As you may have read in my previous posts, I am doing the Early to Rise March Challenge with Money Saving Mom. Today is Day Five of the challenge and here's my recap.

Yesterday was a success! I woke up at 6 am and was out of bed by 6:04 am. I settled into my comfy spot and was able to read my ETR and 40 Day Prayer Challenge Daily Readings. I was able to cook and eat breakfast at home (a feat that rarely happens), and spend time praying. What Andy says in the book is true. I felt like a success before I even left my apartment! That feeling of accomplishment allowed me to enter my day feeling positive and confident that I could tackle my day.

Today was two steps back. I snoozed until 6:50 am. I didn't prep lunch or breakfast last night, which meant I had to do both this morning. If Monday's challenge was such a success, why couldn't I duplicate the effect today? Well, I did not go to bed on time. Just as he mentions in the book, going to bed on time is key to waking up early. I was up late for a good cause (helping my mom buy her plane ticket to DC!) but I could have handled it earlier in the day so as not to affect my sleep pattern. I was using the internet and doing everything but trying to sleep while in bed. I will say that I had a pretty emotional evening so I slacked off on my night time ritual. I've learned that doing that is a no-no! One thing that is helpful is installing an alarm on your phone that tells you when it's time to go to bed. I have one. And it is sounding off! On that note (yawn), it's time for me to start preparing for bed. Tomorrow, I will win!!! Now, pray it snows so I can get the day off :) Good night y'al

What do you do when loved ones want to text/talk/etc. during the time you are preparing for bed or in bed?
 
For the past three days I have been following the Early to Rise (ETR) Challange. Here's a recap of how it's been going.

Day One - I rolled (literally) out of bed at 6:37 am. Later than my goal (6 am) but earlier than usual. I still saw it as a sign of progress! I was able to snuggle up on the couch and listen to the Early to Rise Introduction. This took longer than I expected so I had to jump up and get ready for work. I read the Day One Challenge on my way to work. I was behind 3 days in my 40 Day Prayer Challenge readings, so I completed those as well. When I got to work, I prayed for my day to be productive and encouraging to the youth I encountered. Great way to begin the day.

Day Two - I was awaken by a phone call at 7:45 am and could not get back to sleep. So I definitely met my 8 am wake up time! I was able to read in both my devotional and Day Two of ETR.

Day Three - Getting out of bed today was a struggle. I have been using this sleep tracker phone app and I snoozed until about 8:40 am. Once I got out of bed, I was able to cook, eat, read ETR and pray. This is the most productive I've been before church in a long time, maybe the first time ever I am lookin forward to keeping up the momentum this week!

On that note, it's my bedtime. Night y'all!