Making Mornings Easier

Finishing my workouts early in the morning frees the rest of my day for everything else.  My morning routine actually starts the evening before.  This includes packing my gym bag, setting my work clothes out, packing my food for the next work day, preparing my workout nutrition (pre and post), putting my hydration bottles in the fridge, getting my breakfast prepared, charging my devices and setting up my equipment for the workout (workout uploaded, charged, calibrated, foot pod in running shoes, towel on trainer, etc.).  I also make sure that my clothes for working out are ready and out of the bedroom.  This way when I wake, I move quickly out of the dark into the light of the new day, albeit is typically artificial light.

Setting my alarm for the next morning is a thought exercise in balancing my needs for sleep as a recovery tool with making sure I have adequate time to get my workout completed without feeling rushed afterwards to meet the demands of the day.  Working backwards from the time in the morning when other people rely on me to my alarm is as critical as the other evening before routines.  I make sure that I provide enough time to wake, pray, prepare, and execute a precise workout to prescribed goals, cool down, and shower before work/weekend events.  Consequently, I rarely need my alarm as this routine seems to provide my mind an automatic wake up within minutes of the plan.  There are always exceptions from time to time, but they are rare.

I completed some genetic testing earlier this year and confirmed that I am wired to sleep “fast” and this is not always a given for others.  I tend to fall asleep within five minutes of lying down around 9 PM each night and find that my deepest sleep occurs between 10 PM and 2 AM (according to my smart watch).  There is no doubt that being wired this way is an advantage to this lifestyle.

What tips do you have to "getting after it" early in the morning?