Build the habit of success. Wake up early and conquer the world! Here are 5 hacks that will allow you to stop struggling to get out of bed early in the morning.
5 Hacks to make you wake up early
Getting out of bed in the morning is undoubtedly difficult. But it is possible with the hacks we will share. And with determination and repetition, you’ll be up and running before your alarm clock goes off.
Develop a sleep schedule and routine
Develop a nighttime routine. This routine or sequence of events you perform before bed will allow your brain to signal to your body that it is time to sleep.
For example, your routine could consist of taking a shower an hour or two before your bedtime. Then curling up on your couch or chair for a few minutes or an hour of reading. Finally, after you’ve finished reading, crawl into bed.
You should also plan your sleeping schedule so that you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep.
Lastly, it is important that you go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day, including weekends.
Maintaining a consistent nighttime routine will help you establish a healthy circadian rhythm, which will promote quality sleep and overall health.
Start small
The key to developing a good habit, such as waking up early, is to start small. So that you don’t become overwhelmed.
And, so that you don’t startle your body into doing something it isn’t used to, because when something is difficult, the natural reaction is to resist.
Thus, if you want to develop the habit of waking up early, set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier than your usual wake-up time. Once your body has adjusted to it, you can increase the time by another 15 minutes, and so on.
By gradually waking up earlier, your body will expend less energy and thus will not resist the change that you are trying to implement.
And, because you started with a manageable amount of time, you will gain momentum and confidence to keep going until you reach your goal.
Take it from the man himself, Tony Robbins:
People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulling prophecy.
So, take things slow, you’ll eventually get there and wake up early like a pro, minute by early minute.
5-second rule
This is another hack you can adopt from Mel Robbins who developed this simple hack.
The technique is to think of yourself as a rocket ready to launch. Count backward from 5 and by the time you reach 1, get out of bed.
That’s it. No overthinking it. No rationalizing the action. Just get out of bed.
Feet on the ground, eyes out the window
Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist has another great hack for getting out of bed. The trick is to put your feet on the floor and walk over to the window.
The motion of putting your feet on the ground and then getting up to look outside through the window will have you fully awakened. By then, you will have to make a conscious decision if you still want to get back and sleep or just go do something now that you’re awake.
Have a purpose
Take this tip from a late convert to the habit of waking up early, such as myself.
That is, have a valid reason for getting up early. If you have a goal, it will be easier to convince yourself to sacrifice a few minutes of sleep.
Allow me to use myself as an example.
Me, I wanted to get up early because I wanted to succeed in my writing and improve myself.
I established healthy habits such as writing daily, reflecting, exercising, and continuous learning. However, I struggled to implement these habits and felt overwhelmed. That is until I decided to try waking up early.
I experienced firsthand how productive I could be if I had a few minutes or even an hour more in my day. As a result, I resolved to make waking up early one of my good habits from then on.
And, unlike previous attempts, having a reason for wanting to get up early made it easier for me now. Before, I always thought that sacrificing a few minutes of sleep was pointless because- WHY?
Now that I have been converted, the habit of getting up early makes me feel better. Because I have accomplished the daily goals that will help me grow as a person.
Why you should wake up early
A number of reasons, all valid are available as to why you should wake up early. Here are some of the best ones that will finally convince you to give up a few more minutes in bed and start the day early.
Time for yourself
When you wake up early, you have time to focus on yourself. Early mornings are an excellent time to plan and organize your day. You can also use it for contemplation or reflection. Or you can use it to read while holding a cup of hot coffee, which is optional but would make the experience more relaxing.
Certainly, these extra hours or minutes can also be used to enjoy a relaxing morning before the hustle and bustle of the day begin. If you prefer, you can have a leisurely breakfast. You can go for a walk, soak up the sun, and observe nature at work.
You can do whatever relaxes you and makes you feel good. Because you have the extra time by getting up early.
And when you have a calm and relaxed start to the day, you can be your most collected self to face the day. Being in the right frame of mind to make well-considered decisions and come up with solutions to problems or concerns.
Exercise
We all understand the value of exercise, but most of us put it off until later, which becomes never because we lack the time to actually do it.
However, when you wake up early, you can then schedule exercise as your first activity of the day. A productive day.
Exercising first thing in the morning has many benefits. Including fewer distractions, healthier food choices, increased alertness, increased energy levels, weight loss, better mood, and better focus.
Early morning sun
Getting up early allows you to go outside and enjoy the sun on your eyes and skin.
The early morning sunlight and the flow of visual images outside help your body relax and feel less anxious.
Furthermore, it prompts the brain that it is time to be alert. The brain then sends biological cascades or signals to every cell and organ of the body to become fully functional. And sets things down the right path.
Finally, the early morning sun causes the body to release cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that promotes alertness and immune system health.
Productivity
Early mornings are ideal for getting things done. It is the best time to make important decisions, be creative, or focus on a critical task.
Because there are fewer distractions in the mornings. If you’re at home, your housemates are still sleeping soundly. At work, your coworkers may still be stuck in traffic. In addition, there will be fewer emails, phone calls, and text messages.
By 10:00 A.M. you would have completed your most important tasks. All because you got up early.
The foundation of good habits and personal development
Most of us want to make positive changes. Every year, we make resolutions to make better choices and decisions. Such as increasing our involvement, improving our communication skills, pursuing that promotion, requesting a raise, and so on.
But even before January is over, our resolve to improve has been shoved to the backburner. Because we don’t have enough time to do the things that will help us achieve our goals.
However, waking up early will alleviate our time constraints. Early mornings give us the extra time and the right frame of mind to pursue our self-development goals.
Conclusion
To conclude, even though waking up early is difficult. It’s not impossible. With these 5 hacks, you will definitely wake up early like a pro.
- Developing a sleep schedule and routine,
- Start small,
- 5-second rule,
- Feet on the ground, eyes out the window, and
- Have a purpose.
Once you have overcome the struggle of waking up early, you will surely gain the following benefits:
- Time for yourself,
- Time to do some exercise,
- Experience early morning sun,
- Get productive, and
- Establish a good foundation for other good habits and personal development.
Please share your thoughts or ideas about 5 Hacks That Will Make You Wake Up Early Like A Pro in the comments below. And if you liked this article, you might be interested as well in these articles:
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Outside reference/s:
How To Wake Up Early: 8 Benefits To Waking Up Early
10 Benefits of Rising Early, and How to Do It