How to Wake Up Early - Legend of Lisa

How to Wake Up Early

Did you know that 50% of self-made millionaires wake up at least 3 hours before their actual work day begins?

In my article, The 12 Habits of Successful People, I listed “waking up early” as one of the ingrained, daily habits of go-getters.

But rising early on a consistent basis doesn’t just happen overnight (no pun intended).

It takes persistence and determination.

Back in the day…

Back in my high school and college days (so basically 15+ years ago) I used to have no issue getting up when my alarm went off.

Mind you, this was before the age of smart phones, so I used an actual alarm clock. It was placed on the other side of the room, so I had to get out of bed to shut the thing off.

Otherwise, I was succumbed to a loud, ear-splitting noise.

I never understood why people repeatedly hit snooze-you were just delaying the inevitable, after all, so why not just get up?

A Bad Habit is Formed

Unfortunately, in more recent years, I became that person who hit the snooze button repeatedly (much to my husband’s dismay). With my phone on my nightstand, it was too easy not to.

Countless times I told myself, “I’m going to get up when my alarm goes off, and actually wear makeup and do my hair for work.”

It never happened.

I didn’t have the willpower, but more than that…

There was no reason to be excited about getting up early.

None.

Sure, I liked my job…

But I didn’t like it enough to get excited about waking up and traveling 35 minutes on a scary highway to get there.

So, I’d wake up at the last minute and rush out of the house (thankfully, one thing I am good at is being on time).

Discovering my “Why”

Once I figured out how to alter my morning routine, I began waking up on my own, moments before my alarm went off, without any temptation to hit snooze.

This morning, as I’m writing this, I actually woke up at 4am, because I was so excited about starting my routine and getting to work!

Crazy, right?!

4am is too early of a time to be getting up on a daily basis (for me, anyways), but I think I’m on to something.

Here’s what I’ve learned and applied to my own life that took me from a hopeless snooze-button pusher to a good-morning-go-getter:

Mind over Mattress

There is no easy way around this one.

You have to train your brain (and body) to wake up at the designated time of your choosing.

Your body has been trained to sleep until a later time because of all the mornings you hit the snooze button.

The only solution is to train your brain otherwise.

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Take Action:

Instead of keeping your alarm set at the time you routinely fail to get up at, try setting your alarm back just 15-20 minutes prior to when you actually get up (after hitting snooze repeatedly).

Let this be your temporary goal wake-up time. Commit to it until your body starts to wake up on its own at this time, and then set the alarm back another 15-20 minutes. Repeat until you reach your preferred wake-up time.

Routine Matters

If you’re constantly waking up and falling asleep at different times, you will not succeed in consistently waking up with your alarm at your preferred time.

It’s just not going to happen.

This includes weekends, too.

I’m not saying you can’t ever sleep in on a Saturday or stay up later than normal, but don’t stray too far from your routine so you don’t fall off the bandwagon.

If you keep a consistent routine and do stay up later here and there, chances are, your body will be so used to getting up at your designated wake-up time that you may pop out of bed easily, even on a few less hours of sleep.

While you’re establishing times for your wake-up call and bedtime, why not establish a morning routine that you can look forward to?

I’ve mentioned it many times, but I start my morning off with a cup of [black] coffee, in my office, reviewing my goals for 20 minutes. I also speak out affirmations during this time, pray, and write in my journal.

Having an introspective morning routine starts my day off on the right foot.

Take Action:

Set specific times for waking up and going to bed (at least Monday through Friday, if not 7 days a week) and stick to them as much as humanly possible.
Develop a morning routine that you can look forward to, so you associate the time between your wake-up call and work as a positive thing, and not just a time to be rushing around and grumbling, wishing it were Friday already.

Alarm Clock Rules

There are a few tips and tricks to utilize that will help you get up with your alarm.

Some tried-and-true tricks:

Whatever your source for your alarm clock-be it your phone or actual old-school alarm clock-keep it far away from your bed so you have to get up to shut your alarm off. Once you’re out of bed, you may as well stay out of bed.
Choose a ringtone or sound that invokes positive feelings and makes you feel good.

When I was making it a priority to start waking up at my preferred designated time, I thought of my annoying alarm tone and how I dreaded it.

You’d think having an annoying alarm tone would make you shut that thing off so fast and pop out of bed so you didn’t have to hear it again, but the complete opposite was true of me.

I hated the sound, yet I still kept hitting snooze.

So, I decided to download some music from one of my favorite Legend of Zelda games and use that as my alarm ringtone instead.

I have rarely hit “snooze” since.

Take Action:

Ensure your alarm source is across the room and far out of reach before you go to sleep.
Select an alarm sound that you associate with positive feelings. A sound you will look forward to hearing, as opposed to one you will dread and further associate dread with waking up early.

Know Your “Why”

Do you want to be excited to wake up early instead of dreading it?

Know Your Why.

The singular most important influence in the time you wake up.

What would make you excited to get up early?

If you think there’s nothing that exciting, I beg to differ.

I struggled for years to get up early. When I learned my why, I transformed into someone who grew to love early mornings. I became so excited about my daily routine and everything I was working for.

I found value in my every day life, even the little things.

Take Action:

Find your “why.” If you don’t know what your “why” is, sit down with pen and paper, in complete silence for 15-20 minutes, and write down what your dream life looks like.

I don’t care how lofty and unrealistic you think your dreams are, write them down!

All of it.

What would it take for you to pursue your “why”, to get you so excited about life you popped out of bed early every morning?

Let me know in the comments!

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