Welcome to Week 2 of my 2026 vlog series! I’m Hillary Dow—author/illustrator, needle-felting artist, and founder of Binding Tales. This week I’m sharing the foundation habit that makes everything else possible: waking up at 4:00 a.m. (yes, really). I’ll show what’s on my felting mat as I work on Jett the Octopus (my next children’s book character), and I’ll walk through how habits—especially sleep + habit stacking—help me consistently build my creative business alongside a full-time career and family life.
📚 Book rec: Atomic Habits
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Treat habits like creative infrastructure: sleep → consistency → output.
Prefer the transcription? Here you go!
January 8, 2026
Hello, I’m Hilary Dow. Welcome to week number two, kicking off 2026 and my launch of a series of videos to help everyone follow along with my author, illustrator, self-publisher journey, as well as an entrepreneur of a startup who I am continuously growing Binding Tales every year with big goals in store.
So I wanted to show you what I have on my felting mat, which is a piece of foam, because when you’re felting, your felting needle pokes right through the surface. But I am working on the eyes of Jet the Octopus, who is the main character of my next children’s book.
So in the first video that I did for this year that I posted for last week, I was really talking about an overview of 2026 and all the things I have in store and the format really of what I’m working on for this video content delivery.
So today what I wanted to share with you was a bit more into the weeds down in the nitty-gritty of how I tackle all the things that I have both on my plate, but also on my priority list of areas that I want to develop Binding Tales in the coming year, as well as the tactical execution of how am I going to achieve those goals.
So if I, for example, I want to grow my wholesale distribution list in 2026, I made the decision at the end of 25 to register for the New England Maid Show, which is held down in South Portland. And since I work a day job, I have to do a lot of that work outside the typical eight to five workday.
Plus breakfast, getting the kids ready for the bus, getting myself ready for work, getting home, making dinner, sleeping, all the things that come with life, a very full life, a very happy, wonderful life.
So my number one foundational habit is getting up at four o’clock in the morning. So think about that for a second. I get up every day at four o’clock in the morning. I rarely feel tired during the day.
I enjoy my coffee. I am a coffee drinker, even if you’re not a coffee drinker, having uninterrupted, not on the go, running and trying to do 10 things all at once, time to, I might be working on my computer or working on felting, but I can enjoy my coffee in the morning.
I’m, I have the time to like level set for the day. So it doesn’t phase me at all. The alarm clock goes off at four o’clock and both Adam and I wake up early together. He’s generally working on his genealogy and I’m working on Binding Tales.
I throw out ideas. I ask him questions. He does the same for me. Usually if he runs into some sort of what technology, software, Microsoft, whatever isn’t doing what I want it to do, do you have any ideas?
Because I know very little about genealogy. He’s the expert there. Here’s what I’m working on. Oh, the eyes. Okay. It’s coming along. So the number one habit that for me creates the foundation and the opportunity, the time opportunity, and a time that I am fresh and my mind isn’t tired.
I can be really focused is being a member of what I call the 4 a.m. Club. Sometimes I see the 5 a.m. club, whatever it is, those of us who commit to starting our day earlier, members of that 4, 5 a.m. club, you’re achieving other things. You’re achieving things that are for yourself. And I really, really value that because I provide for my family. I have a very demanding career. I’m the marketing manager of a large auto group here in the state of Maine.
Fantastic employer. I’ve worked for two employers in my life that are at the very top of the list of love the business, love the people, love what I do. One was the very start of my career, way more than 20 years ago.
And I really just outgrew the business. I wanted more complex, challenging things. And now I definitely have that. So Darlings Auto Group is a wonderful employer. I love my job. I also love building something that’s my own.
So in order to do that, I need to do it outside of work. So that’s my 4 a.m. time. And like right now, it’s New Year’s Day and the snow outside my window is gently falling and it’s a peaceful day off.
Everyone in the house is doing the things that they enjoy. Later we’ll be watching the Rose Bowl and the parade and making authentic Cajun gumbo because that’s our family tradition for New Year’s Day.
