Lent is a time in which we try to add certain spiritual practices – such as daily Mass, spiritual reading, meditation – to our regular schedules. But one problem that many people today have is finding time for such additional activities in their already-crammed schedules. But what if I told you that I know a way to add an hour to your day? It’s true, and here are the steps to do it:

1) Give up caffeine. I realize I probably just lost the majority of readers on this one, but giving up caffeine will stop the artificial highs that screw up your body’s natural sleep/wake rhythms.

2) Get up at the same time EVERY day. Including Saturday and Sunday. If you get up at a different time on the weekend, it will be much more difficult for your body to get up on Monday and other weekdays. But at this point, don’t get up any earlier than you used to, just be consistent about when you get up.

3) Go to bed at the same time every night. Yes, Friday and Saturday as well.

4) After doing this for three weeks, set your alarm 15 minutes earlier. After about three weeks, you will notice that you often wake up on your own before the alarm sounds, so the 15 minutes will not really be that noticable.

5) Repeat step 4 three times. After three months, you will be getting up an hour earlier than you used to. You might end up having to go to bed earlier than before, but honestly, what does anyone productively do the last hour or so before they go to bed? Adding the hour in the morning will be much more beneficial than losing it at night (and you probably won’t lose a whole hour at night anyway, as the regular wake/sleep times will make your sleep more restful than before).

Of course, I’m not a doctor, I just play one on my blog. But I have found these steps to work, and if you are looking for a way to find more time for prayer and spiritual reading in your life, perhaps you could try it as well!

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