It took me four years of research, experimentation, and excuses, but I was finally able to manage my early morning habit. And it was worth it. I assume that you are reading this article because you too have tried to develop this habit (probably more than once) but for some reason failed.
Luckily, you don't have to go through this alone anymore, you have me and my experience.
Undoubtedly, the habit of getting up early has had a huge impact on my life: it has allowed me to set aside several hours a day for myself and the main tasks that are extremely important to me. And if you develop the same habit, it will affect your life in a similar way.
The experiences of several famous people confirm the importance of waking up early:
- Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo CEO, gets up at 4:30 am;
- Richard Branson, founder and president of Virgin Group - at 5:45;
- Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States - at 4:30;
- Tim Cook, Apple CEO - at 4:30 (doesn't get up, at this time he starts sending out letters);
- Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks - until 5:00;
- Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter - at 5:30.
Indra Nooyi, Richard Branson, Michelle Obama
Tim Cook, Howard Schultz, Jack Dorsey
Many other incredible people also wake up very early. Before you continue reading, stop for a moment and honestly answer this question:
Is this one of the articles that I will bookmark to come back to when I have time?
If yes, save the bookmark and skim through the text, perhaps you will find a couple of useful tips for yourself (and save time).
A year from now, you may regret not starting today. Karen Lamb
And if you want to develop the habit of getting up early, then I have everything ready for you.
The so-called 5am club has been very popularized in recent years, but getting up early doesn't mean getting up at 5am. I'm not saying you can't do it, just that it's not necessary. At a minimum, until you develop a new lifestyle.
One of the reasons why it took four years to establish my habit: I didn’t connect it with my lifestyle . I was a student then, and now I am an entrepreneur.
You need to decide what time to get up based on your current activities, responsibilities and tasks, such as work (study), family (do you have children, spouse), social circle, hobbies, travel, etc. Get up from five to six in the morning is extremely difficult if you worked the night shift or if you are a student and hang out in clubs and parties. And if you fly a lot and often experience jet lag, then it becomes physically unbearable to wake up at the same time every time.
So to determine your ideal wake-up time, ask yourself:
What time is the best time for me to get up, given my personal and professional life?
Having decided on the time, let's move on to strategy. As you know, getting up early does not depend on the alarm clock, but on this:
- Mood and goals.
- Evening routine.
- Sleep quality.
- Rise and morning routine.
Let's look at each point.
Mindset and goals
The mind is more important than the mattress. Robin Sharma
We humans love instant gratification of our desires. And so you will look for any possible excuse to sleep more. In the first few days for sure. Remember the most important thing: you will have to sacrifice a lot, especially in the first month. And you need to prepare for this. You will give up several get-togethers, face a lack of energy, and your productivity will decrease. But you need to put yourself first. And for this you need to set goals. They are important for two reasons.
Goals motivate us
Goals push us when we want to give up and hit the snooze button. The more emotion you put into a goal, the more leverage it will have. Not only for awakening, but for everything else in life.
Goals determine our actions
There are goals and there are systems. Each goal implies a set of actions that need to be performed to achieve it. For example:
- Goal: lose 10 kilograms by October 1, 2017.
- System: consume less than 2000 calories daily (no sweets, chips and other crap) + exercise: cardio twice a week (swimming or running), strength training twice a week and yoga for stretching.
I could describe it in more detail, but now it's your turn.
Choose your top three goals for the next year and plan how to achieve each of them.
Once you've done this, move on to defining your evening routine.
What to do when you can't sleep. How easy it is to get up early if you go to bed late
- You got up too late. For example, you got up at noon and you definitely won’t be able to fall asleep at 22:00, even if you decide to work out, do a lot of exercises, you will only want to sleep closer to 2-3 o’clock in the morning. That's why it's so necessary to get up early.
- You're worried that you'll oversleep . Let’s say you need to catch a plane early in the morning. A planned trip is extremely important to you. You are very afraid of waking up at the wrong time and for this reason you cannot fall asleep, or your sleep is intermittent and you often wake up to check the time. Therefore, before going to bed, set yourself up: you will get up at the right time, fresh and filled with strength. Think about how you woke up on time and felt great.
- I can’t sleep because of strong moral feelings. If you've had a rather difficult day, you need to specially prepare for bed. It is advisable to calm yourself down without medication or watching movies . The best solution is drawing. It has a calming effect and requires your brain to keep an eye on the pencil lead, eliminating and avoiding bad thoughts. It is imperative that you be able to not think about anything for some time. If you can’t draw from your head, then try coloring a doodle.
- Tomorrow is a difficult day. The question arises, how to quickly wake up early in the morning? Especially when you know that the next day you have a lot of important things to do, a significant event, submitting a report - there is a big risk of not falling asleep because of thoughts about the implementation of your tasks. You may worry that something won't work out for you. Or, on the contrary, wait for good events. And this is where drawing comes in handy. It is necessary to remove all unnecessary thoughts.
