7 Reasons to Get Up Early

After several days straight of slamming my snooze button multiple times, rolling out of bed groggily and then chastizing myself for getting such a late start, I managed to get up bright (well, actually, dark :) & early this morning. I planned to jump on here and blog a recipe, but then, while showering, began thinking of all the benefits to getting up early and decided to jot them down - not only as a reminder to myself, but for those of you out there who agree that early is the way to go and could use that extra motivation to haul yourself out of bed!

1. Getting up early allows me to finish my own morning routine (shower, brush teeth, put in contacts, dress) before my family is up. I'm then much more present and focused on enjoying time with them once they do rise, and feel more on track in general the remainder of the day.
2. My brain functions a lot more clearly after sleep than before it, so I'm much more effective at tackling "cerebral" activities (such as blogging) early in the morning than late at night.
3. Moving my personal initiatives to the morning allows me to spend more quality time with my hubby in the evening.
4. Rising early correlates with a more consistent sleep schedule and more intentional time usage. When staying up late, there's no firm "deadline" for when I need to hit the sack, so I (more than occasionally) end up "stalking" my FB news ticker or doing some other frivolous task just to avoid going to bed, and then my quality and quantity of sleep suffers for no good reason. When I choose the early bed/rise option instead, I not only get more consistent sleep but there's also a pretty firm stop time to adhere to in the morning for my personal initiatives, so I use that time much more intentionally.
5. That morning cup of tea or coffee is considerably more enjoyable when sipped alone, undisturbed vs. crammed in along with 14329 other morning tasks
   
6. The morning sky and temperature can be quite lovely. (A seasonal reason, to be sure - 6 AM outside in the middle of January is less becoming. :)
7. And finally, I'm not naturally a morning person, so when I do manage to get up early (especially when I get some good shtuff accomplished) it gives me that extra boost of confidence which has a positive effect on the remainder of my day!

Do you agree that getting up early is the way to go, or do you prefer having a later schedule? How do you motivate yourself to stay on track?