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Welcome to Shahd H. Rashed's Tea Party Blog

Shahd Rashed

From a Night Owl to an Early Riser


Usually, I love to stay up late. I love to go to sleep later in the night & wakeup later in the day. I love the calmness & darkness of the night. However, due to school & university, I used to sleep earlier than I want & wakeup earlier than I wish. Having said that, during the summer vacation I am back to my late sleep. Then, came work. A 9-5 working schedule that forces me to sleep by 11 or 12 PM to be able to wake up at 7 AM & commuting from 8-9 AM; given the fact that my commute time is 1:30-2 hours daily. So, I had to make the shift from a night owl to an early riser since 2016 & still counting. So, today I will take this space to discuss further some tips & hacks that helps me to sleep my 7-8 hours at night & rise earlier than my wishes staying productive for the whole day. Having said this as well, I do become a night owl during the weekend (listening to my inner owl, every now & then).


  1. Prepare your weekly to-do list. So, everyday you are ready to get things done.

  2. Stop watching anything on your laptop or mobile or TV before going to sleep with around 30 minutes to put your mind on the "sleeping zone".

  3. Sleep for 7-8 hours on daily basis. That way you will keep your productivity up for the whole day.

  4. Set your alarm & turnoff the "snooze" option. As "snooze" is very irritating to keep falling asleep & awake every 5 minutes.

  5. First thing to do is to get out of the bed, then go to the bathroom and get ready by changing your clothes & put your make-up on.

  6. Look at the first mirror & smile to stay positive.

  7. Set an intention for the day & remember your life purpose as well.

  8. Make your bed, so you can set your mentality that you won't sleep again.

  9. If you are working from home, please keep your office away from your bed or chill spot.

  10. Drink water first thing in the morning, followed by a tea/coffee only if you feel the urge or need to drink caffeine. Personally, I rarely drink caffeine.

  11. I do listen to my playlist of favorite music/songs during my morning commute & try not to go back to sleep to stay active. Sometimes, I read a book as well. On other times, I do listen to podcasts or TED/TEDx videos.

  12. I don't eat my breakfast till 10 AM, try to limit my snacks till 1 PM then dinner at 7-8 PM. Not always successful, I love to much during working. Trying to munch nuts & salad instead of chips (frankly speaking not always successful).

  13. Every once in a while, I do take a break connecting with my colleagues. Some humane interaction is highly needed.

  14. Keep short breaks through out the day, every hour take a walk around the office or check my social media accounts that will keeps you awake especially if your job is an office-based job.

  15. I am struggling with one, however I do my best to limit my mobile time during the working hours. So, I try to limit my time scrolling the FB or IG. I try my best to not blog during the working hours either.

  16. At the end of everyday, try to clean your work-space. So, you can find it clean & ready every morning. This will helps you in focusing as well.


A bonus tip. Keep your notebooks different. I do have an agenda for my working schedule & to plot my important appointments. Then, I have a journal to jot my ideas for the blog another one for any new project/course that I take. So, every time I open one of them I am focused on the thing that I am doing without any chaos.


I hope this was helpful & a nice reminder to get up early, staying productive along the day. Let me know in the comments your morning routine as well.

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