Starting Your Day Early

Remember the saying "The early bird gets the worm"? Or "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."? There's some truth to those sayings, which is probably why your grandparents were always quoting them to you. For some reason it does seem that rising early lead to a more productive day. Even if you are not traditionally a "morning person" you can still benefit from waking up just an hour earlier than you normally do. Here are some perks to rising just a little bit earlier.

Time to wake up!
If you wake up just an hour earlier and use that extra time to actually wake up, you'll feel much better for the rest of the day. While you could stay in bed for that extra hour while you think about what needs to be done that day, you're more likely to actually wake up if you get up and move around a little. Go to the bathroom, get some breakfast, read the paper. Just relax for that extra hour and allow yourself some time to actually wake up. If you think you can stay in bed and not fall asleep during that extra hour, more power to you. If you can actually wake up before you go to work or school, you'll start off being productive and you won't have to shake off that early morning grogginess while you're at work or school.

Get ahead.
The early morning is the perfect time to get ahead on some of your to-do list. If the laundry is starting to pile up and you just haven't gotten around to doing it, you can get at least one load done and start on another. Small household chores can be done before you even go to work. Dishes and dusting can all be completed so you'll have a clean house to come home to. While you're at it, take a short walk with your dog (if you have one). You'll fit in a little excercise and definitely wake yourself up. Doing some of the small things can ease your mind for the rest of the day and lessen your to-do list before you even head off to work.

Find peace.
It's unlikely that you will find anytime as quiet and as peaceful as the early morning. You can take this time to think about important decisions you might need to make soon. After a good night's sleep you'll be clear-minded and level headed. Early morning is also a good time to relax your mind and put yourself at ease. The peace of early morning is a perfect time for prayer or meditation if you believe in either of those things. Even if you've never meditated before it can be a nice way to relax and find some peace in a busy hectic world.

Quality time.
If you've got a significant other, the early morning can be a good time to get some quality time together. Coming home after a long day of work can mean you're too tired to do anything much but watch television. The early morning can be a time for you two to catch up on the previous day or your plans for today. It can also be a time for you to do some future planning or dreaming. A few studies have also shown that early morning face to face time can improve your mood throughout the day and have other positive effects such as lowering blood pressure. So get some intimate time with your partner and boost your mood.