How to get motivated to get up earlier
Introduction
The infamous snooze button can be a best friend or a heartless enemy in the morning. There are few who doubt the benefits of being able to get up and going earlier in the morning, yet the alternative of losing out on sleep seems to make all advantages disappear. Getting motivated to get up earlier is definitely easier said than done and certainly easier to think about any time other than when the alarm sounds at five or six in the morning.
Steps to getting motivated to get up earlier
Perhaps the reason why you have been unsuccessful at finding the motivation to get up earlier is because you have not yet come up with a strategy that works well for you. In order to help you on your way to getting up earlier, you may want to try one or more of the following suggestions:
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- Have a purpose
The number one reason why people fail to obtain their goal of waking up earlier is because they forget to come up with a purpose behind getting up early. It is going to be much more difficult to get up early just for the sake of getting up earlier compared to getting up early because you have planned ahead to get up and do something specific.
- Get it done
There is definitely something to be said for building productive momentum that carries you through your day. For many people, starting a project is the hardest part. Once you have built some momentum by being productive, it becomes easier to tackle other obstacles. Direct benefits are that you might find yourself being more productive at work because you have gotten up early and have already started engaging your mind. - Get to be earlier
You need your sleep. All the motivation in the world is not going to make you feel well rested if you go to bed late and want to wake up early the next morning. You will have less of an aversion to getting up early if you have gone to bed at a reasonable hour and have received the amount of sleep that your body needs. In getting motivated to wake up earlier you need to also make the decision to get enough sleep the night before.
- Don't avoid it or make excuses
Snooze buttons, bad attitudes, and a sloppy resolve are not going to get you up in the morning. Eliminate temptations like these and replace them with actions that are more productive. Jump out of bed (really, physically jump out of bed) instead of rolling over and pushing the snooze button. As soon as you start justifying that another 10 minutes of sleep can't hurt, you are already done for.
- Make it a habit
Researchers say that it takes about 27 days to turn an action into a habit. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect that the first couple of times that you try waking up earlier will come naturally to you. You have to train both your body and your mind to accept a different routine and this will take some time. Like any change, the most difficult part will come in the beginning, but be patient and stick to it. You will soon benefit from establishing this routine.
Other suggestions
You may be one of those people who have a hard time motivating yourself in the morning. You are not alone. If you find that despite all of your efforts, you find yourself falling short, ask a friend to help you. Be accountable to that person somehow. Go jogging together, meet for breakfast, or simply make a phone call to that person at the same time every morning. You can help your friend and yourself.
