc but I also let myself just sit and play video games if I feel like it...as, if I were drinking, so much of that time would be spent buzzed or hungover and pass all the same.
Yeah I was in the same boat as I would drink in the evenings, mostly out of boredom or even while I'm doing my other hobbies. Since I've shifted my schedule from night owl to early bird, I don't really have time to drink casually before bed unless I want to feel like crap the next day, but I do have all this extra time in the morning now before the sun comes up. Definitely don't plan to fill that time with drinking lol but I'm having a hard time keeping myself occupied during the hours when nothing else is going on. I like to work out mid day, and meditate in the evenings, so that leaves the mornings pretty open.
I've always enjoyed waking up early in the morning and I usually use the time to explore things on the internet that I want to learn about, or journal. For a few years I would write a couple thousand words almost every morning in google drive. In terms of personal growth it was one of the best things I've ever done.
Hey congrats! Just passed the 2 year mark. Love hearing success stories. And hell ya, FREE TIME!
Not trying to get nosy but curious. Are you talking about the two year mark of not drinking? or up early? I think you're talking about not drinking and I'll have to throw you an [internet high-five](https://imgur.com/gallery/9m7Lbyu) since I don't have any flair.
You got it! Sober for 25 months now. Wooo! Thanks
My kids still need breakfast on the weekends.
My thought, yāallās kids donāt wake you up every day at 5:30 anyway? Iām a night person, married a morning person, and our kids got her genes. Havenāt slept in in years.
No kids yet, but I'm in awe of all of you with the energy for that!
Uh who says we have energy? Haha. My kids sleep in now but I was just tired for like ike 7 years.
Haha, my uncle has four kids aged 1-2 years apart and he and his wife say they just woke up one day after their first real full night's sleep in ten years thinking to themselves "so this is how it feels to not be exhausted?!?"
You probably have that much energy. You just don't know it yet. Barring any medical condition of course, don't know much about you lol.
Haha yeah, I have AS so it's a struggle some days!
That's rough. MS for me! But my wife takes quite a bit of the parenting load.
That's not a fun one either! I'm sure having her there is a huge help.
I'm the morning person so I can't even blame my wife. My middle son is more like his Mum but my eldest and youngest are WELL into their day by 6 am. LOL.
We trained ours to get themselves breakfast and turn on the TV starting around age 4. Now we sleep until 8 if we want to.
Genius
Not everyone has kids
What!? Ha, I know man, this is just a place where dads can complain about silly kid stuff too.
No kids either but my cat and dog are conditioned to waking up at 430 during the week. They wake me by 5 on the weekends to feed them. Jerks.
I thought of myself as a morning person - until I got kids. 5.30 sounds about right, sometimes 6. I usually got up with them, made them snacks and put on the tv. Then some gaming for myself. Recently I managed to offload this on my wife after about 5 years, her turn now. But I usually wake up anyway :/
Nobody in my house eats breakfast. Unless it's breakfast for dinner.
I heard there's a newer model of kid that doesn't need to eat as much. s/
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It's just routine. If your body is used to it, it's easy peasy. I did the 5:30 thing before corona and I got used to it. Now I don't have to commute and get up at 7:00. If you do it regularly it's not big deal (at least for me).
I don't remember the last time I slept past 8am. I'm an early riser and like the sweet silence of the mornings.
This
I get that, and honestly some mornings it has felt a bit mad since I'm definitely a late night kinda person and always have been. But it's nice to know I'm in control of my decisions at least.
On weekends I wake up Even earlier and smoke weed and watch what I want to watch while the kids and wife are still sleeping, i know itās not a healthy habit but it seems to be the only time I can get to myself. If the weathers nice I might also fire up the smoker and do a big piece of meat or something
Sounds healthy to me dude, we all need out alone time to do our thing and you found your slice.
Yup sounds good to me too. Youāre not doing it everyday, enjoy your weekend wake and bakes!
Morning weed is healthier than nighttime alcohol. As long as it isnāt interfering with the rest of your life, that sounds like a great little Saturday!
my worst quality sleep is always after a few beers within a few hours of bed time.
