Welcome to the “Maximize Your Mornings” series here at Inspired To Action. This series will run for two weeks (here is the Series Homepage). During that time we’ll cover some of the key elements of starting and continuing a great morning routine.
I’m thrilled that you’re joining us and I hope it inspires you to make some simple changes that will have a huge impact on your days.
Wax On, Wax Off
If you’ve read the ebook Maximize Your Mornings (if not, it’s free. Download it here.), you’ve probably already started a morning routine or you’re really excited about getting started. Maybe you’ve set your alarm for 5:30am, printed out your “Read the Bible in a month” plan and are looking forward to start training for a marathon. Great!
Now go sand the deck.
“Um….Kat? What are you talking about? All I know is that, starting tomorrow, I’m going to get up at 5am EVERY day.”
Wonderful. Now go paint the fence.
“Huh? That doesn’t have anything to do with my “Read the Bible in 30 Days” plan.”
That’s ok. When you’re done with the fence, wax the cars.
“Where’s the unsubscribe button? I think this Kat lady is looney. By the way, starting tomorrow, I am going to do The 30 Day Shred EVERY day on the ADVANCED level.”
Some of you may remember the scene from Karate Kid when Daniel was so eager to learn Karate and how to kick and punch that he grew frustrated with his mentor, Mr. Miyagi because all he made him do were simple chores, like waxing the cars and painting the fence. So Daniel confronted Mr. Miyagi and discovered that through those chores he learned muscle memory habits which, apparently, translate easily into high level martial arts.
(Good to know. Next time someone tries to attack me I’ll be sure to “swiffer the kitchen” or “change the diaper” and take them down.)
(RSS readers, click here to watch the video.)
My Point
I’m sure many of you are just itching to be early risers and have super productive mornings. But when developing a morning routine, we need to FOCUS on the HABIT.
It’s easy to be distracted by cool stuff like kicking and punching or, in our case, getting up at 5:30am, running for miles or praying for hours. Everyone loves radical change. It’s fun. But right now, those measurements are distractions from our true goal – the HABIT of waking up early to get with God.
A habit is something we do automatically and it is acquired slowly through small simple changes. It isn’t cool, flashy or impressive. But once we’ve practiced it enough, it becomes automatic. It becomes easy to get out of bed in the morning and to bounce back into our habit after sickness, vacation or other disruptions.
How To Create A Habit
Habits are created slowly and gradually.
If you’re just starting a morning routine, I encourage you to review your plan. Is it doable? Is it sustainable?
No matter how ambitious you feel, I encourage you for the first week to get up no more than 15 minutes early.
Set your alarm back 15 minutes. Spend 5 minutes reading/praying. Spend another 5 minutes exercising (pushups, squats, situps) and spend your final 5 minutes planning your day. Every week, move the clock back 15 more minutes and extend your time in each area.
It might seem too simple, too easy, but that’s kind of the point. An early morning routine isn’t supposed to be torture. It something you look forward to and enjoy.
Keep it simple to create the habit.
Simple Action Step
Today’s simple action is to introduce yourself here in the comments.
Please share:
1. Your name (or pseudonym, if you prefer)
2. The reason why you want to get up early
3. Any obstacles you think you’ll face while developing the habit.
Let’s use this list to pray for one another. I’ll be praying for each of you and I hope you all will take a few minutes to pray for each other as well.
Learn how to create an effective morning routine. Download now or
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1) Deanne, an American living in Hong Kong
2) When I have gotten up before my kids and gotten ready for my day, my whole day has gone smoother. I want that every day. Plus, I feel very convicted to use my time in a much wiser way than I have been, and this is a baby step toward that goal.
3) I have two obstacles. Number one, I am lazy, so making myself get up is hard. Number two, because we are 12 hours ahead (night and day) from the US, hubby must stay up late on conference calls to the states (midnight/1:00AM our time) and comes to bed late. He’s still sleeping when I get up to tend to the 4 kids, and we live in a 1000 square foot apartment. Logistics of showering/exercising, etc so I won’t disturb him or the rest of my household are challenging. That’s a BIG obstacle. I’d love some suggestions……
1) Monica
2) I would love to have a peaceful beginning to my days instead of hitting the ground running when I wake up with my kids.
