A Bonus Hour Each Day
By Chris Joscelyne
For years my wife was the only early morning person in our family. A
typical "Lark", she was awake, alert and ready to tackle the new
day at six o'clock each morning. I was an "Owl", naturally slow
at seven o'clock in the morning, reaching my personal prime time in the
evening.
My wife, a busy professional in a demanding job, has always used her
early morning starts effectively. She undertakes tasks that are
interesting and fulfilling. It is a positive way to start each day. When I
first thought about this I was amazed at how much she was achieving. With
further thought I realised that her 6 o'clock start was giving her the
equivalent of about 10 additional working weeks per year! That convinced
me that I should try her early morning routine.
As a regular international traveller, I had learned to adjust my body
clock to the various time zones of Europe, North America, Asia and
Australia. If I could do that, logic suggested that I could adjust my body
clock to get up an hour earlier each morning so I decided to give it a
try. Despite this logic, during the first few days I found it very hard to
arise an hour earlier than usual.
In the beginning, getting out of bed was difficult because it was
winter, the bed was warm and it was still dark outside. Anyway I made the
effort, and over a period of about two weeks I found that it became easier
and easier to make that earlier start.
I still function at my very best in the evenings but I also wake up
refreshed, a few minutes before the alarm clock sounds. I have adjusted.
Now I have an extra hour each morning to do things that are important to
me (I'm writing this article at 6.45am) and I appreciate the early quiet
and the fresh beginning of each new day. I relish this "bonus"
time in my life and I suggest you try it too.
Here are some hints that may assist:
- Make a specific time to get out of bed and set your alarm clock. A
general intention to get up earlier is likely to fail.
- Go to bed an hour earlier for the first few nights. Soon you will
find this is no longer necessary.
- Establish a routine. This will make the transition much easier.
- Reward yourself. Take a hot shower and have a hot or cold beverage.
If you have a full breakfast at this earlier hour remember you may
have hunger pangs by mid-morning. This can create a fourth meal for
the day with unnecessary extra calories. It may be better to stick to
your usual breakfast time.
- Persevere. You may feel early morning tiredness for a couple of
weeks until your body adjusts. Accept this as a normal phase of the
change.
About the author: Chris Joscelyne trained as a
clinical hypnotherapist under the tutorage of Margaret Tomko. He was taught
grief counselling by Mal McKissock, and he learned meditation in a course sponsored by the Department of Health. He developed his personal awareness knowledge with
mentors Barbara and Terry Tebo of Lifespring.
For ten years Chris was a visiting lecturer at the
Australian Film, Television and Radio School where he taught personal
development, meditation and stress management skills. Now he shares his
knowledge with a wider community as a speaker, trainer and coach, teaching
people how to live "Life
by choice - not by chance".
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