Guide posts for: Getting up Earlier ... Every Day

Carrying On.

Well, that's about it for this change.  Hope somebody else can gain some benefit from this.  I loved it.  I am a new fan of 5am and will continue to greet her as often as I possibly can.

If you are interested in starting this one over at some point, email us at getbetternow(at)highimpactchanges(dot)com and we'll start it back up again.

Posted by Tom comments 2007-11-28 15:38:53


Fully Into It.

Well over a week into this little expirement, and I am fully into it.  Last night I even stayed up late and had some junk food while watching some sports (alma mater's football game), but this morning was up at 5am.  It was certainly harder than normal and I have been more tired today as a result, but it's beginning to feel normal to me.

So I thought I would post some thoughts of my own at this point (instead of pointing to tips from others).

  • Attitude is critical.  I believe that my attitude adjustment regarding this change has been the single biggest factor in the success of it so far.  While I have tried many times to make this a habit in the last five years, I was never truly excited about getting up so early.  I am now and I think that is what has made the difference.  I love getting up and getting some important things done before I get trapped in the "necessities" of the day.
  • Eating adjustment has been extremely important.  Eating a smaller meal at night has had some unintended, but fantastic, consequences.  I am not a breakfast eater, but am forced into it now because I'm so hungry in the morning.  But that's a great result, because I feel better throughout the day.  Also, I make lunch my "big" meal and love it.  I don't even feel guilty about an occasional Vanilla Coke at lunch, because I'll be eating so little at night.  
  • Wake up "gimmicks" seem unimportant.  All of the different alarm clock tricks and tips seem not necessary ... for me anyway.  I simply decide to get up and do it, and my body seems primed and ready for it because it is following my desire (from the first point above) and my need for food (point two from above).

There have been a ton of nice side benefits resulting from this, one is my new found ability to get to sleep quickly at night.  I have always struggled falling asleep, often lying in bed for an hour before finally drifitng off.  I have come to the conclusion that I was coddling myself, allowing for TOO MUCH sleep.  I would pay the price for that through a mild case of insomnia.  Now I am tired and ready to sleep at night, even though I have to say I have more energy in the middle of the day than I used to.

Anyway, hopefully this doesn't read as a "travelogue" too much.  I hope my experience proves useful to others.

The last thing I have to say is that I totally believe this change is worth making.  I know I still have 2/3 of the month left, but I think this is definitely going to end up being a High Impact Change for me.  It's worth getting excited about!

Posted by Tom comments 2007-11-09 16:24:15


Get Zen, Early.

Continuing with the "tip" theme, here are some posts from Leo at ZenHabits about some of the benefits of getting up early, and how to accomplish it ...

10 Benefits of Rising Early, and How to Do It

How I Became an Early Riser

Posted by Tom comments 2007-11-07 19:49:20


A Whole Site of Helps!

This new change is going great!  Loving it!  I even got up at 5am on Sunday morning and was able to get in some reading, prayer and meditation.  Just awesome.  I have had to go to bed a bit early a few nights, but getting up really isn't much of a problem right now!

Also, I thought I would post this site ... HowToWakeUpEarly.  I haven't been through all of it yet.  But it looks like a decent place to find some motiviation, tips, and tricks.

Posted by Tom comments 2007-11-05 17:12:25


How About Some Help!?

I thought I would compile a few links (I'll add more in later posts as I find them) of blog posts/articles on waking up early.  I figured I should start with Steve Pavlina's site, I visit his site often, and I'm using some of his tips to great success!

First, How To Wake Up Feeling Totally Alert

Summary of tips ...

  • Decide your going to be excited when you wake up.  This one was a mental breakthrough for me.  I used to decide that I would "try" to get up early, but was never excited about it.  No wonder I continually failed.  Not only has it been easier to get up, but I'm excited about all that I can get done with the extra hours of total quiet in the morning.
  • Fix your diet.  I mentioned before about eating smaller meals at dinner, that has helped a ton.  So has cutting way back on sugar and carbonation.
  • Exercise daily.  I do this first thing in the morning.  I don't think this is helping me get up at this point, but it keeps me up by getting my body going quickly.
  • Get up at the same time, including weekends.  This seems important the same way tip #1 does. If I tell myself that I'll take a break on weekends, then weekdays seem like a chore ... not so.
  • Go to bed only when you're sleepy.  I love this one, as I'm often not sleepy right now until about 11pm, some more quiet time and opportunity to get some extra work done!
  • Develop a pleasant morning routine.  I wouldn't say my mornings are pleasant, yet.  I work out, which is nice, and then usually jump right into work.  Work is such right now that I don't have much choice, but hopefully someday I can take some time for "pleasantness".

Second, How to Become an Early Riser

This post starts with a quote from Aristotle, "It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom."  Hey! I could use some of all of that!

The basic idea in this post is that you must establish a consistent "up" time in the morning and then let your body tell you when to go to bed at night.  You eventually settle into a pattern that is natural and easy to keep.

Next, How to Get Up Right Away When Your Alarm Goes Off

This post is basically about a trick that Steve used to get started waking up successfully to an alarm clock.  I've never tried this whole thing, but it might work for those really struggling.

Also, if you don't like his tips on getting up early, you could try Sleeping Polyphasically:)

Posted by Tom comments 2007-11-02 14:24:52


A First Tip

Well, it's not quite November (two days shy), but I've started this anyway, and it's going pretty well so far. I tried a tip from Steve Pavlina that has been helping a ton. Well, at least it's my version of a recommendation of his.

I am not a vegetarian (or vegan), but I've started eating very small dinners at night. It has helped a ton. I'm on my fifth straight morning getting up at 5 am and I am fairly jumping out of bed at that time.

I am eating about 25% of what I would normally eat at night, which is also beginning to have a side benefit. I'm hungrier in the morning, so I eat a better breakfast and usually feel better throughout the day as well. Anyway, my energy has been pretty darn good throughout the day. Actually it's better than what it has normally been when I sleep in to 7:30 am. Not a bad start!

Posted by Tom comments 2007-10-30 04:56:27