3) My biggest challenge is being a night owl. I stay up late and I have always stayed up late. I usually go to bed around midnight which makes it hard to get up at 6 AM (my goal wake up time)
1. Elena
2. I study to pass the Competitive Exams and become an economic embassor for my country (Spain), so waking up 2 hours earlier gives me 2 extra hours of study. I love doing sports in the afternoon, but before I couldnt, as I had to study. These 2 extra hours give me the opportunity of leaving the library earlier and trainning for a while in the afternoon, and still studying more than I did before.
3. My biggest problem right now is that it´s REALLY cold early in the morning, so leaving my cozy and warm bed is pretty hard. The only solution I have found so far is making some hot tea as soon as I jump out of bed to keep warm (turning the heating on is not a possibility as the heating is for the whole building).
1. Sara
2. I Think If i get in the habit of getting up early and using my time more wisely (getting around and doing my devos ) then my day should be smoother.. I there would be ready before my kids and not dragging by the time it got to me getting ready…
3. I have a few.. 1. I am lazy. 2. I tend to a baby so sometimes (most nights) if he wakes up 2 or 3 times a night i have a hard time getting back to sleep so there for i dont get a nights sleep and i drag.. 3… its hard to get up and be quite and exercise read ect without making noise to wake the kids and hubby..
1) Stasi, An american living in Slovakia (i love that the first of us here are international. go time zones!)
2) I like myself better when I get up early. I procrastinate less and accomplish more, and have more time for me. If I sleep in I never have the time to relax.
3) My husband likes me to stay up with him so we can go to bed together. Plus, I really enjoy laying in bed half awake just relaxing.
1. Julie
2. I want to get up early everyday so I can spend time with God, exercise, and have a smoother start to my days.
3. My main obstacles are the computer and TV. I spend too much time with both in the evening and not enough time getting things done around the house. And i procrastinate:( But I am making time with God my priority and the only real time i can do that is in the morning so here we go!
1. Hi, my name is Emily.
But when I don’t set it up early, I’m not as motivated to get up… Then when my youngest gets up early and she sees me at the table with my coffee and Bible, she knows Mommy is having coffee with Jesus so she will go lay down on the couch until I am finished with my prayer time.
2. I’d like to get up early to have my quiet time. I’ve never done well at getting up early, but on the rare occasions when I have, my relationship with my Savior has always been so much closer.
3. I’ve never been a morning person, and like so many others here, I love my sleep! We home school also, and usually start getting up around 8:00, so if I could start getting up at 7:00, that would be a great start. I’d eventually like to get up at 6:00, but first I need to master 7:00, or even 7:30… The best way I’ve found in the past to motivate me to get up is program the coffee pot the night before to start brewing coffee when I want to get up… because I hate to waste a good cup of coffee!
Emily´s last blog ..Granola Revisited
1. Kelly
Right now she’s watching TV while I’m on the computer, hubby is at work, and other kids are asleep.
2. I want to get up early to spend time with God. My days go better when I get up before my children and have time with God and time to plan my day. I can also get my computer time over with before they get up.
3. Hubby and older kids go to bed late, therefore I go to bed late. Then the 6 year old gets up around 6:30 am. So I get up at 6:00 and have 30 minutes alone.
1. Stephanie
2. I want to get up early because my day is ALWAYS better when I do. I just need to convince myself of that at 4:30am.
3. My biggest obstacle will be that I am lazy and tired. Funny, because both can be overcome if I would just get up early.
1. Elaine
2. I know that if I don’t get up before my daughter and husband, I am much less likely to spend time with the Lord. Even though I have hours and hours while he’s at work, I just can’t get as much done later in the day as I can bright and early.
3. My husband is a night owl and I have a hard time going to sleep while he’s up. My daughter (9 months) occasionally wakes up very early in the morning and I end up sleeping in because I know she’ll sleep in.
1. Bria
2. Instead of reacting to my day, I want to be proactive about it. I’ve never been a “morning person” and have always admired those who are. But I’m done with that excuse and have decided to be a grown up and just do it. So I can give my day to God FIRST THING and let Him start my day.
3. My excuse of never being a “morning person” is one I’ve bought into for a very long time, so I know I need to get over it. I really like my sleep. Also, my husband and oldest daughter get up early and spend time together reading the Bible and eating breakfast (which is awesome) and I don’t want to mess with their routine. It might sound like a non-obstacle, but I really love that they have a routine together and I don’t want to screw it up and/or get in their way.
Brianna´s last blog ..Triumph and Treasure
1. Alison
2. It makes the day so much better to get up early and I love greeting my daughter with a joyful spirit in the morning, knowing so much is already done!