- You are depressed. If you constantly feel its presence, or you are undergoing treatment, then difficulty sleeping may not even be caused by a psychological state, but by the biochemistry of the body. In this case, the best way to fall asleep is to tire yourself. Try to solve school problems from physics and algebra textbooks. Intense brain activity can tire you out. Physical labor can also help: clean up the apartment, go for an evening jog, and exercise.
Evening routine
Many people think that getting up early starts in the morning, but this is far from the truth. First of all, you need to set yourself up for success in the evening. And this can be done in different ways.
Stop using gadgets before bed
Excess light with a noticeable proportion of the blue spectrum (displays of smartphones, tablets and computers) before bedtime negatively affects the quality of sleep. Therefore, one to two hours before bed, turn off all gadgets and focus on yourself.
Prepare for the next day
Instead of deciding everything in the morning and wasting precious willpower and decision-making ability, think about everything in the evening. Decide:
- What are the three priorities for tomorrow?
- What to wear tomorrow?
- What to eat tomorrow?
Think about your day and imagine your perfect morning.
Time flies quickly, and if you don't start paying attention to the important things, you'll miss out on a lot. So always ask yourself, what happened today? What have you achieved? What are you grateful for? What made you happy? And imagine the perfect morning. This alone will influence the desire to wake up and not turn off the alarm clock.
Read
With our busy lives, it is difficult to find time to read, but if you give up gadgets, it is easy to allocate half an hour a day to read books. For the soul or professional growth.
sunlight
For normal functioning of the body, sunlight is necessary. Today, the rhythm of human life reduces the time spent on the street during the daytime to a minimum. This leads to many health problems, one of which is sleep disturbance. Circadian rhythms affect the body's sleep and wakefulness state, so the lack of sunlight leads to a disruption that makes it difficult to wake up in the morning. This is especially true in the cold season, when the days are short and you have to wake up at night.
It is best not to completely curtain the windows so that the rays enter the room.
Everyone has probably noticed that it is easier to wake up after dawn. Another trick to waking up on time is to ensure that daylight enters the room. It is best not to completely curtain the windows so that the rays enter the room. If you wake up before dawn, get a lamp with a timer, or even worse, set the TV to turn on. The light will signal the brain that it is time to wake up.
Experts recommend choosing a room for your bedroom whose windows face the sunrise. This is the most suitable option for biorhythms.
Sleep quality
Most of us go through life without knowing what affects our sleep or how to improve it. Here's what you need to keep in mind to maximize your sleep.
Avoid stimulants
At least six hours before bed, avoid drinking coffee or alcohol, as they interfere with sleep. You can drink green tea and water.
Avoid large meals
Overeating puts a strain on the digestive system and reduces sleep quality. Limit snacks like nuts or a glass of milk to avoid waking up hungry.
Drink a glass of water
Since you need to sleep for 6-8 hours, your body will need a lot of water. Therefore, drink at least a glass of water before bed. If you have been drinking alcohol, you will need at least two glasses (and another one when you wake up).
Do without sports
Exercising less than three hours before bedtime will make it worse. It is better to study either early, or even in the morning.
Provide suitable conditions
Buy a good mattress and pillow. Sleep in a dark and quiet room (you can wear a sleep mask and take melatonin). Pay attention to the temperature in the room; cool is preferable.
Go to bed at the same time every night
At first, it will be difficult to go to bed at the same time because the body will stick to the old rhythm. And that’s why you need to go to sleep when you feel tired. After a few days, you will begin to feel tired at the end of the day, and then falling asleep on time will become easier.
Optimize your sleep
What I mean is that you should find your ideal bedtime and your ideal wake-up time when your energy and well-being are at their peak.
Our sleep consists of phases of rapid and slow sleep. First there is superficial sleep, it is replaced by deep (slow) sleep, followed by REM sleep. The full cycle lasts about 90 minutes and is repeated several times a night. That is something like this:
1.5 hours –> 3 hours –> 4.5 hours –> 6 hours, etc.
Of course, you won’t be able to get minute by minute between cycles, but over time you will be able to get more and more accurate.
You just need to get some sleep
Healthy sleep is one of the important stages necessary for good health. Lack of sleep is harmful to the body. Today, theories are becoming increasingly popular, according to which a person can sleep 5-6 hours a day without harm to health. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.
According to research, most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep to fully recuperate. Lack of sleep leads to a decrease in mental activity, leads to a deterioration in learning due to memory impairment, and a slowdown in the body's reactions to external stimuli. In addition, regular lack of sleep has a negative impact on the psyche and leads to irritability.
Rise and morning routine
At this point, we have discussed almost everything that indirectly affects early awakening. Now decide which of the two strategies you will follow.
Immersion method
You immediately go to bed exactly at the desired hour and stick to this regime. This is quite possible, but remember that unexpected changes in your routine will greatly affect your alertness in the morning.
Gradual method
It is most effective to change your wake-up time gradually, shifting it in the first days by 10-15 minutes until you feel that you are used to it, and then start waking up at the right time. If you usually get up at 8:00, don't immediately jump up two hours earlier. First, get up at 7:45. Get comfortable for a couple of days, then move to 7:30. This will take some time, but the impact on your energy will be minimal. And it’s not so psychologically unpleasant, it will reduce the risk of giving up everything. But if you often change time zones, you will have a hard time.
