I am painfully aware that my day would go much smoother if I hauled my butt out of bed a little earlier.
When I came across a Ragan.com article titled “10 reasons to wake up earlier, and 6 tips for doing so“, of course, I read it. I agreed with all of the author’s points. Honestly, I felt energized while reading Peter Shankman‘s morning-loving mantra. My mind raced with visions of me getting up at 5 a.m. to complete my workout, brainstorm, write, watch the sunrise, sip on tea, and gently rub the backs of my kids to wake them from their slumber.
That lasted all but 10 seconds. Who am I kidding?
I decided to offer up my own lists for those who love sleep as much as I do, to counter Shankman’s list.
Top 10 reasons to sleep in as long as possible:
10. You’re tired. You balance work outside the home, work inside the home and work on yourself. The only time you don’t work is when you’re asleep. So embrace that period because someone’s going to let you know they need a bowl of cereal sooner or later.
9. Chaos is the spice of life. Mornings just wouldn’t be the same without at least one argument about why we should all brush our teeth without being asked.
8. Traffic brings people closer together — literally. Here’s a newsflash for you: Tortoise from Aesop’s Fables, slow and steady doesn’t always win the race. Mark my words, you will be run over by a crazy mom in her minivan if you don’t get the hell out of the way.
7. Early risers don’t appreciate the art of multitasking. If I rose at the crack of dawn, I wouldn’t know how to salvage an outfit straight out of the dryer or apply makeup at stoplights.
6. Fire drill practice. I am confident my family could escape a burning house fully fed, dressed, hair (sort of) combed, with packed lunches… in 5 minutes flat.
5. Extra time to dream. When else are you surrounded by people asking you what YOU want?
4. Extra time to be with the ones you love. It’s a cold, harsh world out there. You know who will always have your back? Your pillow and heated blanket.
3. Because nighttime is YOUR time. When else are you able to overeat and overindulge on reality TV? We live in America, sweet land of liberty, for thee I sleep.
2. Because people who embrace 7 a.m. meetings are not only highly productive, but also extremely weird.
1. You’re tired (worth repeating).
That was the “why.” Here’s the “how.”
Top 6 ways to make sure you sleep in as long as possible.
6. Boot your morning-loving husband out of the house.
5. Close the drapes as tightly as possible and silence your phone. There’s no reason that distractions like light or sound need to interfere with your sweet sweet shut eye.
4. There is no try. Some people, like me, have no internal clock. Not everyone can sleep 10 hours a night…I get that…but that doesn’t mean you should give up.
3. Catheter yourself. I’m not one who needs middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks, but I’ve heard others do.
2. Think about all the laundry you have. Concentrate on the fact you will never catch up no matter how hard you try. Stay in bed.
1. Don’t have any more babies.
I’d love to hear from both those who embrace mornings and those who wish they could.
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