Hello, fellow stay-up-past-midnight-for-no-good-reason-and/or-then get-up-barely-in-time-for-breakfast-ers!

If you have no trouble going to bed on time and getting up early, or if your lifestyle demands staying up at night, then this challenge is not for you. But if you, like me, always postpone the Getting Up part of life, due to laziness, or due to staying up way too late just because, then will you consider joining me in the Challenge? We can keep each other accountable.

Here are the rules:

First rule: Pick a bedtime and stick to it throughout the Challenge. I chose "Anytime between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm; at least before midnight".

Second rule: Take this day by day. If you miss a day due to unforeseen circumstances, you may take a break, then jump back in where you left off.

Third rule: Feel free to customize. For example, if you usually get up at seven, but would like to get up earlier than that ( ), then replace "7:00" with "5:00".

Now, here's the Challenge:

Day 1: Get up at 7:00 a.m. If you followed your bedtime, you should have gotten plenty of sleep, so hop right up, and have plenty of time before breakfast to get completely ready for your day.

Day 2: Get up at 6:45 a.m. The bedtime you chose should still have allowed you plenty of sleep. Those extra fifteen minutes are now yours! Do whatever you want with them---but it has to be productive.

Day 3: Get up at 6:30 a.m. Wow! Half an hour of new free time! I plan to do a load of laundry, as well as some praying.

Day 4: Get up at 6:15 a.m. Remember, you are still getting enough sleep, right? I plan to go outside and enjoy the lovely dawn.

Day 5: Get up at 6:00 a.m. Look at you! You are now using your time wisely, instead of sleeping and/or goofing off. You now feel great from getting enough sleep every night.
I bet your parents are proud of you. You have completed the first level of the Getting Up Earlier Challenge.

I made up this Challenge for myself. But it can be lonely doing a Challenge all alone, so I roped my sister into doing it, too, and then I thought of you guys.

Does anyone want to join me? I'm starting the Challenge tonight, but you can start whenever. Just keep us up to date on how you are doing! Tell me what you plan to do with the extra time you will have.

I am starting the challenge tonight. I've stayed up a little past my bedtime (oops!) but it shouldn't hurt my getting up at 7:00 a.m. in the morning. Good night! *logs off*

I'm one of those "stay-up-late-reading-a-book" types. Even though I go to bed at 9:00 pm, I usually don't get to sleep until 10:30 pm (or later) and usually wake up about 8:30/9:00 am. I'd like to start going to sleep around 9:10-9:50ish. Sometimes I have a really hard time getting to sleep.

I'd like to start with 8, then 7:30, then 7 am.

I have to be up early to walk Pippin anyway, and I'm not a lie in bed person, unless I'm awfully tired.

Hope the challenge goes well. *Subscribes to topic* I'll be encouraging you along the way, though.

I'll be an encourager with Elanor.
I get up at 6:45 almost every day -I have a bus to catch in the cold dark mornings.
Then again, I have circles around my eyes that make me look like I've been beat up. I went in to school Friday and my friend literally took one look and said "You look terrible!".
Maybe I'll take the 'go to bed earlier' part of your challenge. *is sheepish*

Thank you, people!
Getting up at seven this morning didn't go well *glances at faulty alarm clock*, so I'm going to make tomorrow morning Day 1. I shall check and double check that alarm, and try hard to be in bed before ten. See you tomorrow!

*Finds this* Oooh! What a great idea! I love getting up early, and having some time to myself, but it is hard. I'll join you tomorrow night. I would start tonight, except that I just got back from a crazy weekend and need to sleep in.

My bedtime will 10:30 PM. Tonight I'll probably go to bed at that time, but still sleep in, because I am really tired.

Now, as long as I don't turn my alarm off in my sleep again (I have been told I got my cell phone out of my sleeping bag when my alarm was going off, then turned it off. Half an hour later I woke up wondering why it didn't go off, and my friend informed me I turned it off in my sleep! ) this should work for me! Tomorrow, when I start this, I'll give you a plan for what I intend to do with my extra time.

Yay! Thanks for joining. *glances at clock* *logs off*
Goodnight!

I should do this, starting at 8 and backing off to 7. Yesss, that would be good.

This has definitely happened to me.

I woke up today at about 7:55 am, after going to sleep at about 9:40 pm, I would guess.

My biggest problem in the last week or so is waking up in the middle of the night. I woke up a bit before 4:30 last night and couldn't get back to sleep until 5:15 am.

