Many of us aspire to get out of bed earlier than usual. After all, seizing the day means confronting those first rays of sun as the mother star makes its first appearance over the horizon. Ummm right?
There really is something to be said for those of us who can rise with the sun. And, I’m here to tell you that it is indeed more rewarding. These days, I feel robbed waking up at 7, 8 — noonish — like I once did in the old days.
Every hour that goes by after dawn should be thought of as a productivity clock ticking by and robbing you of precious opportunities never to reveal themselves again.
At least that’s the fantasy I like to envision when the body just doesn’t want to rise, which is thankfully rare. Whether it’s Monday or Saturday, fortune favors not just the brave, but also those who get up the earliest.
Here’s a few tricks I use to avoid those alarm clock blues and get out of bed earlier than the competition:
1. Triple-threat trick for waking up.
Ex Seal and Iraqi war hero, Jocko Willink doesn’t mess around when it comes to getting out of bed before the sun and “getting after it” as he often says. He uses one electric plug-in alarm, one battery powered, and get ready for this — a wind up clock (non aff link)! This is more about eliminating excuses like “the power went out while I was sleeping”, but you can also place each clock strategically so you have to get out of bed to shut them off. Pour a bunch of crazy glue on the snooze button too!
2. Learn to hate the alarm clock, wake up before.
This might not work for you, but it can be very effective for many. I systematically taught myself to dread, despise, downright hate my alarm clock back in the J.O.B. days. While music was a great way to wake up, a buzzer or that “waaamp, waaamp, waaamp” noise that most of them have was enough to wake me in a fire-filled rage! If you’re waking up to “It’s my life” by Bon Jovi playing on the local radio every morning, find something a little less pleasant — your brain will literally force you to get up turn off your alarm and grab a cup of coffee way long before the alarm goes off.
3. Start/Join a social group geared to waking up.
I’ve seen a bunch of these groups on various social networks over the last couple of years, but couldn’t find any while searching just now. Basically, there are a lot of people who want to get up early, but need a little more inspiration to do so — a little group inspiration. Start or join an existing early morning meeting group on your favorite social network. Have a set check-in time where all members have to check in — I think this would be great for Facetiming, but Snapchat or Instagram would be fine to.
4. Keep a spray bottle with ice water close by the bed.
You either wanna get out of bed early or you don’t! We’re getting down to the nitty gritty here if the first three didn’t get you out of bed earlier. You need a take-no-prisoners approach at this point and a cold spritz of water should be just what the solar deities would prescribe — if they were real! Spritz yourself relentlessly with water as cold as you can get until you get up — a spouse or family member can really help push this along. A TENS Unit on your chest could be a great alternative if you’re brave enough.
5. Accept failure and live a mediocre life instead.
Maybe tough love is the only way you’re gonna get that lazy arse out of bed then? It’s not that hard. Simply swing your legs over the edge of the bed, one-by-one, and get the heck up for crying out loud.
There are far more difficult things you’ll have to do in this life. Stop wasting those oh-so-precious early mornings sleeping the day away. You deserve better than that, right?
Main Image Credit: Davina/Flickr
