I Finally Cracked the ‘How to Wake Up Early’ Code… If ‘Early’ is 6:00 am
Who cares if I’m not living up to some hustle bro’s pre-dawn expectations?
When I turned 13, I became a camp counselor for my barn’s summer horse riding camps. We all ended every day covered in sweat, dirt, hay, and… everything else. Nobody had any energy left after hours in the heat… So I’d arrive at the barn at 7:00 am to ride for fun.
Fast-forward 10 years, unfortunately, and I joined all the non-morning people on the Sunrise Struggle-Bus.
Without a clue how to get back to my early bird self.
Chronic Migraines, College, Graduation, and a Desk Job Changed Everything
Becoming a Horse Girl™ didn’t change my sleep schedule so much as maintain it until college, even if wintertime wakeups didn’t feel as natural.
The first major blow to my morning routine: developing chronic migraines.
Staying up late in dorms and dealing with then-undiagnosed ADHD compounded other sleep-routine issues.
The final straw that ended my sunrise wakeups: a desk job.
While still moderately athletic and active, sitting all day is surprisingly exhausting. For six-ish years, I rushed through every morning — even if I went to bed on time — and still didn’t have enough energy to spend the time I wanted to on my hobbies.
Waking up early also felt like the “morally” good thing to do. After all, weren’t people who slept in just lazy? But guilting myself didn’t help. Neither did setting five alarms. Nothing worked except the fear of being late to work. …No matter how many 4-Minute Workweek, feel-superior-for-your-hustle think pieces I read.
But I missed the peaceful morning hours before other people expected things from me.
The Pandemic Gave Me an Epiphany
In 2019, I found a new barn home with my friend who owned a few young horses but had no desire to train them herself. Just in time.