3. Any obstacles…..um….wanting to sleep?;)
1. Jen
2. I want to spend more time in prayer and exercise without taking away from family.
3. I need to close the computer down and only get on it 1 time a day!
1. Hi my name is Tara
2. I think that morning is the only time I can have without anyone else getting up. I want to become disciplined in my devotional life (or lack there of). I need to shed some baby pounds.
3. Finding a consistant time to wake up. Right now I work 3 days a week where I get up between 4:15-5:00 am. I don’t want to be up that early every day. There might be a chance I could start working 3rd shift 4 days a week soon too. So, finding some balance between my job days and home days is going to be the hardest part.
Tara´s last blog ..Thoughts on music
1. Martine
2. If I want to get anything done, especially exercise it has to be in the morning before work.
3. Shifts, I love to sleep in my warm bed with purring cat versus getting up to a freezing cold room dark room. Even though my brain knows I will like the end result of getting up early, my body has to be convinced.
I’m Ashley and I hate mornings! I always have. But something has to change. I feel behind all day. So this morning I got up 30 minutes early and feel so good.
I can’t wait to see how it goes and how I benefit from all the changes!
Pray that I can fight the warm bed and continue to start my days right!
1. Anna
2. I really want to be able to have some time with God before the day starts. Also, my evenings are really busy so I need the mornings to catch up and have a breath before the day starts.
3. I can list so my reasons why I don’t do this. I am lazy, like to sleep and stay up way to late. But I really want to change. I need my time with God and need to figure out a way to make it happen.
BTW all the comments so far are so encouraging that I am not alone in my struggle and that other moms/women are dealing with the same issues. Thank you for your honesty!
Anna´s last blog ..Success!
1. Lisa
2. I really want to have a more consistent time with the Lord. Also getting back into a daily exercise habit just keeps escaping me…I want the HABIT again!
3. Biggest obstacle is probably that my husband and I love to play cards with friends and we stay up way too late.
1. Bethany, first time mom to 7 month old
2. I really want a reliable, consistent time with the Lord every morning so I can re-charge and get ready to face whatever the day ahead of me has with patience, grace and compassion.
3. Um, I really like sleep too. Lately, my little guy has been waking up a few times during the night, so it’s super easy to wake up when I want, but then roll over and go back to bed until he wakes up.
I’m Erin.
I’d like to make getting up early a habit to have the time I need to prepare my heart for my busy days of homeschooling my 5 boys and helping my husband. I would also like to exercise more consistently during the early morning hours.
The biggest set-backs I face are making sure I get to bed early enough (especially since my husband is a night-owl), as well as still waking up with my 10 month old once or twice a night (we’re working on that, but it is slow going). Also, not getting distracted by the computer once I am awake in the morning!
1. Jessica, living in Verona (Italy)
2. I have gotten up early all of my life. Through a series of circumstances (many similar to Deanne in Hong Kong) in recent months I had to give that up. Too many guests staying with us requiring me to stay up late to tend to them; husband needing to be up late to Skype and conference call with other countries; husband traveling frequently so I had to be up late to either take care of stuff he normally does or simply to be able to see him… Etc. Etc. This led to a massive sleep deprivation and the morning routine fell by the wayside. Now, my main motivation is to HAVE TIME ALONE! I have 4 children and guests in and out of the house non stop, so unless I recover my early mornings I am never, ever, ever alone and it drives me CRAZY ; )
3. Biggest obstacles: my husband’s schedule (I need to stay up late if I want to spend time with him); my early rising children (I have two); the very small size of our apartment which means that if I am not quieter than a mouse, the above mentioned early risers will be awaiting me in the kitchen before I make it there myself… and the fact that we have the said frequent guests, some of them early morning risers who usurp my ‘kingdom’ ; ) But I am very hopeful that the obstacles can be conquered.
1. My name is Faith and our family is serving in Mexico – another time zone, language, other issues, added to the list!
2. I am a VERY routine oriented person. I LOVE routine. I LOVE checking things off lists. I do normally get up early but I haven’t been super *purposeful* about it – it’s more of a habit. And I feel out of form. I have three children, live in the middle of a desert, work, speak and sometimes think in a different language, and I CRAVE solitude and silence. Never seem to get enough of it. Plus my prayer time is pathetic and has been due to the last crazy, and wild season of our life that mostly involved prayers of “HELP us please” variety – so THAT is the primary motivation for me at this point – QUIET to focus, set the tone for the day, and pray for growth and sustenence.
