Ten days ago marked the start of my 30 day challenge to wake up early and within those first 10 days, I have experienced some really positive discoveries as well as some pretty big frustrations.

Because I am not a morning person, I did not go into this challenge expecting this to feel natural for me right out of the gate, but I also have been surprised by both the things that I have had a hard time adapting to as well as those that have been fairly natural to get used to.

Here are my top takeaways from my first 10 days…

• I am always tired… Before I even started this challenge, I knew that my body requires 7-8 hours of good sleep.  While I have done my best to try and get my needed amount of sleep each night, this has without a doubt been my hardest obstacle to over come. Even with the right quantity of sleep, my body hasn’t seemed to fully acclimate yet and I think my quality of sleep has been struggling, resulting in me constantly feeling sleepy.
• Early to bed, early to rise– This has been a circular struggle.  I can’t seem to get myself into bed early enough or when I do, I am not tired enough to actually fall asleep, which results in a struggle to wake up the next morning.
• A satisfying breakfast is a game changer– One of my favorite discoveries from this challenge to date has been having the time in the morning to make and eat a healthy breakfast.  It gives my brain time to wake up, and it leaves me feeling satisfied throughout the morning.
• Working out helps too– This is a relatively new development, but I also have really enjoyed working out in the mornings.  It serves as a great wake up that keeps me energized throughout most of the day and also leaves me with a nice feeling of accomplishment to start my day with.
• A morning routine doesn’t have to be routine…  One of the reasons I wanted to do this challenge was to build a legitimate morning routine for myself.  In general, this has been a pretty big work in progress but my big takeaway is that it doesn’t need to be overly regimented.  While I can’t leave my morning too open (that just makes it too easy to go back to sleep), I also have found that I can change up my routine to best fit my needs or interests morning to morning.
• Weekends- too sleep in or not to sleep in… I know the recommendation for optimal sleep and best morning routines is to keep a consistent sleep schedule on weekends… but… but… so far I have found that I just can’t wake up early on my weekends.
• But it really isn’t that bad– Despite my hurdles and challenges, I am actually enjoying my slow progress into becoming a morning person. I like the quiet of the mornings. I like having my mornings feel more leisurely and relaxed.  I really like having time to think and plan my day.