The 5 A.M Working Mum!

I’ve been asked by many of my friends and colleagues on how I get time to do all what I do. Being a working mum of 2 beautiful angels, studying, delivering keynotes/webinars, mentoring startups and academic students and at the same time managing the home schedule and affairs etc.

For me as a working mum, the constant pressure of juggling everything in a non-stop hustle during the day & night and simultaneously also striving for excellence in my parenting and career, leaves little or no time for self-care. I am sure many of you mums reading will relate to my predicament. Not to forget what we have gone through as mums last year with the pandemic and the shift to the remote work, home schooling and the never-ending lockdowns.

I want to let you all in to my little secret ??. The timing couldn’t be any more perfect as this revelation also coincides with this month’s celebration of Mothers' accomplishments and contributions to society. Not to forget what we have gone through as mums last year with the pandemic, Lockdowns, and the shift to the remote work, and the never-ending home schooling.

It all started with waking up at 5 a.m!

I have been told by my parents when I was a teenager, that our brain chemistry is different early in the morning and that it is the best time to study. It was in 2019 that I went on a learning overdrive, learning about AI/ML, Big Data and Business Analytics, and Design Thinking, which required me to take out time from my super busy schedule. Guess what I just could not manage during the day despite my efforts. So, I went back to my parent’s advice and started by trying to take out time early in the morning “5am” to study for my online courses. 5am was a light bulb moment for me! I thought why not use this time for other stuff too.

For most people, waking up at 5 am. without having to be somewhere sounds unappealing. But If you want to be successful, give your brain an advantage by waking up at 5 am! According to Robin Sharma, Author of The 5 AM Club: “Our minds have a limited amount of “bandwidth”.

As working mums, we fill our day with our family, kids, office work, social media, social interactions with our friends and family, television, and so on. We max out our bandwidth to the point that we can’t take in anything more even for our self-care. But, If you wake up at 5 a.m, you will find you can focus on one thing without these distractions and accomplish so much more. According to @Robin Sharma. “Our brain chemistry is different early in the morning. The brain’s prefrontal cortex, or that part of you that makes you worry or analyze things over and over, is temporarily shut down in the peaceful early hours. The tranquility at daybreak also has been shown to increase dopamine and serotonin, helping you feel energized and at peace. What an awesome way to start your day!

It takes time to build a habit, so I kept pushing myself to wake up early while the kids were still asleep to enjoy my “me-time”, complete my learning, coursework and kept doing this for the last 17 months.

But understanding what habits are, how to change them, and how they shape who you are is important to ensure transforming your life for long-term success.

Small Adjustments Lead to Massive Transformations

Behavior does not happen in a vacuum. Each action creates a path that leads to other actions. Which actions or behaviors you perform dictate which actions or behaviors will follow. This is why forming good habits is so important. When you start with good behaviors, more good behaviors will follow. This idea is grounded in the concept of compounding behaviors and is the essence of Atomic Habits. Atomic habits are small 1% improvements in behavior that, over time, compound into full-blown behavior change and positive habits.

So, what initially started as a time off to study and learning new skills, took me to take on new activities like running, cycling and hitting off to gym to exercise and maintain my fitness level “I stopped most of these activities after being a mom!!”

This early morning time routine took me to complete several university courses on artificial intelligence, Design Thinking and Innovation, and also helped prepare for my keynotes and panel discussions, boosted my work productivity, and led me to win more than 20 race medals (Yes!!!)

And the most important one, is that helped me to maintain my work-life harmony!! It allowed me to start every single day with purpose and energy, which helped me to accomplish more and increase both mental and physical health, as well as keep going with my career.

There are so many things I get done before my world starts (my kids waking up).

To all the working mothers, this is our revolutionary morning 5AM Club ??

If you’re ready to take your life to the next level and become great, it all starts with an effective morning routine & healthy habit. I would certainly recommend reading 2 books “5AM Club” and “Atomic Habits"

P.S : Hit me up if you are a working mother, looking to start this journey!