3. My biggest challenge? Well – myself. THAT is a biggie. I tend to want to get with the program instead of doing that ‘talk to the coach’ stuff. Action is more my speed. Darn it.
Faith´s last blog ..Foodie Friday….
1. hi my name is Susana and a born again believer
2. i have 19 mo old twins. i NEED to get up early and have my devos and pray and get things going before the kiddos wake up. send my hubby off to work. once the kiddos wake up there goes my day.
3. im lazy. i know it. help!
My bed is so cozy! And I like to stay up late at night. I’m doomed.
Hi my name is Jessica, wife to my awesome husband and mother to four blessings. I love having alone time and couldn’t wait to start my morning routine. I’m one of those that jumps in with full force so I am getting up now at 5 instead of the usual 7. Although I might reconsider taking it easy if I want this new lifestyle to stick!
Sorry I did the above wrong.
1. Jessica
2. I know what a good morning feels like when everything is done that needs to be done without kids running around. It feels wonderful to have time to yourself.
3. Comfy bed will be my downfall. And a little guy who needs to nurse a couple times at night. He wakes up close to my wake-up time, it’s hard not to fall back to sleep.
I’m Ashley, a wife and mother of two littles (1yo and 3yo). I am blessed to be able to stay home full-time with my children, and my husband has a “short” work week, giving us lots of together time at home.
My biggest struggle in the mornings is getting out of bed. I have no problem with waking up early. But I lack the ability to drag myself out of bed. My goal is to eventually make it out of bed by 5:30am (when my husband gets up for work), so that I can have some time to myself (plus have devo time, exercise time, etc) before the kids get up. I always manage to get soooo much more accomplished when I actually get up before them, but I struggle to accomplish the getting up first part.
1) Vanessa
2) I need to get more done. If I have a late start to the day I get very little done. It’d be beneficial to me to exercise regularly and if I do it in the morning I think I’ll be more likely to stick with it. I get too tired in the evenings. Doing devotions has become a chore lately and I dread it. Sad but true. If I skip my devotional time my day ends up very unproductive, I get nothing done. Strange how that happens.
3) Obstacle: I am a night owl. If I could just get to bed early, I would eventually get up earlier. I’ve tried many times, haven’t succeeded yet.
Thank you for your prayers, I need them.
1 JoAn
2 I have been doing this for years, but have been losing my motivation. I thought joining in would help me keep on the path.
3 My family has never really understood why I get up early. Even though I have tried to explain it to them.
1. Missy
2. I *know* my day would be more productive and God-centered if I were to spend that extra time in the morning in His word and in planning. Exercise would be great too.
3. Another night owl here. Most nights it’s midnight, and I consider it early if the lights are out at 10:30-11:00 pm.
1. Tiffany
2. On days that I do have prayer time in the morning, I’m more productive, more patient with my children & experience a better day all around!
3. Nighttime awakenings from our youngest…and not having a ‘great’ place to do my quiet time. Knowing that you (Kat) did your time in the garage is encouraging – might have to choose my closet or bathroom for now until we move
Tiffany´s last blog ..Inspired to Action
1. Sally
2. I am a first time mother to a 7.5 month old and work full time outside the home. My husband also works full time and has a long commute, which makes him have less time at home. I am always exhausted and know that my daily attitude would greatly improve with consistent time spent with the Lord and taking care of the body that he gave me.
3. Exhaustion and perfection. If I hit a 10 minute snooze button once, I will just sleep as long as I can because I didn’t get up when I was “supposed” to.
1) My name is Leslie
2) This past December I stopped working to stay at home. Originally my plans had been to start staying home January 2010 as I’d felt the Lord calling me to stay at home. (I’ve been working since I was 16–now 32– and didn’t know what I was gonna do with) In December I found that I would be a full-time caregiver for my mom. She had a stroke in September and cannot do anything without help. No children yet but my husband and I are trying and I’d love to be ahead of schedule in figuring life out after a baby comes.
3) I get woken up most nights by my mom to help her to he restroom so I find myself dragging in the mornings and it’s really hard to get going. I need a routine again–an at home routine and I NEED the morning time for God AND exercise.
Hi, my name is Shawn
I would like to get up early in order to have NO EXCUSES about having the time to exercise. I am also looking forward to starting the day with prayer and reading the bible.
My obstacles will be that a)my bed is very warm and comfy and b)anywhere outside of my bed is not as warm and comfy. I am not in any way a morning person and I love staying up until 10:30 or so because I feel like that is MY time to relax and wind down.
Hi, I’m Summer!
