How I Slept 20 Minutes Less—Everyday

I never thought 20 minutes could matter. It seemed too small to be significant—just a sliver of time, barely noticeable in the rhythm of a day. And yet, when I started sleeping 20 minutes less every night, something unexpected happened.

It changed everything.

But let me start from the beginning.

I’ve always considered myself a night owl. I’d stay up too late, scrolling through my phone or replaying conversations in my head. Mornings were a struggle. My alarm felt like an enemy, and I’d hit snooze until I had no choice but to rush through getting ready. The day would start in a panic, and that feeling would bleed into everything I did.

Even though I was sleeping a solid 7.5 to 8 hours, I still felt exhausted. Unmotivated. Disconnected from my own life.

I’d tell myself, You need more rest.

But what I actually needed was more space.

Not more sleep.

More time to breathe.

To sit with myself.

To start the day on purpose—not by accident.

One night, out of frustration, I decided to try something new. I set my alarm 20 minutes earlier than usual. Nothing dramatic. Just 20 minutes. Enough time to try something different, but not enough to feel overwhelming.

And the next morning, I got up.

I won’t lie—it wasn’t easy. My body resisted. My mind offered every excuse. But I stood up. I didn’t check my phone. I walked to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and sat at the table in silence.

That first morning, I didn’t do anything extraordinary. I didn’t write a novel or do yoga or meditate for an hour. I just sat there. Awake. Present. Not rushing. Not escaping.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was the one in control of my day.

That small change—waking up 20 minutes earlier—became a quiet revolution in my life.

Each morning, I experimented with how I spent those extra minutes. Some days, I journaled. Others, I stepped outside and just listened to the birds. Some mornings I made tea, or simply watched the sunrise wash golden light across my apartment walls.

And slowly, those 20 minutes began to change more than just how I started my day.

They changed how I lived.

I began to feel grounded before the chaos began. More patient in traffic. More present in conversations. I stopped rushing through everything. My anxiety, which had become a background hum in my life, began to quiet down. I didn’t even realize how much I needed that space until I had it.

It wasn’t just about the 20 minutes. It was about what they represented.

That tiny piece of time reminded me that I could choose how to live.

The truth is, so many of us are running. From task to task. From screen to screen. From one version of ourselves to another, trying to keep up. We tell ourselves we’re too busy. That we’ll slow down later. That we’ll make time for peace after we finish the next thing. And the next. And the next.

But peace doesn’t show up at the end of the checklist.

It has to be created.

On purpose.

Daily.

Even if it's just for 20 minutes.

I used to believe that rest only came from sleep. That if I was tired, I needed more hours in bed. But I’ve come to realize that what I often need is rest for my soul, not just my body. Sometimes that rest comes from stillness. From quiet. From being with yourself before the world starts making noise.

By sleeping 20 minutes less, I gained something far more valuable than extra time.

I gained myself.

Now, nearly a year since I first made the change, I don’t miss the extra sleep. In fact, I don’t even think about it. My body adjusted, and more importantly, my mind adjusted. My days have more clarity, my thoughts feel less tangled, and I’ve grown closer to who I truly am.

And on days when I don’t manage to wake up early—because I’m human and it happens—I notice the difference. Not because I’m more tired, but because I feel less rooted.

Those 20 minutes are my anchor.

The Moral:

Sometimes the smallest change can lead to the biggest shift in your life. You don’t need to overhaul your schedule or become a new person overnight. You just need to make space—for quiet, for reflection, for intention. The time you spend with yourself in those early moments may become the most meaningful minutes of your day.

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Thank you for reading...

Regards: Fazal Hadi