Jocko Willink is a retired Navy Seal. He is very serious about discipline. He takes a picture of his watch displaying the time he wakes up every morning.

4:30.

Over the years I’ve gotten used to waking up early. As a mom, it’s part of the job description for long stretches of time. Most people think of waking up early as a punishment and sleeping late as a luxury.

Each person has different strengths and weaknesses. Most people have a certain time of day when they’re most productive. I only lately have started thinking about this.

After listening to a little bit of Jocko and reading what others have written on productivity, I realized that I work best in the morning, the early morning. I think more clearly in the morning. Conversely, I realized that after dinnertime, I am less able to focus on tasks that require a lot of concentration and creativity. That time of day is better reserved for things like laundry or weight training or reading.

So about a month ago I started setting the alarm for 4:30 and framed it in my mind as a golden opportunity to do the most important things first – Bible reading and prayer.

I have loved it. I look forward to it. It’s strange but that time of day is so quiet and peaceful. There is no worry that I’ll be interrupted. After only a month I have made more strides in consistent prayer than I have in maybe my whole life and I can already see and feel the benefits. There is a peace and calm that is transforming me. There is less of a spirit of fretting and rushing.

There is still time to run too. That has been a long time concern for me. I want to run in the morning but I want to give more priority to time in the Word and in prayer.

Is waking up at 4:30 more godly? No. Not at all. You could wake up at 3:30 and not redeem that time in God honoring ways.

4:30 is working for me. I may not always be able to do it, but for now it’s been a great blessing.