Do you want to start waking up early? Perhaps you have heard people rave about how getting up early in the morning has changed their life. Or maybe you simply want to get up early because you want more time in the day.
Either way, waking up early is truly life changing and in this post, we are talking about tips that can help you start waking up at 5 AM or waking up early, whatever that looks like for you.
We will also go over one of the best way to get up early that has helped me transform my morning routine.
Why do you want to wake up early?
This is perhaps the most important question you need to be asking yourself. Waking up early or waking up at 5 AM just because it’s a new trend on social media is not the right answer.
If you are perfectly happy with your morning routine right now, there really is no need to change.
However, if you find yourself constantly rushing in the morning, you barely have time to eat your breakfast, let alone work on something or have some time for yourself, then you may want to consider this change.
Waking up early or earlier than usual will allow you more time in the day. If you are still on the fence about it, you could always try it for a couple of weeks and see if it works for you.
Some people argue that either way we all have 24 hours in a day. So it shouldn’t matter whether you wake up early or not, at least if you are getting the same amount of sleep. But let me just say this, and let me ask you to imagine this.
When you wake up early, you are less likely to spend hours watching Netflix, right? But when you sleep late, chances are that you will park yourself on your couch and spend hours mindlessly binge watching a show that isn’t even that great.
I hope that makes sense. But, if you are still wondering, what is it about mornings that could be life changing, we can help you with those reasons.
Benefits of waking up early:
It’s quiet:
One of the benefits of waking up early when everyone else is fast asleep is that it’s super quiet in the mornings. No honking of cars, no noise from the streets or at home.
And we all know how blissful that can be, especially if you live in a big city. And this peace and quiet in the mornings is great when you want to try things like meditation or yoga.
Or even if you want to work on something dedicatedly and don’t want any distractions. For me, it allows me to write in peace and I notice that words come more easily to my mind in the mornings when it’s quiet.
And it’s a great time to journal too because I have more time to focus on what I am actually feeling and then writing whatever comes to my mind without being distracted by all the noises.
you will have more time for breakfast and focus on nutrition:
When you have enough time in the morning, you will have more time for proper breakfast as well. And that will help you focus on nutrition. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body and it is crucial that we take care of ourselves and feeding our body the right food, to feel our best.
And waking up a little earlier will give you that extra time in the morning.
And when you are constantly rushed in the mornings, you often go for cereal or getting a bite to eat with your morning coffee, which is generally a bagel or donut right. And we all know that’s isn’t the healthiest option that there is, no matter what the labels on the cereal boxes claim.
You will be more organised:
Waking up early in the morning will give you more time to be organised. You will be able to plan your day ahead. And when you plan and write to-do lists, you are more likely to achieve your goals.
Planning your day ahead and organising your life will help you prioritise the things that really matter to you, instead of tackling things as and when they come. It allows you to be more intentional with your time.
More time to work on personal development
You will have more time to focus on your personal development. Mornings are the best time to do so in my opinion, because your mind is still fresh. Throughout the day a lot of things happen that can affect your mood and that makes working of personal development in the evenings a little harder. S
imply because life gets in the way.
The best way to do it is to have a personal development plan, ask yourself how you want to improve yourself and what do you want to do and do it in the mornings.
Workouts & start day right
Another great reason why waking up in the morning sis great is that you could find time to workout. Working out is great not just for your physical health, but your mental and emotional health as well.
Working out in the morning sets the tone for the entire day and when you start your day by doing something for yourself, you are more likely to make better choices throughout the day as well.
I always notice that I eat healthier throughout the day when I workout in the mornings.
clean and maintain a clutter free home
Do you ream of a clean and clutter free home and wonder how do some people manage that with full time jobs and kids? The answer is pretty simple really. They make the time for it.
And mornings are a great time to clean and make a clutter free home because again, it sets the tone for the rest of the day as well. And mostly, in the evenings when you are back from work, you don’t feel like cleaning and you often find yourself in front of tv on the couch.
