8 Things I Love About Early Mornings

Sleepyheads, this is what you're missing out on.

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I love waking up early. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy a good sleep-in every once in a while, but there's nothing quite as satisfying as waking before everyone else. While I've always been a morning person, I truly understood the importance of an early morning when I did early airport runs for my dad when I was in university (I won't lie, I was in it for the fuel). Getting home at 5:00AM, I was always tempted to roll back into bed to catch another hour or two, but I'd always wake feeling drowsy. The mornings I did avoid the temptation of a cosy bed always ended up being the most productive and positive days.

Here are my 8 favourite things about rising early:

1. Catch the sunrise. Sometimes I wake early enough to catch the sunrise, and my goodness that is a beautiful way to start the day. I find the light is particularly stunning half an hour before the sun actually meets the horizon, which is very hard to catch when the sun rises so early here in the summer.

2. Avoid social media and emails. By getting up early, I can allow myself an hour or two in the morning for 'me' time before I have to check emails and social media (victory!). That is, if I can resist the temptation to check them. What can I say? I love what I do!

3. Exercise before you're too exhausted to say 'no'. As soon as I wake-up, I jump into my exercise wear, which I leave next to the bed before I snooze, and do a workout. I prefer not to do anything too strenuous in the morning, otherwise I end up fatigued for the remainder of the day, but a lighter workout makes me feel healthy and positive. Oh, and not to mention I don't have to worry about working out after I've finished work when all I really want to do is relax; it's over and done with before I really even start my day.

4. Breakfast is the best meal of the day. There's nothing better than starting your day with a healthy breakfast. Waking up early means I have enough time to prepare something scrumptious. My two current favourites are 1) scrambled eggs with spinach on wholemeal toast, and 2) oatmeal with grated apple and ground cinnamon. Yum!

5. More 'me' time. Eating breakfast also gives me time to read something other than emails and work-related copy. I really love reading inspirational books as they motivate me to be better and inspire me to enjoy working hard. There are an abundance of aspirational books out there well worth a read including this one and this one.

6. Setting goals and to-do lists. Waking early also gives you a moment to visualise the day ahead, set goals and a to-do list. This is another easy process that never fails to get me excited for a productive day ahead.

7. A productive mind. I'm personally the most productive in the morning, which means I produce my best work not long after I've woken (or perhaps that's just the coffee talking). Where possible, I tick the most difficult and gruelling tasks off the to-do list early, that way the day gets progressively lighter and more enjoyable, which is important when you're working long hours.

8. An accomplished morning. I love the feeling of looking at the time and realising how much I've already accomplished before noon. Having checked off a huge chunk of my to-do list is truly satisfying and only motivates me further to finish all of the days tasks.

And if you're not quite convinced yet to set your alarm just that little earlier, here are a few bits and pieces to help you become a morning person (BYO cute kitty):