I didn’t knew that waking up at 5:00 am for 21 days will transform my life entirely.

I always wanted to be an early bird but leaving my bed in the dawn was the hardest task for me since my early teen ages.

I decided to break this habit and work on myself and disciplined myself to be a better version of myself because I’ve heard that many people embark on a journey of self discovery and their personal growth by adopting a daily and healthy morning routine.

This article explains that waking up for straight 21 days at 5:00 am transformed my life completely and leads to self-discipline, self-discovery and enhanced productivity.

The science behind morning routines:

Our bodies work according to nature and staying up late at night disturbs our efficiency in a way that when we wake up with the natural light of sun it regulates our hormones, digestion process and we can perform cognitive functions throughout the whole day.

I experienced that my sleep quality has increased and i could sleep for 7–8 hours without waking up in the middle and it leaded me to waking up with zero laziness and immense freshness. I gained mental clarity with improved quality of my sleep.

Week 1:

Building the habit:

I initially struggled so much to wake up at 5:00 am for every day, my body resisted the change that I was trying to implement on my body.

I stopped snoozing off my alarm to help me in this struggle because once you snooze off your alarm, your 10 minutes snoozing will eventually be converted in hours.

Creating the routine:

What helped me throughout this journey was to create a routine. I built the routine that helped making my mornings enriched and fulfilling for the whole day.

The things that made my mornings close to ideal were:

Meditation: Meditating is an underrated practice but believe me it helped me clearing my mind and setting a positive vibe for the whole day.

Making a to-do list: When I wrote down the tasks which I had to perform the whole day, it gave me clarity and I was more focused on the tasks instead of surrounding negativity.

Mild exercise or walking: Some sort of physical activity helped in killing the procrastination and laziness in my body and I felt active and strong all day.

I felt rally strong after first week, I was tired of waking up early on daily basis but I was also loving the clarity and productivity that routine had gifted me. My body was a bit tired but my mind was very motivated to continue for more days and weeks.

Week 2:

The modification in mindset:

My body started to accept the early morning routine and my mind started to feel accomplished, it was ready to feel the stillness of beautiful mornings. It provided me peace and calmness through out the day.

Increased productivity:

I got more time to think about the tasks which were very essential and completed them as soon as possible. Weather it was reading, writing, exercising or my personal work, I felt very ambitious to complete each and every task of mine.

My connection with myself:

Waking up at the peaceful time gave an opportunity for introspection. I used this time to connect with myself, visualized my goals and practiced visualization exercises and yoga to feel more connected with myself.

Week 3: Transformation.

A new me:

I felt that I was turning into someone who had a better identity of herself, I started to know my worth. I became someone who prioritizes her time more and her well being more. I knew my true strength in the peaceful time of morning and it stayed with me through the whole day.

Physical and Mental Well-being:

As I made a routine of some sort of physical activity in the morning it made me boosted for the long day and my procrastination and dizziness fades away. A strong body releases hormones that make our brain stronger and stronger. So I felt more calm and learned to handle my emotional self while meditating in the morning.

Future predictions:

As I tried this challenge of 21 days, it brought immense changes that are positive in my life so I feel that I’ll definitely willing to be a morning person for rest of my life to be a better version of my self every day.

Benefits in a long run:

I think that only the first week is difficult to wake up early, but once it is a habit, it not only changes your routine but your whole outlook on life also evolves leading to more of the productive days and more importantly, mental stability is also a byproduct of being an early bird.

It is not just a schedule change but whole of a lifestyle change and it makes you realize that you are capable to grow and adapt.

‘The way you start your day determines how well you live your day.”
— Robin Sharma, The 5 AM Club

What do you think?

Have you ever tried such 21 day or 70 day challenges to experience with your body and routines? If you have, share your experiences so that it may help me or the audience?

If you are an early bird, your tips may be helpful for those who are considering to have a morning routine.

After reading this article, is there any actionable step you would like to add in your routine.