How to Wake Up Earlier: Proven Tips for a Productive Morning
Why wake up earlier
Having some time to yourself first thing in the morning has so many benefits, from increased productivity to better physical and mental health, time for personal activities, and time for personal development and growth. Books like The 5am Club by Robin Sharma and Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty emphasise the benefits of waking up early to maximise productivity and improve overall well-being (not that I am suggesting you need to wake up at 5am or become a monk for these benefits!). Many of us would like to find time in our day for exercise, hobbies, reading, learning, meditation, journaling, and planning, among other things, but struggle to find the time and energy. Waking up a bit earlier to have some time for your priorities sets your day up well and ensures they don’t get skipped, no matter what life throws at you in your remaining waking hours.
I’ve always been someone who liked to get up early to have some time for myself. But the importance of this to my mental health and overall well-being became apparent when I was in a particularly demanding job as a junior consultant. Junior consultants work at the whim of their superiors and once the work day starts it’s unpredictable when it will end. And once it does end, you are likely to have almost no energy left by the end of the day (night). Some time to myself in the morning to exercise and read while I are breakfast became invaluable as it was often the only part of my day where I could control how I used my time.
The most effective way to wake up earlier
Even when you can see the benefits of waking up earlier in theory, in practice actually waking up earlier can be challenging. It might seem obvious, but the most effective technique to help you to wake up earlier is to go to sleep earlier. Waking up earlier does not need to mean cutting down on sleep, but to ensure this you need to shift your sleeping schedule by going to bed earlier. While this may be obvious, many people resist this.
Combining going to sleep earlier with other sleep hygiene techniques - such as maintaining a consistent bedtime and wake up time, avoiding caffeine late in the day, avoiding looking at screens close to bed time and creating a relaxing wind down routine - makes this even more effective.
Set yourself up for success the night before
The single most effective technique to help me to go to bed earlier is setting a bed time alarm to remind me to actually go to bed earlier. An hour before I actually want to be asleep, I set an alarm to remind me to get ready for sleep. Some phones have a feature for this you can turn on which reminds you of your upcoming bedtime and puts your phone into sleep mode to silence notifications.
The bed time alarm is my signal to start my wind down routine which includes planning out the next day, dimming the lights, turning off screens, and reading a book while drinking herbal tea. As part of my wind down routine, I plan in advance what I am going to do with my morning time. This helps to motivate me to be excited to get out of bed earlier. Set yourself up for success the night before by preparing to be able to start your morning activity right away. For example if you are planning to exercise, book into the gym class and get your clothes out and place them next to your bed. If you are planning to read and drink tea, put your book and the tea and cup out on the kitchen bench ready to brew.
It gets easier
Getting started is hard and the first few weeks can be a bit of a struggle. It helps to think about why you want to start waking up earlier as the point of waking up earlier is not to torture yourself. It’s to start your day with calm and time to spend focused on your most important priorities. Whether that be exercise, your hobby, making a tea or coffee and reading or listening to a podcast, writing, journaling, or meditating. When your alarm goes off, try to remind yourself of why you want to wake up earlier and the thing you have planned to do.
Consistency is key in adjusting to waking up earlier. Having both an earlier bed time and earlier wake-up time that is consistent even on weekends (give or take an hour or so). Once you do this practice of going to bed earlier, combined with waking up at the same time each day for a few weeks, your body will adjust and naturally wake up without the help of an alarm or anything else.
Waking up earlier for well-being and productivity
Once you create some space in the morning by going to sleep earlier and then waking up earlier, it is yours to use as you please. So much of our time in the rest of the day is controlled by other people and obligations - work, family, your boss. Starting your day early to spend time focused on your priorities gives you a sense of control, achievement and motivation to keep going. This time in the morning is a gift to ourselves.