Early to Rise — Day 2 (I Love Fred!)

“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” ~ Psalm 90:15

As I mentioned yesterday, I am now setting my alarm for 4:30 a.m. It’s all because of Andy Traub, Crystal Paine (aka “Money Saving Mom”), and… well, it’s also because my day goes better when I wake up early.

In Day Two of Andy Traub’s book, Early to Rise, he says we shouldn’t think of our alarm as our enemy. After all, it’s just doing its job.

He suggests you give your alarm a name. Fred.

I must say that Fred gave me a very good day yesterday. Exceptionally, actually.

I got a “high five” on my Healthy Congregations grant narrative. My blog had it’s best day ever. My daughter got some really exciting news she’d been waiting to hear since 2011.

Yes. It was an excellent day.

And it all started because Fred was my friend. Andy is right – Fred DOES love me.

I found out about the Sleep Cycle app when I read through Andy’s book during February (when my goal was merely to be consistent with my 5:00 wakeup time). Sleep Cycle is my Fred for the mornings my husband isn’t home. I use a different app (iHome) the rest of the time.

Sometimes Sleep Cycle thinks I sleep better than I do… but it’s still fun to use.

My Morning Plan

Waking up an extra 30 minutes early isn’t helpful if you aren’t going to use the time wisely. For the next 10 days, I plan to work on the Healthy Congregations grant proposal between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. every morning until it’s finished. Because I need information and estimates from other people before I can complete the budget, I may have some days where I can’t work on the grant for two hours. If that happens, I study for my Nutrition Coaching certification. That’s also what I plan to do during those two hours after I submit the finalized grant proposal in a week and a half or so.

When the weather gets warmer, I plan to run early. In case you’re wondering, I’m doing my workouts about 10 a.m. this winter.

Having said all of that… It’s 5:00 now. Time to get to work!

Do you love or hate your alarm? Do you like it better when it wakes you up or when it fails to do its job?