Waking up earlier every day doesn’t have to be a struggle! Find your motivation and use one of the tips above to make every day better with an early start!
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Have you ever felt like you needed to start your day off earlier but constantly struggle turning off the alarm and swinging out of bed? Me too.
I wish I could tell you that I’ve never hit the snooze button because I have boundless amounts of energy every single morning.
Total lie.
However, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t use the snooze button because I’m totally worried that I ‘ll fall down a rabbit hole and boom! 6 snoozes and 45 minutes later, I’m way behind on the day. That’s my internal motivation for skipping the snooze.
Since I’ve started working out and exercising before work, I’ve had to adjust my wake up time. Now I’m waking up an hour earlier than usual and I had to find new motivation to make it out of bed. Totally easier said than done, right?
9 Surefire Ways To Wake Up Earlier
I wanted to share some of my favorite ideas to make waking up earlier easier this week. Whether you need to kick start a new habit, or a sudden change in your work schedule, these tips & tricks will give you a jump start in an earlier wake up!
Set Your Alarm Earlier in Small Increments
Rather than going cold turkey and trying to wake up an hour earlier than usual, slowly ease into your new wake up time. Rather than starting on a Monday, consider easing into your new wake up on a Wednesday or Thursday when the weekend is close. Start by setting your alarm earlier by 5-10 minutes. After a week you’ll be waking up at least 30 minutes earlier!
Move Your Alarm Clock
Are you a perpetual snooze-r? Be literal and set your cell phone across your bedroom on a dresser. If you need more motivation, set it on your bathroom counter (with the volume on max of course!). Sometimes the act of having to put your feet on the floor will be enough to start your day
Commit to a No Snooze Morning
If you need your cell phone within your arm’s reach, or want to keep your alarm clock on the night stand, consider counting down after the alarm goes off. Rather than immediately tapping snooze, count backwards from 10 to 1. While you’ll still be tired, you’re less likely to keep sleeping!
Find Your Joy
This is MY FAVORITE tip ever. When it comes to waking up earlier, you really need some motivation to put those legs on the floor. What else could be better than something that you are absolutely wanting to do? Have you always wanted to start an exercise routine, start a blog, or learn about something completely crafty?
Use that motivation to do something that brings you joy. After all, how could you dread / avoid waking up when something even better than sleep is waiting on the other end?
Pick a goal for this month and use that time to accomplish it!
If you want to start your own work out accomplishment sheet, I’ve included one in my printables library. Click here to gain access.
Look Forward to a Quiet Cup of Coffee
In Your Life Made Easy, I regularly talk about how much I love having the 5 AM hour to myself. I get up at 4:55 AM to take a shower and enjoy a hot cup of coffee before everyone else wakes up. For more than 4 years I’ve happily given up that time to sleep in exchange for a few peaceful minutes and a piping hot cup of caffeine.
If you need motivation for how to wake up earlier, buy a favorite creamer or coffee next week. Enjoy your treat in the quiet!
Make Bedtime Earlier
If you absolutely cannot have less sleep time, you’ll need to look at what time you go to bed. Going to bed an hour earlier seems unreasonable. Instead, start with going to bed 30 minutes to help ‘catch up’ on the earlier wake up.
If 30 minutes is still to big of an adjustment, use the trick # 1 from above. Start lying down 5-10 minutes earlier each night.
Want an extra level of sleepiness? Incorporate Twilight Lotion, Sleepy Spray, or use a roll-on Lavender oil to help you fall asleep earlier.
Avoid Caffeine
This is such a catch-22 for waking up earlier! And definitely one of my biggest struggles. When I wake up extra early to make my 5 AM exercise class, I always need a large cup of coffee by 2 PM that afternoon. However, I know that the same cup of coffee will keep me from sleeping later that night.
Ultimately I’m even more exhausted by the second day. #thirtysomethingproblems
If you know that you’re waking up earlier the next day, avoid pop, coffee, and tea after lunch time. If you’re wanting a cup of coffee, try walking around the office or doing a quick walking errand rather than sending an email.
Use Room Darkening Blinds
If you are lucky enough to still have sunlight before your normal bedtime, install super thick room darkening curtains. Not only can you catch up in the tip above, but you won’t have to worry about late night distractions. A great night’s sleep will make for an easier morning.
Mimic Dawn
If you need a gentler way to wake up earlier, snag a dawn simulator. They are really cool! Not only are they pretty easy on the budget, but they are pretty to look at, too!
The Dawn Simulator slowly brightens up several minutes before your alarm clock rings. You can control the level of brightness. Not only is it amazing for early mornings, but it will also simulate sunset / dusk in the evenings to help you go to bed earlier.
Waking up earlier every day doesn’t have to be a struggle! Find your motivation and use one of the tips above to make every day better with an early start! Which one is your favorite? Share your best ideas in the comments below.
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