Good start!

It's been a week and a half and I'm still at it. I'm in disbelief. This is the first time I've had success in waking up early without the use of jet lag for an extended period of time! ;-) I wake up at 6:30 am every morning, give or take 5 minutes. It is probably so small and unimportant a feat but I tell ya....I've been feeling absolutely wonderful! It's psychological but just the fact that I've managed to accomplish this little thing makes me feel like I'm so much more productive. Here are some direct benefits I've experienced so far:

1. I eat a good breakfast everyday.
2. I read for at least 20 minutes. My current reads - The Dharma Bums (Jack Kerouac) and A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson). I read one book in the morning and one at night before going to sleep depending on what I feel like each morning. On some days I read up on photography (my new found hobby).
3. I get ready for work without a sense of crazy rush. 
4. I even saw dawn breaking over the horizon on a couple of days when it wasn't raining or grey! It was peaceful and lovely.
5. I've felt energetic all day long.
6. I'm able to come back home early because I get to work earlier. That gives me the benefit of additional time in the evenings as well. So I've been cooking more - satisfies both my craving for getting creative in the kitchen and healthy eating for both of us.
7. A side benefit of waking early and having more time in the day - I finally started my home organization project. I always dreamed of an immaculately organized home - and I dont mean just on the outside. Every closet, shelf and drawer must be cleaned out for getting rid of unnecessary items, i.e., be as minimal as possible in my possessions. Everything must have a dedicated place so we wont need to clean up clutter much. I dont like to accumulate too much stuff and hence dislike shopping (yea, weird for a girl I know). But I'd rather be as less consumerist as possible - as much as I can help it anyway. Also, strangely enough, my state of zen is directly related to not just visible clutter but also the kind that's hidden away behind closed closet doors. It really does affect my sleep. (My husband is convinced I'm not from this planet. ;-))
8. Finally, I've started planning my days better and getting more out of each day. As part of that, I'm also setting goals towards following a path of doing only what I love, not just on weekends, but all week long.

Anyway, I think that's the list so far. I'm quite excited with the progress I've made if I may be allowed to gloat for a minute here. ;-) And here's hoping for more....