We were going to be ice fishing today, but the weather is not cooperating for that. So we’ll do that on another weekend. But anyway, that habit of starting my day early allows me to do so many things.
And when people see the things that I offer for products, the services I provide, I do author visits. When people kind of grasp all the different tentacles of my business, they’re really often quite astounded.
And it all starts with that habit of starting my day at four o’clock. And I would not be able to do that if I didn’t get good sleep. I’d be, you know, I’d be a monster. I have to be well rested in order to do all these things.
And my kids would tell you that I lose my patience easily and maybe that has something to do with it. But I mean, my goodness, an 11 and 13 year old can make you lose your patience. So there’s that. And a book that I recommend, I’ve read it three times now.
I’m sure that’s not the last. I will read it again, is Atomic Habits. And if you are someone who reads self-help books or books about business, books about professional development, I am sure you have heard that recommendation before.
And like I said, I’ve read it three times and it provides an additional takeaway every time I read it without fail. And it also reinforces the choices that I’m currently making, like waking up early every day so that I have additional grounded, thoughtful, well-rested time to do things that bring fulfillment to me.
They allow me to get my creativity out in a way that is very different than the work that I do at this point in my career for marketing day to day at Darlings. It’s just, this is very different than that.
And it’s mine. So I’m going to sign off on this week’s video by just reinforcing the importance and the value of habits and habit stacking. And did I mention my bedtime? I don’t think I did. It’s worth mentioning that when we and the kids have a very strict bedtime routine where we brush our, we start brushing our teeth around 7.15, 7.20 on weeknights, except for Friday.
Friday is pizza and a movie night. And then we read and then we’re going to bed. So everybody’s lights out, although I think the kids, for the most part, at this point, they’re staying up later. Eva’s reading.
Tyler might be reading or cubing. But I have said, okay, but by nine o’clock, that light better be out. But for me, when that light goes out at eight o’clock, like eight o’clock, I’m falling asleep because I’m waking up at four o’clock in the morning and I have no trouble falling asleep.
And sometimes my mind gets a little restless and that it’s a little problematic, but that is very rare. Usually I have absolutely no trouble falling asleep. So big, big fan of early to bed, early to rise, and build that time for yourself.
If you are in startup mode for your business, like I am, and startup mode is not like six months or a year. Startup is years, years worth of building my brand, my style, my habits, understanding the balance of, okay, within that four to six two-hour time block every day.
So here at least five days a week, often six or seven, six, seven, it’s 2026. Then I lost my train of thought. I got all off topic with 6’7. I completely lost my train of thought. That’s one more thing that 6’7 is, if you’re ever wondering.
Oh, even on the weekends. So even, so most of the time it’s Monday through Friday, but also Saturday and Sunday. So that’s 12 to 14 hours a week anyway, plus additional time that if we’re on a family car ride, I’m felting on my lap, usually.
So there’s other times too and other activities getting done. Oh yeah, I like that much better. Very more cartoon-like, less real octopus, more children’s book character. So 14 hours a week at minimum while still having a day job is completely doable.
So go to bed early, wake up early. Habits, habits, habits. And once you build the habit, it’s like second nature. It doesn’t phasey at all. Your body naturally wakes up. Your body naturally falls asleep.
I do say that with compassion for people who have trouble sleeping because I don’t struggle with that. But maybe building a habit like this would help with that. So anyway, I’m going to sign off on this video.
Habits, forming habits, going to bed early, waking up early, creating anywhere from 10 to 14 hours minimum within your work week, personal time, within your week for you. It works for me. So thanks for joining me, signing off on week two.
I’m going to start layering in at the end of my videos. I’d love for you to consider joining my Patreon community. There’s different tiers in there. I think I’m going to go with three tiers. So please do consider that.
I’ll put additional content in there. So if this is intriguing you, if things like this intrigue you, this is the sort of stuff that I do, illustrations, books, like it’s fun stuff. I’m motivated and I’m on a mission to share this with the world.
So looking forward to my next update and much more to come. Thanks.
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