How You Become A Morning Person With This Simple Trick

What do Tim Cook, Michelle Obama and Richard Branson have in common? They all wake up very early in the morning.

Richard Branson shares his morning routine

Waking up with (or even before) the sun allows executives to get a head start on the day, knocking out tasks before the rest of the world has rolled out of bed. Joel Gascoigne woke up at 5am every day to work on Buffer an hour every morning while he was still the freshest.

Those “extra” hours can also be an opportunity to do some creative thinking, fit in a workout, and spend time with family.

Ok, you’ve convinced me.

So what’s the trick to get up early?

Most people have a hard time waking up every morning. After hitting snooze a couple of times, they finally get up and drink their coffee like a zombie. They don’t feel full of energy and working is probably the last thing that come to their mind.

Honestly, I totally understand this as I consider myself a night owl too. I usually enjoy the most productive time during the night when everyone is sleeping. It’s finally quiet and calm, and there’s absolutely nothing that distracts you.

So why should you get up early in the morning if working at night sounds so productive? Let me tell you a quick story..

I’ve worked for almost a year mostly at night. I usually got up at 2pm and went to bed at 7am in the morning. It felt great at the beginning and I honestly did not understand why not everyone does it like this. But after a while I felt unhappy, unbalanced and stressed. Even worse, friends and family constantly asked me about my well-being as they thought I did not look healthy. (I haven’t noticed it back then, but I can definitely see the negative impact it had on me now on pictures)

Working in the early morning is very similar to working at night. You experience the same quiet, distraction-free and peaceful environment. Furthermore you are even more productive as your mind is still fresh. And while everyone else is slowly getting to work, you’ve already finished your most important tasks.

So can you please reveal that trick that will turn me from a sleepwalking zombie into a super early riser? Sure, let’s assume your goal is to wake up at 5am and you usually need 7 hours of sleep.

So, the trick is to actually go to bed at 10pm. That’s the whole magic.

To calculate your own personal bed time you can use the following formula: Bed Time = Wake Up Time — Amount of Sleep

From my experience this works best if you do it on a constant basis, which includes waking up on the weekend at similar times (1–2 hours later max). By doing so, you’ll create a lasting morning routine.

What’s your experience with getting up early? At which time do you usually wake up? Have you tried to create a long lasting early morning routine? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

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