I recognize that I am a better mother, wife, human being, when I get up early and exercise, study, pray, and get ready before my kids wake up. My whole day feels brighter and more productive!
My biggest obstacle is being lazy. I tend to stay up too late, and then I don’t want to get out of bed on time. I have been doing better though. One week down and loving it!
Summer´s last blog ..Wintering
1.Kristin
2. Why?…because I’m less grumpy, time with God is so much more effective when there aren’t little kiddos asking me questions, my health lately has demanded I exercise, but I just don’t do it when I get up late!
3. Laziness! I don’t know that I have any other. I love sleep! I do have a hard time falling asleep. I go to bed early anyway, but if I could figure out how to fall asleep more quickly, that would probably help too!
Kristin´s last blog ..Scrappy Bee….
1. Hi I am Shana (Shawna)!
2. I desire to get up earlier because I want a few moments to read the Word of God and to get in a short walk to energize myself before the crazy day begins. I get up at 6:15 and the goal is 5:45 and better yet 5:30. I have to be out the door with 2 kids by 7:10, so I need some good alone time to function better as a mom in the morning and not rushing!
3. Things that may hold me back is as many have said, laziness, I like working early in the day (part time) so I have the rest of the day off but it gets consumed by children’s needs and household needs I don’t have time to read or exercise. I also tend to stay up late to have time to myself and the hubby and for years I just plain don’t sleep well so getting motivated to wake up earlier has been a challenge. But with support I know I can do this! Thanks for this opportunity!
Shana
1. Nora
2. I think that it will benefit my whole family. My oldest will wake to me being available (hopefully). I will start the day with my most important tasks/goals done. I will feel accomplished.
3. I’m a lifelong night owl. It’s always been hard for me to get up in the a.m.. I also am unsure when the baby will need to be fed, so it’s hard for me to plan the “best” wake up time & I let that stand in the way of trying….
Jacqui, Sydney Australia.
I would like to rise earlier to give my day to God.
Waking earlier helps me to serve my family better.
The obstacle is that I love sleeping! I also don’t want to wake the whole house earlier. Having said this, I remember hearing a groom at a wedding speak of the great encouragement it was in seeing his father wake early and do his Bible study.
hill upon hill´s last blog ..Third Child at Big School.
1. Cristina
1. Kelli, Tennessean currently relocated to Waco, TX for grad school
2. To get in the habit of spending time with God before I enter the “real world” and have a family of my own
3. I am not a morning person – period. Some days, I get up at 6:30am, but I don’t shake the morning fuzz until 1pm.
Oops! I accidentally hit the submit button, before finishing. Anyways, my name is Cristina,
2. I want to get up early (have been for the past 2 weeks) because it’s the only way I can truly have time to myself and have time to quietly listen to and worship God, which makes my day SO much calmer and happier! Also, it’s the only time I can exercise without interruptions.
3. The Obstacles I’ve been dealing with are; getting out of bed when my hubby is so cuddly! And, getting to bed earlier then 11pm, so I can stay awake when I get up at 5am. Also, I’ve had to find ways to make myself uncomfortable to be able to stay awake. I’m also dealing with a lack of motivation in the morning, after I exercise and study my scriptures, I just drag… I think I’m just waiting for my internal clock to reset, seeing I’ve been a chronic night owl!
1. Jasmin
2. I would love to start out my day early because mornings are my favorite. I love the light, quiet, stillness, and the fact I have so much of the day to look forward to. I also tend to start my day right through prayer and feel more productive throughout the day.
3. I wake up around between 11 AM – 1 PM because my husband and I sleep pretty late (12 – 1 AM) and I have a 10 week old daughter who likes keep me up most of the night.
1- MaryBeth
2- I believe that reading my Bible at night before bed pales in comparison with spending time worshiping, praying, and reading first thing in the morning.
3- Even knowing this, I haven’t been doing it because I stay up too late then don’t want to get up early. My chaos filled days could be so much better if I would just exercise a little self control and go to bed at a decent hour at night… and of course develop a habit of getting up early no matter what!
MaryBeth´s last blog ..Play Date
1. Jessi
2. I want to start my day on purpose! I need my time alone with the Lord to give me strength and direction for my day. I need time to prepare for the day before the rest of the house starts buzzing!
3. I have 5 young children ( ages 6 down to 6 months ) a “good night’s sleep ” is something I feel like I haven’t experienced in years! =) I just feel exhausted in the morning and too often convince myself that I “need” my sleep. SO excited to get some encouragment and inspiration from this blog!
