Ever since I began college, my sleep schedule has been a mess. Some days I wake up at 8 a.m. because once a week, I have an early morning discussion. Other times I wake up at 1 p.m. because my first class isn't until 2 p.m. With the consistency of waking up at the same time every day in high school, I remember I felt so much more productive and more refreshed in the morning.

This year, I decided that enough was enough. I was so sick of feeling tired most days and I knew that I needed some sort of incentive in order to get up early every morning. I also knew that since I'd be entering the workforce soon, it'd be much easier if I began waking up consistently before I started working. Thus, when enrollment began for the winter semester, I signed up for an 8 a.m. class that meets four times a week. Since the class also has mandatory attendance, I anticipated that I would force myself to wake up on time for every class.

It has now been over two months since I have begun getting ready for class every morning at 7 a.m. I have to say that I made the right decision. Most people would think that I'm crazy for wanting to specifically take an 8 a.m. class, but I think that it's greatly improved my life. Rather than dragging myself out of bed, I wake up feeling refreshed every day. I get enough sleep, and my body isn't left wondering when or how much I will sleep. In the past, getting up for 10 a.m. was a struggle, but now I don't sleep in past 10.

In past semesters, I would want to wake up early on days that I had classes later in the day so that I could get in some extra studying. However, I found myself constantly tired and exhausted. It didn't matter how much coffee I drank, I just didn't have any energy. Now that I wake up at the same time every day, I feel energized all morning and am much more productive.

I found that waking up early and consistently every day really changed my life. I know that it can be a bit of a struggle getting into the flow of things at first, but I found it worthwhile. I would encourage other college students who find themselves tired a lot to try attending an early morning class. You'll get a lot more done, and it'll make you a more disciplined person. It's easy to sleep in late, especially if your classes are later in the day. However, being disciplined enough to wake up early by yourself is an important part of adulthood, and learning is part of the process.