Writing Before 9AM

Why and how I finally became a morning person in 2024

I am a firm believer in the power of the new year for setting goals and instating fruitful routines. I typically spend my December planning and—this is important—testing out new reading and writing practices to determine what will help me achieve my goals for the coming year.

Last December, I was working my full-time job (which my boss has described as “40 hours with a capital F”) where I create strategies, resources, projects, and programs for reaching new and expectant fathers across the United States and Canada; playing violin part-time in an orchestra; and parenting a 5-year-old and 1-year-old alongside my wife (an ICU nurse), with pregnancy news for baby #3 just weeks away. On top of this, my mind—if not my ears, eyes, and hands—was always working on a personal research project on the family life of J.S. Bach, and I knew I was ready to begin writing my manuscript.

In the process of writing my first book, 12121: The History of North Way Christian Community—a 420-page history of my local church, published in 2021—I learned that daily progress is essential. During that project, I was working fewer hours, we had just one child who was a great sleeper, and the bulk of my writing time lined up well with my wife’s late-night studying (think 10pm-1am) for her accelerated BSN program. As I approached 2024 with another book idea and a second-born who was not quite as good of a sleeper as his sister, however, I knew staying up later to write was not an good option.

It was time to bite the bullet and finally become a morning person! I kept hearing from highly productive, successful, and even-tempered people I respected that they operated on a very early schedule. After being a total night-owl and late-night practicer on the violin all my life, at 32, I needed some inspiration to finally make the switch. Several things helped:

• First of all, I recognized rising early as a spiritual discipline rather than just a way certain people naturally operate. David declares that he will awaken the dawn with his music (Psalm 57:8); Job rises early in the morning to offer sacrifices on behalf of his children (Job 1:5); and of Jesus we read, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35 ESV). Other spiritual disciplines like fasting and singing do not come naturally to everyone, but are nevertheless beneficial to everyone, so I figured I would gain from pushing myself to wake up before the sun.

• Second, I wanted to form a closer bond with my little son Henry. By sleeping in until he woke us up each day, I was often grumpy with him first thing, which was difficult to recover from. If I could get multiple hours of enriching study and writing in (along with a cup or two of coffee) I figured I would be more ready to welcome him with open arms, answering his first cries with a cheerful, “Good morning, son!” instead of a groggy, “What?” or worse, “Why?”

• Third, I spent the holidays turning a small bedroom in our house into a new office for myself and my books. After the satisfaction of applying fresh white trim paint, grey-green wall paint (Stonybook 1566 from Benjamin Moore) and laying new flooring, I was thrilled at the prospect of entering this space in the dark and being found writing there in the quiet as the sun would come up.

• Fourth, I have a journal that I designated “Before 9am” which I can only use in the morning before work. I love nice stationary and pens, so this orange LEUCHTTURM1917 journal and a LAMY 2000 fountain pen (thanks to my wife!) was enough temptation to get me to roll out of bed early. I was inspired by John Steinbeck’s Journal of a Novel, which he employed to get the juices flowing before he would write East of Eden each day.

• Finally, I got a copy of Steven Pressfield’s 365-day book The Daily Pressfield to help me battle the Resistance that hovers over the bed of any artist pursuing a meaningful project.

January 16, 2024 at 7:55 AM after a waking up at 5:48 AM

My morning schedule became: 1) read the Bible while coffee is brewing, 2) read the day’s entry in The Daily Pressfield, 3) write something, anything, in my orange journal, 4) work on my Bach book until Henry wakes up, 6) get the day started with the family, 7) hop on the first call for my 9-5. On days where Angela was working 7am-7pm at the hospital, I had extra incentive to get up early and make her breakfast. With this approach, I wrote about 45,000 words in my Bach book manuscript this year, along with extensive research and reading, and thorough outlining of the rest of the book.

In September, we welcomed our third child, Jonathan, and my morning writing schedule had to be put on pause for a time. However, I preserved my drive and used this season well by listening to relevant audiobooks and music while holding Jonathan at all hours and jotting countless notes in my phone that will help with my next chapters. Getting back to the consistent morning routine I had through much of 2024 is taking some effort, but I know the results will be worth it.

My big goal for 2025 is to complete the draft for my book by adding good words to the manuscript every morning, even as I also take time to write this newsletter and practice the violin more often for some great musical opportunities around the corner. Recently, I stayed up late a night or two writing like I used to, and the frustrating brain fog and inability to quit and go to sleep was far too familiar and uncomfortable. I have grown to love the morning for the progress it has ushered into my passion project, for the way it has helped me be a more patient dad to Henry, and for the beauty of each sunrise I have enjoyed. Since the question of how Bach could write so prolifically with a large family is a central one in my project, I look forward to continuing this process of honing my habits in the next season of family life.

If I have given you any good ideas or challenged you in a helpful way, let me know! I would also love to hear what morning habits you have been able to stick with and what sets you up for productive and healthy days with your loved ones!

March 16th, 2024 at 7:05 PM watching the kids have fun in my office during golden hour because I already had a productive week of writing and work!