1. Adriana
2. I want to accomplish more in my day. I want to get a head start before my kids wake up. I need to use this time for devotions, exercise, and planning. I want to be ready to tackle the day rather than have the day tackle me.
3. I am so lazy in the morning. The warm bed feels so good that I love to sleep in or just lie and enjoy the warm and sleepy feeling. I am good at giving excuses for just 10 more minutes. I am also a night owl. Although my husband insists that I won’t get in his way when he is getting ready for work, I fear that he might get in my way as I’m finding my routine.
1. Leslie
2. I want to get a head start on my day. Getting up earlier should be easy since my husband already gets up at 5:00am. So I have been setting my own alarm to go off by 5:30, if I don’t already wake up when his alarm goes off.
3. My main goal is to NOT take my child to school while wearing PJ’s! I need to be in my workout cloths so I can do my workout as soon as I return home. The getting up, having a cup of coffee, worship, bible study and prayer are making it on my morning routine. And the planning the day is pretty predictable. Food, I plan out on Sunday’s for the week. It’s the workout I need to make sure I get. So that’s why I have to make sure I’m changed before making the kid drop-off.
1. Hi, I’m Sarah, living in Vientiane, Laos, Southeast Asia
2. I’d really like to start my day off with devotions, rather than waiting until evening when I see it as a chore instead of a time of fellowship. Also, my days always start out rushed and late–not a good frame of mind to begin a day with! I’ve noticed too that it’s easier for me to keep my thoughts and attitude in line when I start the day with Bible reading and prayer.
3. I’m a night owl–the biggest challenge for me will be giving up some personal time to get to bed earlier.
1. Your name (or pseudonym, if you prefer) – Jenn
2. The reason why you want to get up early – I feel better when I get some stuff done before the kids (all 5 of them) get up.
3. Any obstacles you think you’ll face while developing the habit. – I’m afraid the kids will hear me or the alarm and get up earlier too!
I am jamee.
Days when I get up ahead of my three children are about 75x better than the other days. Days that I get up early AND spend time wt the feet of my Lord are 150x better. I need to prepare myself for the emotional onslaught of the day so I don’t get overwhelmed. Which seems to always happen otherwise. Just the normal stuff does it to me.
I sometimes turn my alarm off when I think I’ll find time later in the day to get quiet and alone with God. That has yet to happen……Good morning!
1. Casie
2. I want to get up early to get a handle on my day. I am a stay at home mom with 2 boys, 2 1/2 and 1. We live and work in a group home and take care of 6 ladies with developmental disabilities. I often feel so discouraged because I can’t keep it all together. I am constantly forgetting things and running around like a crazy woman. I feel like my kids are suffering becasue they are just along for the ride. I want to be a more intentional mother. I want to spend QUALITY time with my children. I may be with them all day every day, but I want to invest in them instead of dragging them along with me through my life.
3. Most mornings, I can find so many reasons why I should stay in bed! I am tired! Yet I know that if I got up EARLY ( I already get up at 6:15 just to get my residents off to work), had an organized day where I could actually spend time in prayer and intentionally plan my priorities, I would probably be less tired and ragged. Getting out of bed has been a constant struggle for me. Also, my children are light sleepers, so on mornings where I actually do get up early, my children often wake up too! This seems to defeat the purpose and can discourage me from getting out of bed on other days. I often lay there and think, what’s the point? I have had a few successful mornings though, and they are very encouraging to me. If only to take 2 minutes, get on my knees, and cry out to God for grace to get through the day. Whew!
Casie- just wanted to tell you I said a prayer for you- I’m a SAHM of a 3 and 4 year old and 5 month old boys. I remember how hard your boys ages are! And my heart goes out to you in your situation. Neway- I pray that you are able to get the first two minutes of your day on your knees before Him throughout this week. Isaiah 41:10
1. Jenn
2. I believe that starting my day in God’s word will help me face the challenges of the day ahead. Too often, my mornings are rushed as I make lunches, get the kids fed, and out the door to school, and my time with God gets pushed and many times it doesn’t even happen later in the day!
3. My biggest hurdle will be that I stay up too late (11:30pm-12am) getting things done and having some “down time”. I’m not a morning person!…yet!
Jenn´s last blog ..Goodbye house!
And HA! I just have to say that while reading through the comments, I thought that Leslie was saying that her main goal was not to send her child to school in pajamas!! I’d better drink my coffee before I get on the computer!!