So clean and declutter in the mornings instead. The best tip is to make a daily declutter list and a cleaning checklist that won’t take you more than 15-20 minutes to do.
how to start getting up early:
Now that we know the benefits of waking up early, here are some tips that will help you wake up early and not feel tired or lazy in the mornings. Because just waking up is not enough and if you spend your mornings just lazing around, it’s of no use really. So here are some tips that will help you wake up feeling energised and not lethargic.
#1: Understand sleep cycles:
This is the most important tip to wake up feeling energetic and it is to understand your sleep cycles. If you want to wake up not feeling lazy it’s important to wake up at the end of a sleep cycle. Your body goes through Non-REM and REM cycles when you are sleeping. During the REM cycles your brain is more active and your body is more relaxed. But studies have shown that REM cycles usually begin 90 minutes after falling asleep. There are a couple of apps that could help you with that. I use sleepytime scheduler for iphone and it gives you two options:
- Decide when you want to wake up and then see what time you should go to sleep. OR
- Set a time when you are going to sleep and see what time is best for you to wake up.
Either way, it will help you wake up at the end of a sleep cycle and you’d wake up feeling more awake and energised.
#2: sleep at a reasonable hour:
If you want to wake up early and not feel lazy, it is crucial that you sleep at a reasonable hour. Your body needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep and if you want to wake up at 5 AM, it’s important that you are in bed, ready to sleep by 9 PM.
You shouldn’t sacrifice on your sleep to wake up at 5 AM in the morning and if for some reasons you can’t sleep around 9 PM, then you shouldn’t be trying to wake up at 5 in the morning.
#3:Wake up at the same time every morning:
Waking up at around the same time every morning is life altering. Not even kidding or exaggerating. When you wake up at the same time everyday, you body gets used to it and syncs your sleep cycles accordingly.
This allows you to automatically wake up at the end of a sleep cycle. And that really helps because waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle makes you feel lethargic and disoriented.
#3: Do not hit the snooze button:
When you hit the snooze button, your body gets a signal to start another sleep cycle, which is typically 90 minutes towards the end of your sleep. But then you wake up after 5-10 minutes.
This does not give your body enough time to complete that sleep cycle and you wake up feeling like you’re half dead. And this usually causes you to feel super lazy in the mornings because your body is still trying to complete that sleep cycle even though you’ve woken up.
#4: Have a reason why you want to wake up early:
Decide on a reason why you want to wake up early. maybe you want to workout and focus on your health, maybe you want the morning peace and quiet to work on writing a book.
Whatever it is, make sure you know exactly why you want to wake up early.
Knowing your purpose will help you in staying motivated in the mornings. Because without a purpose and without a reason, you’d be lost in the mornings and it’s easier to just go back to sleep.
#5: Make a to-do list at night:
Make a to do list for the next day, the prior night before going to bed. Or you could do it in the mornings as well. It helps you plan out your day and know exactly what’s on the agenda.
Knowing what you need to get done throughout the day will motivate you to wake up in the mornings. And when you know what you need to work on, you have more energy to get out of bed in the mornings.
#6: No screens at least 2 hours prior to bed:
This one is really difficult to do these days, with all the screens we have in our lives. But it makes a LOT of difference when it comes to how you feel in the mornings. We have this rule of no screen at least 2 hours prior to bed and it works perfectly.
Not using any screens, phone or tv, at night improves the quality of your sleep. And when you sleep better, you wake up feeling energised and not lazy. So, make it a rule to stop using screens at least 2 hours prior to going to bed and if you absolutely need to, make sure to use blue light glasses.
#7: Drink water first thing:
Through out the night, your body is on a fast and when you wake up, your body is dehydrated. And drinking a tall glass of water first thing in the morning will energise you and wake you up like nothing else will.
Yes, it’s even better than your beloved morning cup of joe.
Our bodies are made up of about 70% water and keeping ourselves hydrated is one of the best things we can do for our bodies. Studies have shown that an adult should drink about 2.5 to 3.5 litres of water in a day to keep hydrated. And ideally, you should drink that throughout the day. So, starting your day with water makes a lot of sense.
