Most people I know have a difficult time getting up early in the morning. Getting up early becomes especially difficult in the winters, when the warmth of the bed is too alluring to be left behind.
As a child getting up early was a necessity, as school for most people started at 8, and one could not afford to miss school. But as one grew up the necessity to get up early in the morning vanished, and so did the habit of getting up early. The famous adage, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” was left behind at school as well.
About ten days go, however, I decided to change that. I decided to start waking up early in the morning again. Though I am sure I have not chosen the best time to do that, because winters have arrived here, and it is dark outside till around 7 AM. But, anyway, I have decided to have a go at it, and here are the five things I am doing to help me get there:
1. Sleeping early at night. Our college days wreak the worst havoc on our sleeping cycle. Whether it is studying or having fun, the clock is usually ignored during the college days, and sleeping at 2 or 3 AM is the norm for most. This habit continues into our adult life, where we might not be staying up as late as 2 AM but we sure are staying up later than we should.
So, the first thing I decided to change was the time I went to bed. Now, I try to get under the covers by 10 PM. I know it could be a bit too early for most people, but in order to get into the habit of getting up early I have decided to sleep at 10 PM. I will, once I get into the habit of waking up early, push this back to 11 PM, since I believe that a normal human adult can make do with about 7 hours of sleep.
2. Keeping my alarm at a distance. I usually use the alarm on my phone to wake me up. It has always been fixed for 6 AM, but since I usually kept my phone at my bedside, it took a mere swipe of the arm to silence the irritating sound that tried to wake me up.
I now place my cellphone in he farthest corner of the room before I go to bed. When I wake up, I have to walk a least 5 steps to get to the phone. By the time I shut the alarm off, I am at least half awake.
3. Having something to do. So, I get up at 6 AM, but I am still half-asleep. The next thing I want to do is to walk 5 more steps and get back into the warmth of the bed again.
The only thing that helps me resist the temptation is the fact that I have planned a few new activities for this time of the day. It is important to have something to do in the morning, or you will end up in bed again. I don’t have any one activity that I do after I have woken up – during the last ten days I have tried writing, meditating reading and going for a walk. I am not sure yet what I enjoy doing most at such an early hour, but I know that when I have something to do, I am motivated to stay awake.
4. Working out. I have been working out off and on for years, but lately it has been more off than on. So, I decided to try and work out regularly. I am not sure how this works, but working out definitely keeps you active all day, and somehow helps you in getting up early in the morning.
5. Eating healthy. I had a feeling that I was having difficulty in getting up early because I was having heavy dinners. Unlike the famous proverb that encourages one to have a heavy breakfast and a light dinner, I was having a light breakfast and a heavy dinner. Due to lack of time in the morning, I was having a light breakfast, while dinnertime was the time to stuff that belly up. I have tried to change that, and it seems to be helping as well.
I am not sure whether this will eventually become a habit, or whether it will become just another thing that I had decided but never went through with. However, for now, the above steps seem to be helping me greatly.
What time of the day do you get up? Do you have any tips for getting up early?
(Image courtesy: getwired from sxc.hu)
I agree, it’s much harder in winter to get up early, but the day “runs away from me” if I don’t.
I read at one time that just getting your feet on the floor is helpful… and for me, making it into the shower marks an obvious point of no return. If I’m really struggling, I like to sing Dolly Parton’s 9-to-5… or at least, the part about tumbling out of bed and stumbling in the kitchen!
@Pauline I am sure that singing a song, any song, would help me get out of bed as well. I am going to try that the next time I am having difficulty getting up. 🙂
I’m one of those odd-balls that likes to get up early. I also have a furry beast that insists on being fed before the sun has a chance to wake up. I love the early morning to catch up on reading blogs, email, a book, and of course, savor the morning coffee. Sometimes it’s the only self-indulgent time of day I get. But yes, it does mean early to bed.
@Julie I think having a pet ( I am assuming you have a dog. 🙂 ) is a great idea to to help you get up early in the morning. On my morning walks, I have observed that majority of walkers are with pets. They have no choice but to get up and take their beloved animals out. But, considering that I am a bit scared of dogs, I don’t think I am going to be the owner of a pet any time soon. 🙂