Good morning, people! I actually succeeded in getting up at 7:00 a.m!
*cough* However, I fell asleep shortly after 2:00 a.m. *cough* I was working on my story, and enjoying it so much I couldn't make myself stop until I had written roughly 1,750 words.
But, I did get up right at seven, so I have completed Day 1.
Thank y'all for your support.

Well done, Aemi! And well done on working on your story; sometimes it's late at night when you start getting the good ideas isn't it, and you just have to write!

*nods* I get good ideas at night. Which is why sometimes I stay up till 1 am writing poetry. That will probably be the thing that gets in the way for me.

Oh yes! My plans for getting up earlier!

Day 1: Get up at 7. Do some work on bible quizzing before chores, and perhaps some work on test-reading as well if I don't do it today.

Day 2: Get up at 6:45. Do some more quizzing, bible reading, and maybe spend some time praying.

Day 3: Get up at 6:30. Work on quizzing, (Can you tell that will be something I will be doing with extra time?) and perhaps some writing.

Day 4: Get up at 6:15. Do quizzing, possibly writing, and if I feel really ambitious I might make a batch of cookies for later.

Day 5: Get up at 6. Work on quizzing, writing, and maybe read some awesome stories on HW that I have been planning to read and give critique on but haven't due to lack of time.

I suppose some things are pretty obvious as to what I want to do with my time. Like quizzing! I want to spend lots of time on that, and mornings are perfect.

Day 1 (complete!)
Plan: Wake up at 8:00 AM.
Status: Complete! I went to sleep at about 9:30/9:40 PM and got up at 7:55 AM. I helped my mom with breakfast and talked to her during breakfast time.

Day 2
Plan: Wake up at 7:45 AM. Read Bible & pray to grow closer to God.

Day 3
Plan: Wake up at 7:30 AM. Read Bible & pray, write a goal of 100 words on PoH.

Day 4
Plan: Wake up at 7:15 AM. Read Bible & pray, maybe start a prayer journal. Write a goal of 100 words on PoH.

Day 5
Plan: Wake up at 7:00 AM. Read Bible & pray, prayer journal (possibly), 100 words on PoH, perhaps a batch of cookies or help my mom with the breakfast dishes.

Yes. I'm getting more excited about my story now.

Azlyn and Elly, those both sound like really good plans! I hope I can get to bed earlier tonight.

Sounds like you guys are doing well!
Azlyn: Try putting your alarm away from you -maybe across the room, or on the floor just out of reach. Then, you'll have to get up in order to turn it off. Trust me, it helps. My dad leaves his all the way in the bathroom.

My alarm clock is across the room near my desk. I just hit snooze and jump back in bed again.

It's nine forty-one p.m. right now. My contact lenses are shriveling up, my brain is shutting down, and I keep yawning. So, I'm off to bed. But I will set my alarm for 6:45 (and check and double check it ), and I should get a good nights rest. Good night and see you tomorrow!

Day 2
Plan: Wake up at 7:45 am.
Status: Complete! Went to sleep about 9:45 pm and woke up at 7:30 am. Woke up once again a little before 4:30 and probably went back to sleep around 5:00 am. Read Bible & prayed and made my mom and me a simple but delicious breakfast. I was also able to get a page of math and some history done.

Well, I went to bed a little past my bedtime but I did get up at 7:00.

Good job on this everyone.

I've tried getting up earlier, but it doesn't usually work for me. No matter what time I go to bed, I still don't fall asleep until 11-12.

Or when I do, I have a terrible day.

Well done, Maei!

Same here, Varon; unless I am really, really tired, I don't get to sleep until between 11-12 as well.

Yay, Elly and Azlyn!

Okay, last night I finally got in bed at about 11:30 p.m. Then I got up at 6:45 a.m. without much trouble, and had time for a quick shower before breakfast.

Ela, did you get Aemi and me mixed up?

Okay, it's 11:11 p.m. and I'm very sleepy all of a sudden. I'm off to bed very soon. Goodnight!

Sorry, Mae! *Goes to edit*

Day 3
Plan: Get up at 7:30 am.
Status: Complete! Went to sleep about 9:40 am. I didn't wake up during the night and had a good night's rest. I woke up at 7:25 am.

*Laughs* It's fine!

I still went to bed a little past my bedtime. When will I learn that it makes the getting up much easier? Or more like I already know, it's just putting it to action. But I did get up at the right time.

At least you got up in time, Mae.

