I think most people would agree with me when I say that waking up early is kind of terrible. It used to be like a reoccurring nightmare for me. I hated it. I was always tired, and I found that no matter what time I went to bed I just couldn't get enough sleep. I hated waking up for class or to study, and, overall, I think I just associated waking up with unpleasant things.

However, this past summer is when things changed for me. It was a very gradual change, but, at the end of the summer, I found that waking up early isn't that bad. I've been rowing for over a year and have fallen in love with the sport. With it, however, comes getting up early. There's no getting around it! At first, like many who are new to the sport, I was unsure about it. Did I really want to give up a few hours of good sleep? Apparently, yes, because that's what I did.

The first week was kind of awful.

Of course, I loved my team, but I didn't quite see the bright side of waking up before the sun came out (pun intended.) Every day I woke up at 5 AM, and it sucked. I had trouble transitioning from going to bed at 2 AM to going to bed at 11 PM; I felt exhausted and had a rough time getting used to running and rowing at 6 in the morning. I found it hard to balance sleeping, rowing, and working. So, basically, my schedule was out of whack, and I desperately needed a new routine!

Luckily, my routine formed gradually, and, eventually, I loved getting up early. Okay, maybe I didn't love it, but I definitely enjoyed what came from waking up before the sun rose. While leaving your bed in the morning is always sad (*Drake sings: I only love my bed and my mama I'm sorry,*) having the whole day is my favorite thing ever. Even if I went to practice, I still had the whole day to get shit done! I find that I am more productive and can make time for friends and family more easily if I have a full day ahead of me. It also leaves more time to relax because you don't have to rush to finish everything.

Overall, getting up early may be painful AF at the moment, but it allows for much more time during the day to be productive (or not productive.) Either way, you can watch more Netflix, and that's a win!