How to Start Waking Up Earlier — Even if You Hate Mornings
A common platitude I hear among other entrepreneurs is, “Freedom means not having to set an alarm clock.” And while I can appreciate the sentiment, I would argue that the opposite is true; if you want true freedom in your life, start waking up earlier.
I think this is especially true for women who are juggling their roles as moms and entrepreneurs. Let’s face it, it is just easier to get stuff done before the kids are up.
I have found that having the time to wake up early, practice self-care, and get my most important writing done before my kids are up and asking me for things has been invaluable.
Another note: if you are a night owl and you think this article is total bullshit, that is just fine. If it works for you, please feel free to keep doing your thing and disregard this article.
For the rest of you who are on the fence, here are seven ways you can begin wake up earlier:
- Have a good reason
I am naturally a morning person so it has always been fairly easy for me to wake up. However, that doesn’t mean I always feel like getting out of bed when the alarm clock goes off at 5 AM.
But I know that if I don’t, my day will be filled up with writing for my freelancing clients (I have to get paid, people), taking my kids to school and other activities, and managing my home life. I wake up early so I can have quiet, uninterrupted time to do my own writing.
If you have a good reason for waking up early then you will be more motivated to stick with it every day.
2. Prepare the night before
Honestly, this is my least favorite part of waking up early. I hate having to go to bed early and I hate planning ahead. But I have found that my ability to wake up early really starts with my activities the night before.
And planning really is crucial because if I am going to wake up that early I don’t want to waste it by spending 20 minutes searching for my favorite pair of pants.
If I have my clothes laid out, I know exactly what blog post I will be working on, and I am in bed with the lights turned off by 10:00 it will be much easier for me to get my morning started. So skip that Netflix marathon and go to bed!
3. Get out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off
Okay, I will admit that I am pretty lucky in this area because I truly hate the snooze button. I can’t imagine anything worse than laying in bed sleeping and having your alarm continue to go off every 5–10 minutes.
I believe hitting the snooze button over and over again is just another form of procrastination. Commit to getting out of bed as soon as the alarm clock goes off and it will get easier over time.
4. DO NOT check social media immediately after rolling out of bed
This is a mistake I have made MANY times. I wake up early, fix myself a cup of coffee, and then I think, “Oh, I’ll just check my email, Facebook, or Instagram really quick.”
Then 30 minutes later I wonder where the time has gone and I feel frustrated that I haven’t accomplished anything I wanted to accomplish.
The problem with checking social media the minute you roll out of bed is that you are literally starting your day with other people’s opinions. As a writer, I am especially sensitive to this because I don’t want to spend my writing time simply reacting to other people’s ideas.
Do something for yourself first before you check in with anyone else. And this leads nicely into my next point…
5. Practice self-care first thing when you wake up
I think a lot of people over complicate self-care in the morning. You don’t have to have a giant list of things to accomplish, simply do whatever feels good you first thing in the morning.
Personally, at this point in my life I don’t really like exercising the minute I get out of bed. I spend my time meditating, writing in my gratitude journal, and spending a little time reading before I get started on my writing.
6. Listen to your body
As passionate as I am about my morning routine, there are occasional times when I will forgo it. These times are few and far between and it is usually if I am sick or just so exhausted that I know I will feel worse if I try to get up early.
Don’t be a masochist, there will be times when it will be better for you to just not worry about it. If you have just had a baby and are seriously sleep deprived or if you have been sick for the past week and a half it is probably more important for you to just rest.
7. Give yourself grace on the weekend
Knowing I can sleep in a little later on the weekends has helped me stay committed to waking up at 5 AM during the week.
Now, I am naturally a morning person so to me “sleeping in” looks like 6 AM or 7 AM. But if you are struggling to get started with your new routine, it may help you to know that you can slack off a little on the weekends.
My final point would only be this: don’t be a perfectionist about it. Waking up earlier is a lifelong habit and it will take time to master so don’t get frustrated if you struggle with it in the beginning.
I think to think of waking up early as similar to exercise — just doing it is always the hardest part but you will feel so great once you do that you will want to stick with it.
Are you an early riser like me or a night owl? If you wake up early what helps you get out of bed in the morning?
This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by 277,994+ people.
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