July 17, 2020
Happy Friday guys!! Hopefully, you’ve been having a beautiful week so far. I most definitely am, and I just sealed it in by chowing down on a few chocolate chip cookies. Side Note: I thought I could nibble on said cookies and write simultaneously…. Turns out I can’t. My MO is the kind where you take one bite and then can’t focus on anything else until you’re sitting behind an empty plate. So that happened 😊. Any who, how many of you are morning people?? I’ve met my fair share of people and I’ve only met a very small handful that can genuinely say they naturally get up early and enjoy it. I personally am more of a morning person but like a 7 am person (not a 5 am person lol).
I started waking up at 5 am almost three years ago because the 9- 5 job I took required me to commute a little over an hour, one-way. I already had well established “rituals” that I liked to do almost every morning and I knew if I continued to wake up around 7:00 am, I would pretty much only have time to get ready for work and leave. So instead of parting with my morning routine, I started getting up earlier. Like I said, I’m a morning person! I love the morning time and its when I feel most productive…but a 5 am wake-up call was not easy. So whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, whether you want to wake up at the crack of dawn or just a little bit earlier, I’ve got some tips to help you get up and get going when that alarm goes off!!
Tip #1 – Go to bed earlier. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people try to get up earlier without changing their bedtime. Waking up at an earlier time does not mean any sleep needs to be sacrificed. A lot of people tell me they want to wake up earlier, but also tell me they don’t go to bed until sometime around midnight. And while everyone’s different and there are some people that operate just fine on 5 hours of sleep, for most of us the sweet spot is 7 – 8 hours. So do the math. Calculate about what time you need to go to bed to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep and still wake up at whatever your goal wakeup time is. I also take into account that it usually takes me 20- 30 minutes to fall asleep. You’re much more likely to wake up refreshed in the morning after a good night’s sleep.
Tip #2 – Find an alarm that works for you. You guys! I have tried so many different apps, alarms, light bulb type things, trying to figure out which one was most effective in waking me up in a gentle way (I HATE being startled awake by some loud, obnoxious alarm). For a while, I just used my phone alarm and I would just change the alarm sound occasionally so I didn’t become immune to it (you know when your alarm is going off and you legit just don’t hear it anymore?). I’ve tried the Hue light bulb that’s supposed to wake you up by imitating natural light. And for a while, I was rotating between 3 different alarm apps. I’ve found that my Echo Dot alarm clock works best for me. I have it set to shuffle Jack Johnson music in the morning. This has been seriously great because 1st, Jacks music always makes me so happy and 2nd, because the songs are shuffled at random, so I don’t become desensitized to any one song. I encourage you to experiment with different apps, alarm clocks and sound systems. There are so many options out there. Find something that makes waking up feel good.
Tip #3 – Skip the snooze. Ok, easier said than done. I know, I know! This is one that I still struggle with sometimes. But do everything in your power to not hit the dang snooze button and to just get up when it’s time to get up. Most apps allow you to disable the snooze option, so if you can do that, you should. Sadly, there really aren’t any other tricks I can give you for this one as it’s really just a test of wills more than anything else. If you must hit snooze though, try not to let yourself fall back asleep. If I succumb to the snooze button, I usually just lay in bed and try to keep my eyes open. I’ve found that if I do this instead of falling asleep, after a minute or two, I feel awake enough to turn off my alarm and just get up.
Tip #4 – Wake up your senses. Some may call it shocking yourself awake, but I promise it doesn’t need to be a complete shock. Stimulating your senses first thing in the morning can really get you out of that morning grogginess and help you feel more alert, energized, and ready to begin your day. Some examples of this are: opening up the blinds to let some light in your room, washing your face with cool water or jumping in the shower, brushing your teeth and tasting your minty toothpaste, doing a little morning yoga, taking 5 minutes to journal. There are so many options here, but whatever you pick the important thing is that you do it right when you get out of bed. You can do one, two or however many things you need to wake up your body.
Tip #5 – Know why you’re doing this! No one wants to get up earlier just to find themselves pacing around their house wondering what they should do. So, make sure you know why you want to get up earlier. It could be that you want some quiet time before your family wakes up, that you’re more motivated to work out in the morning, or maybe it’s the only time you can squeeze in some self-care. Whatever it is, keep that reason at the forefront of your mind as you work through these other tips. My “why” is the reason that I’m able to fall off the 5 am train every here and there and quickly get back on. And, honestly, if you can’t think of a reason to get up earlier… then don’t. There’s nothing wrong with staying up a little later and sleeping in if you can’t think of anything you’d rather be doing in the morning.
I’d love to hear any tips that you have for waking up earlier! If you try any of these and they work for you, let me know in the comments! Either way, I hope this was helpful for you. If waking up earlier is your goal, good luck and know that I believe in you 😊 So much love to you!
Xoxo
Amber
