Starting the morning can be a slow process. It can be filled with internal conflict, arguing whether or not you have enough time to fall back asleep or just lacking the motivation that you need to get going. Many people that I have met have not been so called "morning people" and prefer the night. When I tell them that I routinely wake up around 4:15 - 4:30, I get humored laughs as they talk about staying awake til that time.
In my opinion, the morning can be one of the most productive times during the day. Many of the things which we do throughout the day reach some close as the sun begins to set, opportunities are fading and many people are settling down with families or friends for the evening. Though the morning is filled with people still sleeping from the night's endeavors, preparing for the day, in my opinion, outweighs the benefits of staying up late. During the evening, I find that my mind is beginning to get tired. I wonder when I'm going to go to sleep and it normally is one or two tasks that are keeping me awake. The problem with this is that motivation seems to wane with every passing second and so does effectiveness. One of the ways I stay motivated throughout the day is being able to take the time to plan out how I will get things done and spend extra time that I have on projects which I have started which need more effort.
With that, people ask me whether or not the time that I spend is any different than staying up late and my reply is that it is. I believe that you're body is naturally accustomed to raising with the sun and sleeping after it has set. When working against that rhythm it seems as if you are shutting down, whereas in the morning you're getting going. The renewed energy that comes with the sun is something that I enjoy most about waking up early, especially in the summer when days are longer.
Starting fresh can be the deciding moment for the day. In the morning, time is abundant. When I was nineteen, I decided that I wanted to learn Spanish. This was something that I couldn't fit into my schedule anywhere else. From 7:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night I had plans that I had to keep, but in the morning I had moments to myself. As I sat down at 4:30 in the morning, I opened my books and started to learn. Within two months, I was speaking Spanish. This wasn't time that I had devoted to other things. I wasn't repairing the problems which had been caused by the day. I was taking advantage of the time which was already there which I had spent arguing with myself.
I've been waking up early since I was fourteen; strolling through the hills of Japan as the farmers went to work; walking through the fish markets before the streets become crowded. It has been my moments of self-reflection and development; a time that I spend only for myself. In the mornings I find my resolve. I am able to do the things that I want to do. Whether those things are little projects, working out, or learning a language, I am able to find time in my schedule for me and I wouldn't give up those moments for anything.
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