6 simple tips to wake up early and keep this habit forever
I am sure that you already know the benefits of getting up early. This is maybe the only quiet time that you can do the things you love, start your dream project or simply enjoy the sunrise while running before going to work.
There are literally thousands of articles offering quick tips on how to get up early. In reality though as with every habit change, this takes time. I am starting to write this article just because there is so much misinformation out there and I just wanted to know that people understand some fundamental things about getting up early. Most of them are kind of obvious but it is really important to put everything out there.
It literally took me 6 months to get used to getting up early effortlessly. Usually, after a long night this habit was difficult to keep. So the reality is that only after 2 years I was able to wake up between 5:30 to 6:00 am without even an alarm almost effortlessly. Here are 6 things that I’ve learned in order to actually get the habit of getting up early. Not a shortcut, just the normal way to slowly change your habit and what worked for me for over 5 years now.
Just a few words before starting with the steps. As with any habit change you will need to know that failure is part of the process. Some days you will just wake up late. The good news is that as long as you keep trying eventually this will change your life.
1. Wake up the exact same time everyday and over the weekends
If there is one key take-out of this article is this! From my personal experience it is impossible to keep this habit if you don’t follow it everyday. So for the first month if everything that I am saying in this article is difficult for you, just do that! Wake up at the exact same time over the weekends as during workdays. This will change your Circadian Rhythm and if you go to sleep at a similar time each day then waking up earlier over the weekends will become effortless.
2. Don’t snooze the alarm
Trust your past self. Snoozing the alarm that you’ve decided to put on the previous night is like not trusting yourself. If you trust your past self then stop the alarm, stand up and start your day! Having difficulties just standing up? Count from 1 to 5 and just do it. Once you are standing up and starting your routines it is much easier to continue.
3. Start by waking up just 30 minutes earlier than usual
If you’ve achieved the first 2 steps then start small by just waking up 30 minutes earlier at the beginning. That’s it! If you are struggling to do that, wake 15 minutes earlier. Seriously! Don’t go too hard as you will probably just wake up early the first few weeks and then you will not bother doing that anymore as it will be too difficult and you will probably think that this is “not for you”.
4. Write down the previous day what you will do by the time that you will wake up
The main struggle is to wake up in the morning, feeling sleepy, having nothing to do and ending up…. to do nothing! That’s why it is very important to write down (ideally in paper) the night before what you will do when you will wake up. For example, do you want to go to the gym? Prepare your bag the previous night and write down the workout that you will do that day.
5. Try to drink as less coffee as possible 😬
Personally for me this is the most difficult part and honestly I am still struggling with it! Simple trick but difficult! Unfortunately I am sorry to tell you that the more cups of coffee you drink during the day (especially after 2pm) the harder it will be for you to go to sleep! The harder it is for you to go to sleep, the harder it will be to develop a habit to wake up early. If that helps, currently I drink only one very light coffee in the morning when I wake up.
6. Take it easy
Sleeping is one of the most important human needs. If you see that you are missing days, just keep trying. This is just part of the process. Remember that these are your goals and nobody will judge you for that. It took me 2 years to adopt this habit and I am very proud that I can give some advice out of my personal experience.
I would like to end this article with a good vibe and by urging you to take action. Start from tomorrow (yes tomorrow) and simply try to get up at the same time over the weekends as if you are waking up on a workday. This was the first step that I did and literally changed my life. It is not only because you are getting up early but also because your body is getting used to a routine and that feels good.
I wouldn’t have found the time to workout, create my own online software or even write this article if I didn’t have this routine. The trick for getting up early is not only the time that you are waking up but also feeling good and excited while you do so.
And there you have it! 6 simple steps are good enough and it worked for me very well over the past 5 years. What about you? Let me know in the comments below.