Jenn´s last blog ..Goodbye house!
Hi! My name is Carina and I found your website via Melanie’s blog. This series is coming at a perfect time for me as I really need to be more consistent in getting up early. (Somedays, I’m up at 5.30 am–somedays not until 7 am!) My reason for getting up before the rest of my house? I want to be able to do my Quiet Time first thing in the day instead of cramming it in whenever I get a chance! My biggest obstacle? Four children ages 12 to almost 2! If I’m not up a considerable amount of time before they are, morning Quiet Time is not going to happen!
1. Crystal
2 I already love getting up early, when I do, I love my time with God and time to plan my day. It seems like I’m more proactive than reactive, my mood is better, and I get so much more done.
3. Getting good sleep is my main obstacle. I have 3 young children, 5 monthes old, 3 and 4 year old. The two oldest get up about 6 am and the youngest often gets up for a feeding around 4 am or 4:30. If I have the 4 am feeding I’m sooo tired and often end up going back to bed and sleeping through the 5 am alarm.
1. Lisa M, northern twin cities, MN
2. I want to spend time with God and set my mood and plans for the day. I can also be awake before the kids and have some quiet and be helpful to them instead of cranky. I have am on my second week of this after my friend recommended Kat’s book. It is going great! I am actually waking at 6am before my alarm, for me the key has been getting in bed before 10pm even if I don’t fall right asleep. Excited to keep going, it has improved my life a ton!
3. Fear I will loose energy and motivation, normally I’m a night owl. I also like to watch TV and if I let myself I will squeeze in one more show, I’ll miss my bedtime.
Some of my kids wake at 6:30 if they hear noise, which doesn’t give me much time alone. Tips on how to entertain them and finish my planning, ect. and be kind 
would be helpful.
1) Leah (Lisa – above- is who inspired me to be here)
2) I want to get a habit of starting my day with God so I don’t get distracted.
3) I hate starting something only to get distracted and not be able to finish my thought because I have to attend to the kids. If I can start planning and devotions before either of them get up I would accomplish that! Thanks for the hints!
1. Sarah
2. I had already started getting up earlier than usual before starting this series and love the feeling of calm I have when I can spend time with my kids in the mornings before school rather than hurrying them along so we get out the door on time. It also allows me to plan the day rather than flying by the seat of my pants all day and getting to the end wondering if I actually managed to achieve anything
3. I am naturally a night owl and I also teach classes in the evenings some days which means I go to bed quite late. Plus my husband works night shift, so on his nights off it’s easy to stay up spending time with him rather than heading to bed early on my own
1. Valerie
2. I love feeling like things are under control when we start the day instead of being blind-sided by the kids first thing in the morning. I like actually being happy to see my kids instead of laying in bed fervently praying that they’ll go back to sleep for just a few more minutes. And I LOVE that I’m actually spending time with God at the beginning of each day! What a difference!
3. We homeschool and I plan at night. Or start planning and then get distracted following rabbit trails and then, Oh my goodness – is it REALLY that late?! How did that happen?
1. Kristen
There is also the 6 month old baby girl who tends to want to nurse right at 5:30 – 6:30 so my timing can be off greatly. But again, it’s hard to want to get out of bed when you have a warm, snuggly husband and a warm, snuggly nursing baby 
2. I feel very called to wake up at 6am to give the least distracted part of my day to God in prayer, worship, and study. I want this to be a habit, so that I always start my day the best I can. I’ve been doing this for 3 weeks already, but I’m starting to wake up later and later, and the quality of my time is lacking as my kids start waking up.
3. My husband just started working from home, and he doesn’t have to start work until 8am – which means he’s in bed all warm and snuggly and wanting to snuggle with me
Unsinkable Kristen´s last blog ..Bubba Speak
1)Andrea
2.) I already get up early,but…………
3.)I stay up late. I need to work on going to bed earlier so I can feel better when I get up early.
I love your book!! Thanks for sharing!!
It’s Wednesday the 3rd, so I am late getting started. I woke up with a cold, so I am going back to bed. Like the previous commenter, I stay up too late and since I have adrenal fatigue, I have a hard time getting up in the mornings. I can easily sleep until noon when I have to force myself to get up. I think I may have hormonal imbalances also, since I am almost 49 and struggle with depression. Basically I am a mess! The last 8 years I have had one health issue after another and spiritually I am drained and feeling like God doesn’t care about me or my family. I have 5 children who attend a Christian school.
