A little over a month ago, I started my second year of college and my first year as a commuter. At first, I was a bit nervous to commute to my school every day. It was my first time having to rely on public transportation (with beloved SEPTA, if you know, you know), not having a room to go back to on campus, not being able to take naps in between classes, and having to wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning.

Waking up at 6 in the morning was my most dreaded part about going to school. I haven't woken up that early every single day since my senior year of high school...two whole years ago. Last year, the earliest I had to get up was 8:30, and I thought that was difficult.

At first, this was the biggest challenge for me. The first two weeks of school was brutal for me. I wasn't used to getting up so early at all. As soon as I got home from school every day, instead of doing homework, I just napped. I procrastinated doing my homework, writing Odyssey articles, and doing my everyday tasks out of exhaustion. I was too tired to do anything.

Once week 3 came around, I was starting to get used to it. I was making the most of the time that I was awake, and I started to be very productive.

When I get to school in the morning, I usually have two hours until my classes start, so I use that time to write articles, edit blog posts, and do some homework. As soon as I get home, I do more homework. I've managed to get ahead in most of my classes to the point where I have everything for the next two weeks all finished. I use all the time I have to be productive, from the time that I wake up to the time I go to bed.

Waking up early has given me so much more time to get my work done, and this pays off so much in the long run. I take up most of my hours being productive so I can relax and not have to do anything later down the road.

Waking up early has helped me get so much energy throughout the day. Yes, I do need a little pick-me-up like tea or coffee, but I feel so awake throughout the day. It's also gotten my sleeping schedule back on track, for the most part.

I guess you could say I'm that girl. I'm the girl that doesn't mind getting up early every day. In fact, I actually like it. Doing it at first was such a challenge, but now that I'm six weeks in, it's so easy and so much better than sleeping in.