7 Tips to Get Out of Bed
You have the best-laid intentions for your weekend. You’re going to wake up at 6, and before the kids are even halfway through their cartoons, the gutters will be cleared, the garage will be cleaned, and the lawn will be mown.
Right. That’s not happening, thanks to the nefarious invention known as the snooze button. Why is waking up early – or even on time, for that matter – so darn difficult? Even when we go to bed at a reasonable hour and avoid the late-night munchies, some of us have a really hard time waking up as early as we’d like. If you’ve made sure you are eating nutritious foods, cut out stress, gotten into a good exercise routine, and have ruled out a health condition, you might find these tips to be helpful in rousing you from your VIMPS (Very Important Morning Pillow Sessions).
1. Give yourself the command.
This is the simplest, most overlooked key to waking up early (or on time). Simply tell yourself, in a clear, direct manner, that you will wake up at the desired time. Do this right before going to bed. Say it to yourself with conviction and complete focus. You’ll be surprised how effective this simple habit is. You may even find yourself waking before your alarm rings.
2. What’s your mission?
What is your purpose in life? What is your primary mission? Whatever it is, your daily actions are (hopefully) done with your purpose in mind. Waking on time is validating your life’s purpose and giving authority to your dreams, hopes, aspirations and goals. Recognize that this tiny step – waking up – is the first action in a purposeful life. Reinforce it daily.
3. Smile!
Even if you feel like a curmudgeon upon waking, force yourself to smile. While it won’t necessarily make you feel happy, you will feel a little better. Find something to focus your smile’s intention on – a bird chirping, the puppy panting in excitement for the day to begin, or your children knocking on your door.
4. Think of the benefits.
Sometimes a beneficial thing can feel like a chore if we don’t consciously remind ourselves of the benefits. Force yourself to think positively and recount the excellent reasons to wake up early. Just as the exercising battle is won by simply putting on your sneakers, your day’s tasks and challenges are won simply by getting out of bed with promptness and a positive spirit. Think of all you will gain by getting started early. Write the benefits down and keep the list by your bed if necessary.
5. Reward.
If getting out of bed early feels impossible, be generous with yourself for a brief time. Go ahead and reward yourself with whatever indulgence or treat is necessary – a massage at the end of a week of early rising, a hot-fudge sundae for breakfast at the end of a successful week, or a daily evening soak in an herbal-infused tub.
6. Commit to others.
If you can’t find a reason or a reward for yourself, make morning commitments to others that absolutely cannot be broken. Though you might be miserable for a few days, you’ll quickly adjust. As you do, begin to implement positive thoughts and rewards so waking early becomes a joyful thing rather than drudgery.
7. Non-negotiable schedule.
Go for a test run: give yourself a non-negotiable schedule for 30 days. Go to bed and rise at the same time, no matter what. Do not think; just do it. Tell yourself that after a month, you can go back to whatever you were doing before. By the end of the month, you will be completely habituated to your new schedule and it will feel like second nature. Be sure to congratulate yourself!
- Adapted from Today Is That Day
mikeautry1 Flickr Photo (CC)
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Posted By: Worker Bee
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I feel like when I rip my self up out of the bed in the morning I have a much better chance of actually contributing to society.
Fooey!
Your list is silly! You might as well make a list like this:
How to Succeed in Business:
1. Tell yourself to succeed
2. Give yourself goals and achieve them.
3. Stick to your plan.
4. Make lots of money.
Sure, it would work, but it’s a good deal trickier in the execution, isn’t it? If I had a robot friend, he could commit to a non-negotiable 30-day plan, but I’m not so sure humans work like that. After all, staying up late and being involved with weekend craziness is why we put up with the repetitive predictability of the week, is it not?
I disagree with you, McFly. Just because advice isn’t easy, doesn’t mean it’s “silly.” A 30-day schedule is tough, but something to strive for. And number 3 and 5 (smiling, and rewarding) are simple enough to try, though most people have never considered these as part of the wake-up routine.
As for me, I don’t see Monday through Friday as the “repetitive, predictable” part of my life, I see the weekdays as times for me to work on my goals and my Self. My life is more than weekends.
Yea, the smiling thing sure works for me
I get so happy when i’m actually out of my bed!
One little trick that really worked for me was setting my snooze period to 2 minutes (as low as it would go) I’m really amazed at how well that has worked.
for more comprehensive list check http://www.howtowakeupearly.com
cheers
Helen
Hi Mark,
Thanks for commenting on my related post ( http://www.geek-fitness.com/2007/12/10/defeat-the-snooze-button/#comment-130 ). Your point 7 is one I completely overlooked – I heard (and can’t remember where) that you need to do something every day for 21 days to make it a habit, and getting up early definitely becomes second-nature quickly if you do so every day.
Dave
..this one is dead easy..make a lighbox using Solux 3500 k 24 degree 50 watt bulb or bulbs..cost you perhaps 30 bucks with the bulb and transformer.
Put it on a timer and bingo when it wakes it’ll trick you’re brain.
Listen doubters if it will work in -34 Alberta darker than dark it’s a sho-in.
All good things, buggers.
Sinc.
Simon Fellows
I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with McFly. As someone who has struggled with this their entire life and tried absolutely everything, I would have to say that this seems a bit unrealistic.