I have my doubts about being able to get up early but I would like to try-even if I have to go back to bed for a morning nap.
I could really use your prayers.
1) Debra
2) The day goes so much better when it is started early.
3) Hubby stays up till 3 every night/morning so I have a difficult time getting to bed early. He usually wants something to eat at midnight.
1) Joy
2) I want to start doing my devotions in the morning. That way I start my day off right and I know they get done.
3) I have a 2 year old and a 2 month old. I am sleep deprived at the moment. So, getting up early doesn’t even seem like a possibility right now. But, I know that my days would go a whole lot better if they did!
1) Amanda
2) Mornings are crazy and filled with spiritual warfare in our house! Most of the time, I say, “Let’s just not try and stay home.” Being disorganized and late in the mornings makes me feel bad about what I’m doing as a mom and doesn’t set the example of a competent, peaceable, and balanced mother I want to be for my children. I find that even if I have lunchboxes and bags packed, it’s still hard for me just to get the kids dressed and fed in an hour and a half. I would love to have family devotional time with my kids. I need to have myself up and taken care of to do that.
3) My challenge is that my kids just turned 3 and 1. Nights and wakeup times are still unpredictable. I find that if I try to get up early, one of the kids wakes up and then I don’t get that “alone” time. Also stay up to late relishing “me” time after everyone goes to sleep.
1. Alexis
2. Spend time w/ God before I start my day
3. Laziness and I like my sleep!
I’m Dorothy
I want that quiet time in the morning and know I do so much better when I do it, but I feel tired and am to lazy to push myself out. I need to work on my evening routine. I’m floundering around and when I came across your site from somewhere this morning not sure where and decided I neded the challenge. So here I am.
Well, Dorothy, I hope you find encouragement and inspiration from the wonderful women here.
I didn’t read thru the comments before posting above and didn’t see this-
1. joanna
2. i want to get up early (7 am is early for me at this point) to have my devotions instead of before bed, or not at all. i bought myself a chronological Bible with daily readings so it’s a real pain when i get behind. my main reason for getting up early right now is for devotions-i want to be able to take my time and also do some devotional reading in the morning.
3. some of my obstacles are physical-i was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (cfs) 8 years ago and while i am much better, i have limits that i’m trying to overcome, such as being able to get up early. i also have sleep apnea due to weight gain over the past couple of years so i never sleep really well-i am always, always, tired. the thing i can change, though, is going to bed earlier-like so many of the ladies above, i am a night owl, i love being up at night when the house is quiet-i have 5 children ages 10 to 17.
my goal is for getting up at 7 am and going to bed at 10. i love having this accountability-thank you Kat for this idea and thank you all for your prayers-i am praying for you as well.
Thanks Joanna!
Is ca for California or Canada?
Ca is for California
1. Blessed Mom
2. I have two small children and I think my day would go better if I could get up before they do and have a little time for myself. I want to have time with God, but I also desparately need to start exercising.
3. I stay up way too late every night (around midnight) so getting up early is hard for me.
Hey! I’m Courtney! I am still a student in college, and I started student teaching this semester!
I want to get up earlier so I develop habits now before I get to be a full time teacher! I am still taking classes at night, so by the time I am at school all day then go to class I am TOO exhausted to work out/ spend time in prayer.
I think obstacles that I will face include being on different time schedules than my friends! They all want to stay up and watch tv and chat, but I know I must get in bed! Also, I am scared I am going to get burnt out fast.
I will be praying for each of you as we do this together
1. Janet
2. My children leave for school at 7 am and I would like to be up earlier to tend to some things I want to get done before they are up. Also, to collect my thoughts and peacefully begin the day.
3. I’m tried. I’m lazy and can procrastinate easily. I actually do enjoy the peace of early morning when I get myself up.
1. Lisa
2. I want to get up earlier to spend time in prayer, bible study and exercise and to be able to be a “happy” mom when I see my four girls come down the stairs for school.
3. Staying up way too late, surfing the web, reading or watching t.v. mindlessly.
1. Robyn
2. I am currently unemployed (with hope on the horizon!) and basically don’t do anything. I want to have more structure to my days and also get a jump on preparing for being a worker vs a student. Basically I have decided its time to grow up and start acting like an adult!
3. I am a total night owl and used to the student life style. My husband is still a student so he also tends to stay up late. I also enjoy the warmth of my wonderful bed! And I tend to get distracted in the morning with things that de-rail my day such as blog hopping or starting really good books. Hopefully I can start being more purposeful with my time.