There is no denying that sleeping in on the weekends is great.

After a week of 8 AMs, late night study sessions, and running on an unhealthy amount of caffeine, nothing feels better than waking up after the mail truck arrives. But there are some people in the world (ahem, me) that are physically incapable of sleeping through the sunrise. These people aren’t crazy. They aren’t sick in the mind. They’re early birds, and they enjoy seeing the world in a little bit of a different way.

In fact, there are many benefits to waking up with the sun!

1. You can get a lot more done.

Sleeping until 3 PM may feel great at first, but once you realize that you’ve slept away over half of your day, you may not feel so wonderful anymore. There is a great feeling of accomplishment and productivity that comes from checking a few things off of your to do list before noon, and early birds are no strangers to it.

2. You do not feel as rushed.

Why wake up minutes before you have to leave for class when you can have an hour or two to enjoy a cup of coffee and a nice breakfast? Being an early bird enables you to embrace the morning and perhaps have some extra time to get in the class mindset, as opposed to arriving to class winded after sprinting across campus!

3. You get to have valuable alone time.

It seems as if in college, you are always with somebody – a classmate, friends, a roommate, a professor…after a while, you just want some time to yourself. Being an early bird allows you to do just that! You can sit in your room for a bit and read as the birds chirp outside, or go for a morning walk. Spending a few moments with your thoughts is a great way to start the day!

4. You get to watch the sunrise.

What is more serene than a sunrise? Watching the sky turn from a fiery red, to a calm purple, and seeing the world wake up is in one of life’s most precious miracles. Watching the sunrise helps to keep you in tune with nature, and really reveals just how beautiful our planet is!

So, while I realize that not everybody possesses the willpower to wake up with the birds, I can guarantee that if you convert to the early bird lifestyle, you will not forget it! And if you really struggle to do so, coffee is a great motivator!