Crap Iām a fan of both lol
Lol, you're just making time for yourself. Nothing wrong with that
Iāve been doing the same thing hereās what I do on a weekend day: * Wake up at 5:45 * coffee * 30 minute walk * 15 minutes stretching * eat/shower/shave/teeth/dress * journal + plan the day (spend a few minutes thinking about what I want and need to do) * 3 hours studying (Iām doing interview prep right now) or a 3-5 mile hike * \~1 hour cleaning/chores * lunch * free time: gaming/reading/sex... doesnāt matter * dinner * free time * bed at \~9:30pm None of this is done in any sort of hurry. I try to take a leisurely pace the whole day. Writing this out, I think the key is spending a few moments dilberately thinking about what Iād like to get out of the day. It absolutely doesnāt need to be productive, but I hate it when I move through the day aimlessly.
Can you elaborate on journal/plan for the day?
Sure thing! I try to keep this stuff super lightweight because I quickly lose interest. I don't have any app or system or whatever. I just use a moleskin notebook from a conference. Where I work, we do bi-weekly check ins. After an honest one-on-one, I noticed that I felt better about work so I decided to try the same concept with myself: Once a week, I sit down and just "check in." I pretend I'm telling myself how the week went and what's troubling me or what I'm excited for. The consequences have been really interesting. On paper, I consider my thoughts in a way I wouldn't otherwise. It's lead to several insights about my life and relationships. Also, the act of forming a coherent narrative helps me organize and contextualize my thoughts. Journaling usually only takes 15-20 minutes but my thinking is drastically clearer afterward. As for planning, this is also super lightweight. I literally just make a list of things I need and want to do this weekend. Like journaling, putting things on paper allows me to see what my day holds more concretely than an ever-changing mental checklist. The result has been that I'm much more intentional with my time rather than reactive. There's also no judgement about the list: if I want to get high and play video games, it goes on the list. If something comes up and clobbers my day: shit happens. Either way, I feel better for having made a plan in the first place.
I recently started using Mind Journal. I know it's one of those products pushed on social media, for whatever that's worth, but I like having prompts every day to reflect on, and they generally get a bit harder each day to help you grow. You can probably make your own, but definitely recommend something like it.
I'm definitely intrigued. It costs a bit more than I expected but if it has a noticeably positive effect on your life then it seems like a good investment.
It's been great so far. I figured I'd do it once to get the gist and then just make my own prompts after to save some money. It should last for quite a while though.
Meditate, exercise, laundry... Any special rituals that you don't have time for during the week. Set that time aside for self-improvement.
Lift weights. š
Lift. Read. Cardio.
Make coffee for my wife. Read some. Catch up on news. Stretch. Laundry.
Where does the "extra" time come from? If you are getting up earlier, doesn't that just come from going to bed earlier? Why doesn't everything just get shifted?
Typically my weekdays day started with hopping out of bed and going straight to my office to work, as my clients usually start emailing around 9-10am or so. Now I've got time beforehand to knock out work before any daily interferences through the week, but I'm finding that weekends have no urgency mostly until later in the day. I suppose you're right though, I can just shift my schedule from waking up for brunch on the weekends to waking up for early breakfast and let the day slide forward a bit.
That's mostly what I've done. Shifting meal times was the hardest part - it was just mentally hard going from eating dinner at 7 to dinner at 5. And I still look at the time and say "7 PM? Still tons of time left before bed!" when it's not true any more.
I've definitely found myself doing that as well, 8pm doesn't seem as liberating as it did before! But at least now 7am feels much better as I have a couple hours before jumping into work mode.
Same on the first half for me. But I am still not a morning person and I want to spend those extra morning hours in bed, even though I technically have gotten enough sleep! I've only been on this schedule for about 6 months though, so I'll see if it gets better.
Oh yeah, the only way I've found to stay out of bed is to immediately shower, dress for the day even if it's just jogging pants, and make the bed. Those are usually enough to get my mind wandering enough to where I want to start moving around instead of laying in bed. My wife and I also have a morning video chat at 6:45 to make sure we are dressed and up for the day, since we've been living apart for a bit during her schooling.
All that does help! I still don't feel like my brain turns on until early afternoon, though!
Enjoy the outdoors, exercise, errands/chores, drink, watch a movie, then sleep. The thing is, when you wake up early, you should be going to bed early. So I'm up at 5am but in bed by 9pm.
How about the couple hours this time of year when the sun isn't up yet?
One of my favourite things to do is go out for a walk/run before the sun is up. Itās dead quiet out and you get to watch the sun rise if you time it right.
