Waking up early is a difficult task for many people. Generally, waking up is the most dreaded part of anyone’s day. However, it is arguably the most important part of your entire day. I personally believe that how you feel when you wake up can determine your mood throughout the day. I find that whenever I wake up tired or feeling groggy, I continue through the rest of my day in a horrible mood. I typically find that the later I wake up, the less motivated I feel that day. Waking up early makes me feel motivated and productive. I also love waking up early in the morning because it creates more time where I can do the things that I love but may not have the time to do during a busy day. I will admit, I do not wake up at 5 AM every morning. Honestly, it has been a while since I have woken up that early consistently. This is due to the fact that I have been going to bed late recently (late to my standards – I will discuss this later*). However, if you follow these tips, you will be able to get into the habit of waking up early. Like any other habit, it takes a while to get used to doing this every morning. Allow yourself to slowly develop the habit of waking up early; make slight changes every day and you will be able to build up to waking up at 5 AM (maybe even earlier!).
On early school mornings, I typically wake up early to do some extra review or even preview the material I will be learning that day in class. This allows my brain to “start working” and I can slowly get prepared for school. Sometimes I will just sit at my desk and listen to some music as I try to mentally wake myself up. I have always been somewhat of a morning person so this is usually not that difficult.
On weekends, I allow myself to sleep in a bit until anywhere around 7 to 9 AM depending on my schedule and how early/late I slept the night before. This leads to my first tip:
Regulate the amount of sleep by adjusting the bedtime, not the wake-up time.
Go to Bed Early
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is shocking how sleeping earlier can affect your mood, ability to concentrate and performance in school or work. There have been many instances where I have gone to school without enough sleep and have scored horrible grades on tests or quizzes even though I studied. Now, I prioritize sleep over everything. Rather than cram for a test that I am not prepared for, I accept that my performance will be worse without sleep and I immediately go to bed. That being said, you may ask “well, how much sleep do I really need?” Well, it’s said that teenagers typically need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Numerous people have tried to convince me that they can function normally with less than 6 hours of sleep. However, many people suffer from “sleep debt” and do not realize how tired they are or what it feels like to be fully rested.
In order to break the habit of going to bed late, try going to bed 15 minutes earlier everyday. Another tip is to turn off all electronics at least an hour before you go to bed. Try reading or doing another calming activity just prior to sleeping (ex: yoga, journaling, drawing, etc…).
Before you go to bed, try to planning out your bedtime in order to make sure you get a sufficient amount of sleep. For example, if I am planning to wake up at 6 AM, I will plan to go to bed at around 9 to 10 PM. This may sound very early for some of you but *I am nowhere close to being a night owl. I get tired at around 8 PM and am unable to stay awake late. Due to this, I try to finish my homework and studying early in the evening or I will wake up early to finish my school work. I am only able to stay up with caffeine in my system or if I am looking at a screen like my laptop, phone or TV.
Have a Reason to Wake Up
Create a personal reason or goal; why do you want to wake up early? If you create a goal, you will feel more motivated to achieve that goal. Having a solid reason to wake up will make you feel obligated to wake up. For example, if you and a friend agree to meet up early in the mornings to go on a walk or to work out together, you will have someone (or something) to hold you accountable.
Creating a schedule is also a good way to make the flow of waking up early easier in the morning. For example, when I wake up, I will allow myself to spend 5 to 10 minutes on my phone, usually catching up on emails, messages, other notifications and occasionally reading the news. Then I will get up to shower and get ready. If I have time before breakfast, I will usually look over some schoolwork or read. Although my schedule is not very specific, it still makes me feel organized and I know exactly what I have to do after waking up.
An important thing to remember is: don’t overwhelm yourself! Make sure you have everything cleaned and set up the night before so that you feel less pressure in the morning.
If you are trying to wake up earlier, remember to start off with small changes to your regular schedule! Trying to wake up 2 hours earlier than normal in one day is going to be a disaster. Instead, wake up 15 minutes earlier every week or everyday and slowly you will be able to easily wake up at 5 AM. Also, never snooze your alarm! Guaranteed, you will feel even more exhausted when the alarm goes off again. Keep your alarm far away from your bed so that you are forced to get up and walk to turn it off. Fight the urge to return to bed! Put yourself in a positive mood by playing some upbeat music or by making a nutritious breakfast.
Hope this was helpful and good luck!
The videos below were what made me interested in waking up early! The Youtuber UnJaded Jade introduced me to the idea of waking up early and being productive. Her “MY 5AM MORNING ROUTINE 2017” video has honestly changed my life in the past two years.
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Sources:
Better Human
Zen Habits
Chris Winfield
Lifehack
Sleep Foundation
Youtube