At 5:30 a.m., my eyes reluctantly opened to my alarm’s persistent ring. On any other day that early, I would have gone straight back to bed, under the delusion that I’d be more productive when I came back home from school than in the morning.
Typically, I get up sometime between 6:30 and 7 a.m. I’d get some easy schoolwork done and have a light breakfast before leaving the house at 8:15 a.m.
But feeling the need to get myself out of a rut, I began my experiment on a random Tuesday — just how productive can I make an early morning routine?
5:30 a.m.: a time for journaling
I could barely open my eyes, but I was determined to start my day off by journaling for five minutes. I used my old bullet journal from my pandemic days to write three things I was grateful for (family, friends and cucumbers), one daily intention (being present in the moment) and one thing that would make the day great (finishing a college application supplemental essay).
6 a.m.: locking in for homework and essays
After setting my goals for the day, I finished my AP Government homework — a worksheet on the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution — in the one hour I allotted myself and spent the rest of the time working on one of my college supplemental essays.
I will say the creative juices weren’t as free-flowing in the morning, and I caught myself dozing off a few times. There were times I stared at the blank Google Doc for minutes, wondering how colleges expected me to build bridges and change the world in my 18 years of existence. And when that didn’t work, I stared at my ceiling as I spun around in my chair. Still, I pushed through, brain-dumping all my ideas knowing procrastinating wouldn’t make it any easier.
7 a.m.: exercise
After an hour rigorously working in my chair, it was time for some movement. I opened my blinds to see the sun had already risen, and I could hear birds chirping. I stretched my back, hamstrings and my shoulders for around 10 minutes before I took off for a morning run. Hearing how my bones cracked and how painful it felt, this stretch was a good reminder that my flexibility was questionable at best — I should probably stretch more often. But I didn’t dwell on it too much because I was too excited to lace up my shoelaces for a run.
The minute I stepped outside the house, I realized that it was only 50 degrees outside, absolutely freezing by Californian standards. Still, I ran 1.3 miles in 10 minutes in a loop around my neighborhood. It had been three months since I last ran, so it felt refreshing to get outside, even if it was a quick jog.
Although it felt freezing, it was beautiful outside, with the bright blue sky contrasting the trees that were starting to change into a reddish brown. There were few people out walking, and I could feel the warmth from the rising sun on my back. There was something in the crisp, cold air that I found comforting.
7:45 a.m.: breakfast
I finally felt very refreshed after taking a quick shower and eating eggs, a banana and a croissant for breakfast. I was proud to feel fully awake, with more than two hours of productivity while my brother walked into the kitchen groggily complaining about how it was only Tuesday.
Somehow, despite waking up at 5:30 a.m., I was able to stay attentive for the rest of the day, even during my sixth-period class. In Spanish, as we were approaching the end of the unit, we got to watch the comedy “Nosotros Los Nobles.”
Since it was the first class of the day, I could relax a bit and even take a quick nap, but I didn’t even feel sleepy — either the movie was too entertaining or my morning routine had made me feel energized.
Orchestra class was a full, productive rehearsal of Frank Martin’s “Petite Symphonie Concertante.” In AP Statistics, I was pleasantly surprised when I looked down and saw my neatly organized and written notes rather than my usual illegible chicken scratch. However, by 5 p.m., I was extremely exhausted and I ended up taking a nap until dinner.
For anyone who wakes up early on a regular basis, I either have deep respect for you or suspect you’re simply crazy. And if you wake up before 5:30 a.m., you might as well be waking up in the middle of the night. Despite my slightly increased productivity levels, I personally don’t think it’s worth it. While I think I could accomplish a bit more by waking up about an hour earlier each day, it wouldn’t be worth sacrificing a precious hour of sleep.