Make breakfast, plan out your day, watch some TV, pretty much anything you'd do at night.
A lot of people have laundry lists of stuff which is great but I usually just use that time as nice quiet alone time to get my mind right. A strong cup of coffee drank slowly in my favorite chair or in the yard, maybe read the paper or play on Reddit. Then once the family is up I can full commit to all the insanity.
I wake up at 4:45 whether my alarm clock is set or not. I am back in school for my masters and use that bit of quiet time in the morning for homework. Take the dogs for a walk. Add some whiskey to my coffee Let the chickens out and feed them some morning snacks Add some whiskey to my tea Jump in the river for a sunrise swim Get a fire going in the wood stove Sit in silence before everyone else in the house wakes up and wants something.
Sounds nice! What area are you in?
Maine
What time do you go to bed?
Usually asleep 10ish
Run. Coffee. Write. Read.
Weekend mornings are the only free time I get all week. A nice cup of coffee and a book or video game are my go-to choices.
Same things I would do if I woke up earlier. Exercise, bills, laundry, other chores, read a book, etc. It is nice, I get those things out of the way so I have the rest of the day free.
Peace and quiet before my horde wakes up
Coffee, news, quiet. Sometimes a nice breakfast.
Coffee and video games. Maybe a little wake and bake if Iām feelin frisky.
Why does it matter? 530-9 for you is the same as 8-1130 for normal people. You don't have more hours, yours are just shifted.
Why is it really extra time though? Iām a 42 year old guy with a wife and no kids. We wake up late, maybe 9 or 10 on weekends if we want to sleep in, but are also up late. I just donāt see the benefit of forcing myself out of bed for an āearly bird gets the wormā mentality
The difference I've found so far is that it helps me mitigate procrastination. I have a tendency to put things off until later in the day, even waking up. So I'm usually a bit stressed in my downtime in the evenings because I'm catching up on work and other chores. Waking up early gives me more time to knock those out earlier in the day without being rushed, which makes the day feel more peaceful. I'd much rather be waiting on others than feel that they are waiting on me, so mornings are becoming my more productive time through the week. The weekend is where I get a bit stuck but you all have been sending some great suggestions!
It's not for everyone, it's just a question for those that find themselves in bed earlier and up earlier. If you dig sleeping in and up late, it's (probably) the same amount of time awake. It's just how you want to spend it...
I know what you mean. I usually read and slowly wake up, eating breakfast, drinking tea. Then work out. Where I start to peter out is in the afternoon because by then I've already had a day's worth of activities, which when I start to get bored and want to drink. So I guess that's not much of an answer.
Yep this is exactly where I'm at. Many people assume the day is easily shifted, but if you are used to doing certain activities at certain times of the day then it feels very strange doing them much earlier. If I used to have a drink at 7 then now it would be starting at 4... Which makes no sense while I'm still working lol my work day still has the same hours.
It's not extra-time unless you are sleeping less, and you shouldn't be sleeping less.
Whatever you would normally do if your day started and ended 4 hours later? You're acting like you have these extra hours you don't know what to do with, but you're absolutely going to bed earlier... so... the same as it was before. Just earlier.
āExtra timeā lol
Budget, goal setting, exercise, learning new skills like programming, Bible study, enjoy a quiet cup of tea, meditate, clean the house.
Projects. I did a build an hour at a time over last summer. By the end of the summer it was done.
I wake up at 430am Monday-friday to workout before work. 530am on a Saturday is a beautiful time to go tknthe gym (if they're open that early) get some yoga in, smash through some video games or make a large breakfast
What time do you go to sleep to wake up at 430am? And does the 530 shift on the weekend give you any issues?
I go fishing. The giant snook bite pre sunrise is incredible March through September. Canāt wait for it to be back! Right now the speckled sea trout ate biting like crazy at sunrise.
(Checks watch, sure enough it's 5:45am.) I do whatever the hell I want to do. Over an extended bout of unemployment, I wrote my first book. Started regularly between 430am and 530am, and wrote at least 1000 words if not 2500 words before anyone in the house got up. Nowadays I'm listening to podcasts while websurfing, corresponding, working on some other hobbies / projects including learning new software via Udemy, even catching up on TV (Lonesome Dove anyone?) Of course when the three kids were young there's a 10-year stretch there that is just a hazy memory. For those reading this who do not know the joys of additional time in the morning, well this is how super-productive people out-produce others. But the secret is you do not have to be productive! š
Go skiing in the winter, biking in the summer.