When choosing one of the methods, do not forget about a few things.
Find the right alarm clock
To postpone or not to postpone, that is the question. All of us
The day should not start with scary or annoying music. This defeats the purpose of the whole idea. Find an alarm clock with a leisurely melody that makes you feel positive (you may not like it over time).
Personally, I chose the motivational speech from the “Rise and Shine” video.
Note: For the first couple of weeks, keep your alarm clock away from your bed so that you have to get up to turn it off.
Get help
You probably have a friend who already wakes up at the right time. Ask him by all means to help you wake up at the appointed hour. Let him just send you messages or call you 10-15 minutes after your alarm, and that’s it.
Gamify the process using the X method
Get a large wall calendar that has the entire year, or at least one month, printed on one page. And hang it in a visible place.
Mark each day that you got up at the right time with a cross. In a few days you will have a chain. Just keep going and the chain will grow every day. You will love looking at her, especially when you have several weeks of this regime under your belt. The main thing is not to break the chain.
This method works quite well and is enjoyable, especially if you stick with it for a while.
Think of something to do when you wake up
You need something that will relieve your drowsiness. First, drink some water. Then walk around, wash your face and brush your teeth. Make your bed. Open the window, let the light in (it’s not a fact that it will be light at five in the morning, but a portion of fresh air will do you good).
ATTENTION: Do not read email, news, social networks and blogs for a couple more hours - distance yourself from them.
There will be a lot of time for this later, and the morning belongs to you .
Do what you like
For me it's making coffee. I turned it into a ritual. After making the bed and washing my face, I make coffee and sit on the balcony, thinking about plans and reading a book.
Morning activities
They depend on your goals and the systems you need to follow to achieve your goals. But the main rule is this: whatever you do, set aside one hour for it. Spending three hours in the morning exercising, reading, watching tutorials, drawing, and doing projects for the soul is doable, but it will inevitably overwhelm you and you will fail.
Here's what I can suggest:
- Think through and evaluate your goals.
- Engage in physical activity (exercise, running, swimming, yoga).
- Meditate.
- Read (or watch training courses).
- Spend time on projects for the soul or for work.
- Spend time with your spouse or children.
- Prepare the meal (that you planned in the evening).
Before considering other options, read this article.
Please note: you may experience a lack of energy in the first couple of weeks. But this is normal, the body must adapt to the new schedule.
Pro tip: If your strength suddenly leaves you, take a 20-30 minute nap during the day.
Sometimes you won't be able to wake up on time, which can make you upset and ruin your whole day. Don't worry, be glad you slept longer and focus on the important things, and tomorrow everything will fall into place.
Morning shower
A morning shower will help you finally perk up after sleep. It has been proven that such a ritual improves brain productivity and increases performance. Scientists have concluded that taking a shower in the morning helps the brain solve a problem that requires a creative solution. Doctor of Philosophy S. Carson claims that the moment of insight in an insoluble problem comes precisely in the soul, since during the procedure alpha waves predominate in the brain, that is, the brain is in a psychophysically relaxed state, but at the same time it is actively working.
It is best to take a contrast or cool shower in the morning. The body becomes toned and the body is fully activated.
FAQ
What about the weekend?
It all depends on personal preference. In the beginning, when you are just getting used to it, I suggest sticking to the regimen every day. Later, when you get used to it, you can sleep one to two hours longer on the weekends.
How many times can I miss waking up early?
When trying to develop this habit, be careful about easing yourself: with two or three breaks a week, it will be difficult to return to waking up early. But when you can get up at the appointed time for 30 days in a row, you will begin to feel all the benefits of this approach. And if you miss two or three days, then you can easily return to the routine, because you have already gained control over yourself and know how important it is.
What about travel or a change of environment?
This is always difficult. Don't be merciless to yourself. Try to stick to your habits, if it doesn’t work out, just try to do what you want well.
Here are tips to follow your travel habits.
A sudden party has arrived...
Just have fun. Don’t force yourself to wake up at the appointed time, sleep as much as you need, and then return to your usual routine.
What to do after waking up?
What makes you happy? A playful dog, a walk in the park, aromatic tea or a delicious breakfast with loved ones can work wonders. Why do you deprive yourself of things that lift your spirits in the morning?
Try doing one thing in the morning that inspires you. The habit of taking your time will help you understand and realize this need. Avoid morning stress.
Add some color to your interior. This point may seem naive, but the artist Vasily Kandinsky opened our eyes on this issue a century ago, writing a book about the influence of color on our lives and perceptions. Swiss psychologist Max Luscher paid much attention to the influence of color on human perception and his mental state. Thus, he found that yellow-red tones create a feeling of excitement, excitement, and activity. Blue and gray color tones, on the contrary, have a calming effect. A yellow flower pot, a bright fruit basket, green curtains. It's a small thing, but nice.
