I’ve shared this before but by nature, I’m a night owl. Over the last 3-4 years, I’ve trained myself to not just get up earlier, but love my mornings. And I do. I actually get excited to get up early. I know it sounds crazy, but if you are intrigued by the idea and want to consider it, below are the tips I’ve found to be most effective when trying to get up earlier.
- Go To Bed Earlier – Yep, it’s that easy. Rather than going to bed at 11 PM like I used to, I had to adjust and try to be in bed by 9 PM. If you sleep for 8 hours, you are then up at 5 AM.
- Start Small – You may be someone who gets up at 7:30 AM right now for your 8 AM job. Rather than jumping right to a 5:30 AM alarm, move your rising time by 15 minutes per week. This gets your body used to your waking hour over time and it’s less of a shock. You’re more willing to stick to it. This may take 1-2 months to get to your ideal waking hour, but if it means you’re more willing to stick to the changes in the long run, it’s worth it.
- Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To – For me, some of the things I look forward to are my pre workout (it’s delicious), the sunrise, or even a new music playlist or workout shirt. Especially on the days I’m feeling sluggish, I think about something I will look forward to in the morning to get me excited.
- Move Your Alarm – I’ve done the moving your alarm across the room thing. And I’ve also made my Amazon Alexa my alarm clock at points. Being coherent enough in the morning to either get out of bed and shut of my alarm, or make sure Alexa understands me to shut off the alarm are both good tips. They’re annoying as heck for yourself, but do get you up faster.
- Find a Partner – Whether this is your spouse, a workout partner, or just a friend who gets up early, find someone who will hold you accountable to getting up and who doesn’t mind an early morning text or conversation. It’s easy to disappoint yourself. It’s harder to disappoint others. You’re more likely to get up and stay up if someone is expecting to hear from you or workout with you in the morning.
There’s many more tips I could share for getting up earlier, but these are what I’ve found to be the most effective. Pick 1 and stick to it for a month. See how it goes. If it goes well, add in a second. Over time, chances are you will be someone who loves their morning rhythms.
