04/07/25
I returned home after traveling for a few days, and I was exhausted.
It was a Sunday night and I didn’t get to bed until after 11pm.
I knew Monday would be a really busy day, so I wanted to wake up early to catch up on emails, create content, and respond to client inquiries.
I set the alarm for 4:30am, and when the alarm went off, my body felt incapable of moving. There was no way I was going to wake up that early.
I ended up rolling out of bed around 6:30am, much later than I originally planned.
Years ago, this would have bothered me so much. I would’ve felt disappointed in myself, frustrated that I “slept in”, and uneasy about the fact that so much work was going to pile up.
But over the years, I’ve learned that sufficient sleep is fundamental to my health, happiness, and productivity.
Days when I forced myself to wake up early may have helped in the short term, but the negative effects always outweighed the positive.
So instead, that Monday morning I laid in bed with a huge smile on my face.
I thought…
This is exactly what my body needs.
I’m so happy and grateful to be in this bed.
This is where I’m supposed to be.
No resistance.
No fighting with myself.
No making myself out to be the bad guy.
I know so many self-help gurus advocate for waking up early and having a great morning routine.
I’m all for it, too.
But my encouragement to you is…
Avoid putting too much pressure on yourself.
If you need to sleep, then sleep.
If you need to rest, then rest.
If what’s best for your mind and body is to lie in a bed and do nothing between 4am and 6am, do that with confidence.
Now I want to be sure I’m not sending the wrong message here.
Please don’t let this be an excuse you can use to be lazy…
But rather, let it be a way to balance your ambition with giving yourself grace.
Give yourself a ton of grace, my friend.
You’ve earned it.
Rooting for you,
Jay (encouraging you to give yourself grace)
