The Most Successful Techniques for Rising Early :...

http://zenhabits.net/early/

The Most Successful

Techniques for Rising Early
The proper response to life is applause. ~William Carlos
Williams

Waking early is one of my favorite things in the world. The morning is quiet
as the world hasnt begun stirring, the perfect time for meditation, writing,
exercise and some quiet reading.
Waking early can give you an hour or three of extra time for focus and
creativity. While you could do those things later in the day, most people
dont (with exceptions of course).
I havent written about waking early for awhile, mostly because my waking
time is in constant ux. Some months I enjoy rising with the sun, other times
Ill get up early on purpose for awhile and enjoy the extra quiet time.
Ive learned a thing or two about how to change your wake-up time with
joy, and today Ill share the most successful techniques in my many
experimentations.

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Wednesday 15 July 2015 06:27 PM

The Most Successful Techniques for Rising Early :...

http://zenhabits.net/early/

The Gradual Method

The best method for changing the time you wake up is to do it gradually
10-15 minutes earlier for 2-4 days, until you feel used to it, and then repeat.
If you get up at 8 a.m. normally, dont suddenly change it to 6 a.m. Try 7:45
a.m. rst.
That might seem too slow to most people, and youre free to disregard this
advice. However, in my many experimentations, the most enjoyable and
long-lasting change in sleeping schedules have been slow and gradual.
Sudden changes of an hour earlier or more in your waking time are dicult,
and not likely to last. If you get up 1-2 hours earlier, on Day 1, then youll
have a tough time, and not enjoy it. The next day, youll have a big sleep
decit, and itll be even tougher (assuming youre able to do it 2 days in a
row). Day 3 is even harder. Eventually you either make it through the tough
times (itll take at least a week of suering), or you crash and sleep in late and
have to start over or you give up.
Sleeping patterns are dicult to change, and so the gradual method works
much better. This is true, by the way, of eating habits, exercise habits, clutter
habits and more.

3 Steps to Actually Get Up

So youve set your alarm for 10-15 minutes earlier than normal, and maybe
got through the rst few days, then set it another 10-15 minutes earlier, and
soon youre at 30-45 minutes earlier than usual but now you have the
tendency to hit the snooze alarm and stay in bed (sometimes awake) without
getting up.

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Wednesday 15 July 2015 06:27 PM

The Most Successful Techniques for Rising Early :...

http://zenhabits.net/early/

Heres how to beat that in 3 steps:

1. Get excited. The night before, think of one thing youd like to do in the
morning that excites you. It could be something you want to write, or a
new yoga routine, or meditation, or something youd like to read, or a
work project thats got you red up. In the morning, when you wake up,
remember that exciting thing, and that will help motivate you to get up.
2. Jump out of bed. Yes, jump out of bed. With enthusiasm. Jump up and
spread your arms wide as if to say, Yes! I am alive! Ready to tackle the day
with open arms and the gusto of a driven maniac. Seriously, it works.
3. Put your alarm across the room. If its right next to you, youll hit the
snooze button. So put it on the other side of the room, so youll have to
get up (or jump up) to turn it o. Then, get into the habit of going
straight to the bathroom to pee once youve turned it o. Once youre
done peeing, youre much less likely to go back to bed. At this point,
remember your exciting thing. If you didnt jump out of bed, at least
stretch your arms wide and greet the day.

What to Do When You Get Up

First, things not to do with your newfound early-morning time: dont check
email, news, social media, blogs. Dont waste this new time doing the same
thing you always do.
Here are some other things that are better, in my experience:
1. Drink a glass of water. Youre dehydrated from not drinking any water
all night. Drink a full glass of water if you can. Itll make you feel more
awake.
2. Meditate. Even just for 3 minutes. Its such a great way to start your day
doing nothing, just sitting, and practicing mindful focus.
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Wednesday 15 July 2015 06:27 PM

The Most Successful Techniques for Rising Early :...

http://zenhabits.net/early/

3. Write. Or do some other kind of creating.

4. Exercise. Go for a walk or a run, or do a home workout. Even just 10
minutes.
5. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. Either one of these makes the morning
better.

Sleeping Earlier
You cant just wake up earlier and not sleep earlier. Youll eventually crash.
So here are some tips for getting to sleep earlier:
1. Set a bedtime of 7-8.5 hours before you want to wake up. So if youre
waking up at 6 a.m., go to bed between 9:30-11 p.m. Where you are in
that time frame depends on how much sleep you need. Most people need
about 7.5-8 hours of sleep, though there are lots of variations. I tend to get
about 7, but also take a short nap in the afternoons.
2. Create a bedtime ritual. I like to set up the coeemaker and clean up a
little (its nice to wake up to a clean house), then oss & brush my teeth
and do a ouride rinse. Then I read myself to sleep.
3. No computers in bed. That means no laptop, no tablets, no mobile
phones. Kindles are OK except the Kindle Fire, which is the same as an
iPad. No TV either. Just reading.
4. Exercise helps a lot earlier in the day. It gets your body nice and tired, so
youll sleep better. Dont exercise an hour or less before bed, or youll be
pumped up. I like a glass of red wine in the evening it helps relax me
and I tend to sleep a bit easier.
5. Try this method if you have trouble sleeping: close your eyes and get
comfortable, then think of the rst thing you did that morning the very
rst thing, like turning o your alarm. Then think of the next thing, and
so on, replaying your morning in as much detail as possible. I never get to

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The Most Successful Techniques for Rising Early :...

http://zenhabits.net/early/

mid-morning.

Common Problems
Here are some of the most common problems in my experience and from
readers questions:
Super tired in the morning: If you wake early and just cant seem to
function, thats fairly normal. My solution is water, move around a lot, and
drink a bit of coee or matcha (powdered greeen tea). I will sometimes
take a nap in the afternoon if Im really tired. Also, it might be a sign that
youre moving too quickly make sure youre waking just a little earlier,
and stay at one time for a few days until you feel adjusted before setting
the alarm a little earlier.
Missing out on spouse time: If you are used to spending the evening
with your spouse, and going to bed early means youre missing out on that
time, you have a few options. One is to see if your spouse is willing to try
getting up early with you, perhaps to meditate or exercise together, or just
to have coee together. That can be really nice. Another is to cut out that
together time in the late evening, but nd time during the day (if possible),
or at least in the early evening and weekends. Finally, you could decide
that the together time is too important, and not get up earlier or
compromise and keep most of the evening together time, but wake just 30
minutes earlier.
Youre not a morning person: Some people think this but just havent
given it a try or theyve gotten up an hour or two earlier all at once, and
hated being so tired. This is why the gradual method is so important its
not that youre not a morning person, its just that you tried to change too
quickly and are suering. But nally, its true that some people just are
better focusing late at night (I have some friends like this) and morning
isnt their thing and thats perfectly alright. Theres no need to conform
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The Most Successful Techniques for Rising Early :...

http://zenhabits.net/early/

to what others do. I just shared this to show what works for me.

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