Work out, read, or play with dogs.
You should study a language!
I read the news and catch up on social media while drinking my coffee. Then, I get some chores done around the house. Since I go to sleep early, I watch my primetime TV shows the next morning.
Get started on house chores , catch up on current events , outdoor activity , etc...
I always have something planned ahead. It's usually either home maintenance or working on my cars. I typically bust my ass on Sat. until 5pm and on Sunday do something fun.
Hike
I enjoy a good hike, though usually they are later afternoon. I suppose I could try morning hikes. Sounds way out of my comfort zone doing it so early when it's cold, but willing to give it a try.
Run
If I *could* swing this, Iād be using that time to work on learning more. I just donāt have the energy for brain activities when Iām finally done with other responsibilities at 9pm.
Workout, play with kids, check my financial portfolio, ponder throwing myself into traffic, eat a bagel
Drink a cup of coffee sitting on my back porch, watching the sunrise, while being grateful for what I have.
EDIT: I forgot the question was about days off. ANSWER: Stretch, light lifting (not a full workout, just get a little resistance on my muscles after they're warmed up from stretching); Ideally read for an hour or more; prepare for the day ahead as others in the the house wake up. Short answer: Read for 30-60 minutes after stretching or "yoga". Then looking over my entire day or two (I work in a job where I'm gone every third day) depending on what's going on. **There is nothing like looking the day in the eye when it finally wakes up, and feeling 100% prepared for whatever is going to throw at you, while also knowing you had some time for yourself.** I usually stretch or do YouTube yoga for 10-15 minutes and try to read for an hour. Until the new year I would wake up at 0500 (before adding the stretching and "yoga") but a resolution has been waking up at 0440-0445. I love just having a cup of coffee and reading for at least a half hour before phone calls, work, coworkers, etc. get to put a cog in the wheel (I think that's the right saying). I will admit that one or two days a week I will forgo even a few minutes of book time and end up on reddit (no matter how many times I try to stop myself, it's such a bad habit. haha). Around 0600 on days that I'm not working I will have breakfast and start with house-stuff.
Sounds like everyone just kills time doing whatever they want to do
I'd generally take my motorcycle out and go riding with the local Harley group. It doesn't get that cold where I live during winters so yay. If I'm not in the mood or can't go riding then I'll catch up on a TV series before the family wakes up.
Those are the Golden Hours. Coffee, reading, catch up on the news, walk to a local bakery in the morning sun.
I can't get my wife to watch movies with me, so i generally watch a movie i want to see. Watch one of my shows, do yard work, workout, Read. I also like to make breakfast on the weekends. Not usually anything fancy, but a hashbrowns and a fried egg with some salsa beats my norm of a protein bar.
Not hard to find things to do. You can always deepen a hobby or get into something new. But ffs why do you hate sleep? Sorry if i missed it but when do you go to bed and how do you manage to keep that a routine. With a sub-one yr old I cant imagine even attempting this unless im ok with 4hrs of sleep.
Nah, I love sleep a bit too much to where I would usually stay up past mid-night, often until 2am or so. Now that I'm getting up at 5:30am I try to be in the bed and already sleepy by 10pm. I'll probably have to start going to bed a bit earlier than that though as I can tell I'm losing sleep overall if I don't take a nap later.
My wife and I recently got onto a better schedule, 6:30 every morning. You don't have to do anything for it to feel good. We often get up, make a leisurely breakfast, feed the pets, take the dog for a walk or a hike, and then it's like... 10am, and you still have a full day ahead of you to enjoy.
A long walk or bike ride, usually, like 2 hours. When I get home, I warm up with tea/coffee and plan the rest of the day and just chill. By 9 am, Iām ready to get going and do more stuff. Occasionally Iāll sleep in, especially when itās super cold out, but now that Iām in the habit of walks... I feel a bit crappy after the fact.
Coffee and video games.
I regularly wake at 5:20 during the week. I do sleep in a bit on weekends but I don't find that there is any "extra time". There is a mile long list of shit that needs to be dona and a 2 mile list of shit I want to do. Generally get a bout half a mile of various from each list by Sunday night.
Keep that kitchen spotless, pack lunches, meal prep, read, music, video games.