In case y'all haven't noticed, I am having the most trouble with the "go to bed" part. *sigh* I went to bed way past my bedtime. Some time after two, to be exactish. My alarm beeped at 6:30, and, after a struggle, I hit "Snooze" and went back to bed for nine more minutes, then got up. As a result, I had plenty of time to wash my hair. But, as a result of my late, late bedtime, I had a terribly useless morning. I was horribly sleepy, and it didn't wear off until after lunch.

I'll just proceed with the Challenge as usual. I am not a failure. I plan to be in bed before eleven tonight, and to get up at 6:15 a.m. in the morning. See you then! And great job, everybody else!

Oh my, Aemi. You did very well getting up that early, with a 2am sleep time!

I went to sleep at 9:30ish yesterday night, woke up at 5:30, and went back to sleep at 6:30. My alarm was set for 7:10, but I went back to sleep until I woke up at 7:45 am.

Welcome to the early-risers club, Eve! Mwahahaha... *mumbles* I should really work on that evil laugh...

I woke up at 8 AM since today is grocery-shopping and I'm usually tired after that.

Oops! I forgot to report yesterday! But anyways, day 3 and 4:

I got up at 6:30 without much trouble, even though I still went to bed at 11 ish. I did some quizzing. Writing didn't happen since the computer was in use. Then this morning I got up a little later. I woke at the right time, then kind of lay in bed for another 15 minutes. The internet was down and I couldn't get to my gdoc to write. So I didn't really do anything productive. But tomorrow, even though a Saturday, I'm going to stick with the plan and get up at 6.

I also discovered that if I set my alarm 15 minutes before, I can hit the snooze three times and then waking up is a little easier, since I'm already partly awake.

I'm not following the challenge to a "t", but I have been trying to get up earlier.

I started at 8AM, then 7:58AM, then 7:45AM, then 7:35AM, then 7:30AM, and now 7:28AM.

It's really nice having more time to do things in the morning before work. ^^

Yes, isn't it? I do like early morning---when I'm awake to see it.

Ah, yes, Azlyn. The snooze trick! I use it all the time.

Thanks for joining us, Evening.

So, I know I haven't been back on to report. It's because of extremely late bedtimes, and, thus, missed rising times. I think my long struggle with late night computer addiction is finally coming to a head. (I just can't stand being sleep-deprived any more.)

It's 10:34 p.m. right now. I'm going to turn off the computer, and try really hard to be in bed by eleven. I'll get up at nine, to catch up on sleep lost this week, and then, on Sunday, I will pick the Challenge back up and arise at 6:15. That would be a good opportunity to read the Bible and pray, don't you think?

Thank y'all so much for joining me.

I slept in late this morning, because of a late night. But it's Saturday and we tend to have a lie in on Saturdays.

I hope the challenge goes well for you next week, Aemi, and you get to sleep more!

I will give myself some grace on the weekends and let me sleep in until 8:30 AM. My treat for working so hard all week to wake up early.

That sounds like a good plan, Aemi!

I got up at 6:00 today. Tomorrow I think I'll sleep in till 7, then go back to consistently getting up at 6 for now.

Hello, I'm back.

On Sunday morning, I woke up at 6:15 in the cold darkness, turned on the lamp, grabbed my Bible, and sat nestled into the warm spot on my bed. Over roughly the next hour I read, prayed, and then dozed off.

I have yet to complete Day 5. I've decided that, due to my college music audition coming up this Saturday, getting enough sleep will be more important this week than getting up early. So this week, I'll concentrate on the going-to-bed part.

Well done, guys! You are all doing so well with this!

So far I had been maintaining waking up at 7:30AM, I've been pulling some late nighters to accomplish more things before the trip, so I've been waking up around 7:45AM. It won't matter now, since my internal clock will be thrown against the wall once I fly over the International Timeline.

*Chuckles* You sure will!

I would very much like to start this! I have been thinking about getting up earlier since I have figured that with the career that I would like to pursue, I need to get into a habit of being able to wake up and get up instantly.

So, I will be going to bed around 10:00 tonight, and waking up at 7:00 (works great since we have church tomorrow and I need to get up early to take a shower)!

Thanks for coming up with this challenge! It is what I really need to start doing!

~Eruvande

Awesome! Let us know how it goes, Eruvande!

Go, Eruvande, go! *waves pom-poms*

Is this still going well for everyone?

I was doing pretty good in Australia waking up before dawn, but now that's been obliterated since now I can't fall asleep until at least 3-4 AM. I have been getting up at 9:30 AM of late, but I plan on getting back into a good sleeping schedule again.

You all sticking to this still? *pokes *

Also pokes. How is this going now?