One very simple tip is to keep a glass a water on your bedside table and have it first thing in the morning.
#8: make a busy morning routine:
A morning routine is important to have productive mornings and to make waking up early worth it. Having a morning routine gives you a sense of direction in the mornings and you have a very clear idea of what you need to do to feel your best. Waking up early in the morning and not knowing what to do, doesn’t exactly help.
So, make a morning routine that involves things you really want to do. Some ideas for your morning routine could be:
- Journalling for personal development and self discovery
- Skin care and taking a bath
- Working out and getting your sweat on
- Making yourself a healthy nutritious breakfast and enjoying it in peace
- Reading for 30 minutes
But your ideal morning routine will of course depend on what is it that you would like to accomplish in the mornings. So take some time to think about your ideal morning routine and write that down on a piece of paper.
#9: Get quality sleep:
As important as is is to get enough sleep, quality sleep is even more important. Getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night is no good if your sleep quality is really poor. So, focus on making a relaxing environment that will help you sleep better.
For me, I need it to be really dark and relatively cold to get the best sleep. I have also removed TV from our bedroom so we don’t watch tv before going to bed and I have seen that it helps.
So remove any distractions or things that affect your sleep quality to wake up energised and feeling fresh.
#10: Wash your face with cold water:
Washing your face with cold water or taking cold showers in the morning also help in shaking the laziness. And if you feel like you can’t take cold showers, at least try washing your face with cold water in the morning. Although I’d highly recommend taking a cold shower as well. it’s life changing, no kidding!
#11: Stretch it out:
Doing stretches in the morning gets the blood flowing and relaxes your muscles. No matter how lazy you feel in the mornings, take 10 minutes to stretch every part of your body.
It relieves any tension you have built up by sleeping in any awkward position and gets you ready for the day.
#12: Morning affirmations:
I think morning affirmations or just any affirmations in general are so under-rated. When you start your day with morning affirmations, you set a tone for your day. This essentially helps you start your day on a positive note and feeling more productive about the day ahead. And when you feel good, you get more done in the day.
#13: Reward yourself:
If you are trying to adopt the habit of waking up early in the mornings, reward yourself for not being lazy. It doesn’t have to be anything big, and you don’t have to do it every day too.
But when you reward yourself, you are making it into a habit that sticks because you form positive associations with it. It could be coffee from your fav cafe, or a self care activity. Just do something that makes you feel good.
#14: No phone for 1-2 hours:
Do you ever wake up when the alarm goes off and then spend an hour in your bed scrolling through social media? That’s a pretty shitty way to start the day because you start comparing your life to someone else’s perfectly curated feed. And also one that makes you demotivated and lazy in the mornings.
So make it a habit to not use your phone for at least 1-2 hours after waking up. That will give you enough time to focus on yourself and work on your personal development goals rather than being distracted and then feeling demotivated when you real life doesn’t match someone’s highlight reel.
#15: Change out of your Pjs:
I highly recommend taking a bath in the mornings. There is honestly no better way to shake the laziness. But if you don’t take baths in the mornings, change out of your PJs. Yes, even when you work from home.
Changing out of your pyjamas indicates your brain that it’s time to change gears and get into a productivity mode and sleep time is now over.
#16: Get fresh air:
Getting some fresh air in the mornings helps you with not feeling tired and lazy. I always open my bedroom windows at night. If you don’t, make sure you air out your room in the mornings. Or if you have a garden or an outdoor space, step out for a bit to get some fresh air.
#17: Have something to look forward to:
Having something to look forward to during the day will also get you excited in the mornings. That’s why it is even more important to plan your day ahead. If you want to feel less lazy in the mornings, schedule a fun thing to do later in the day.
Something that brings you joy and that makes you jump out of bed, not literally. But you know what I mean, right?
There you go. 17 tips that will help you wake up super early and not feel lazy. Waking up early in the morning can be life changing and I hope these tips help. Of course it is not always easy to wake up really early, but it’s definitely worth a try.
But not at the cost of being sleep deprived or just because everyone is doing so!
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