Are morning people born or made? You will find the answer by reading these tips
It’s hard to become an early riser using the wrong strategy. But with the right strategy, it’s relatively easy. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you have to be motivated to get out of bed.
Some tips for becoming an early riser:
•Don’t make drastic changes. Start slowly, by waking just 15-30 minutes earlier than usual. Get used to this for a few days. Then cut back another 15 minutes. Do this gradually until you get to your goal time.
•Allow yourself to sleep earlier. You might be used to staying up late, perhaps watching TV or surfing the Internet. But if you continue this habit, while trying to get up earlier, sooner or later one is going to give. And if it is the early rising that gives, then you will crash and sleep late and have to start over. I suggest going to bed earlier, even if you don’t think you’ll sleep, and read while in bed. If you’re really tired, you just might fall asleep much sooner than you think.
•Plan your day the night before. Writing down all the big, important things you’ll be doing the next day gives you the extra spring in your step to waking up early and quickly. If you’ve got a purpose, you’ve got a big reason to wake up.
•Don’t eat directly before bed. If you eat more than two hours before you go to bed, your body will have to digest the food, keeping you awake.
•Put your alarm clock far from your bed. If it’s right next to your bed, you’ll shut it off or hit snooze. Never hit snooze. If it’s far from your bed, you have to get up out of bed to shut it off. By then, you’re up. Now you just have to stay up.
•Go out of the bedroom as soon as you shut off the alarm. Don’t allow yourself to rationalize going back to bed. Just force yourself to go out of the room.
•Don’t lie in bed awake. The goal is to almost literally jump out of bed. The longer you stay in your bed, the more tempting it is to hit the snooze. And getting 10-20 minutes extra sleep after you’ve already woken doesn’t really help you. It sends you back into a restless sleep that drains your energy before repeating the torturous process of waking up… again.
•Do not rationalize. If you allow your brain to talk you out of getting up early, you’ll never do it. Don’t make getting back in bed an option.
•Be Consistent. Make sure that you go to bed and wake up every day at the same time. Consistency develops habits, and waking up early is only a habit.
•Allow yourself to sleep in once in a while. Despite what I just said in the previous point, once in a while it’s nice to sleep in. As long as it’s not a regular thing. I do it maybe once a week or so.
•Make waking up early a reward. Yes, it might seem at first that you’re forcing yourself to do something hard, but if you make it pleasurable, soon you will look forward to waking up early. Other rewards might be a tasty treat for breakfast (smoothies! yum!) or watching the sunrise, or meditating. Find something that’s pleasurable for you, and allow yourself to do it as part of your morning routine. Occasionally give yourself rewards to anticipate the next day. A favorite show, ice cream, your favorite breakfast… anything for you to look forward to.
•Enjoy the break of dawn! As much as you can, look outside (or better yet, get outside!) and watch the sky turn light. It’s beautiful. And it’s quiet and peaceful. It’s my favorite time of day. Getting up early is a reward in itself for me.
A very famous quote…
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”
Do you have a morning routine that you want to share with the world? What has it done for you and your well-being? Share your thoughts and suggestions with us.