Waking up early if you’re a night owl and a late riser, can seem impossible. But there are plenty of great benefits to rising earlier in the morning from being more productive and motivated, and it can help you get more energized for the day. It’s not always easy to become a morning person, but you can definitely create new habits and find the motivation to wake up early to make it a little bit more tolerable. I know there’s morning when we feel sleepy and tired, but trust me, these practical and helpful tips can help get some motivation to your morning routine.
How To Find Motivation To Wake Up Early
and how to make it easier!
Plan Your Morning
Having a little plan for your morning can help motivate you to get up and out of bed. It can even be as simple as planning the usual things like brushing your teeth, making a coffee and going for a walk. But before you head to bed, think about the morning you plan to have and you’ll be more motivated to get out of bed and get started.
Make A List Of Things To Accomplish
The mornings can be a great time to get some things on your to-do list done. Make a list of some of the things you want to accomplish when you do get to wake up early. Maybe it’s getting to the grocery store before it’s busy. Or prepping lunch and dinner so it’s off your plate for the rest of the day. Seeing how you can accomplish things thanks to waking up early, you may be more excited to get your day going.
Getting A Good Night’s Sleep
Nothing makes getting out of bed easier than a good night’s sleep. Easier said than done for some people. But try to remove devices from the bedroom, create a calming nighttime routine, and make your bedroom a good night sleep haven with a quality mattress and pillow, eye mask and sound machine.
Listen To Your Favorite Music
To wake up on the right side of the bed and get you moving quickly, listen to your favorite music in the morning. Starting your morning with music instead of the news, or scrolling your phone, can be a really positive and uplifting way to start your day.
Do Something You Will Now Have Time For
Is there something you have been wanting to do but just don’t have the time for? Maybe a workout, or reading that book you’ve been meaning to start? Waking up a little earlier will help you accomplish some of these things because you’ll now have time for it. This is a great reward for making a small change to your routine. And once you realize this benefit that is personal to you, you’ll be more excited to jump out of bed knowing you can do that little something you now have time for.
Try Not To Hit Snooze
I know this is hard and require willpower, but if you can make a hard rule to not hit the snooze and just get out of bed, you’ll be moving and grooving before you know it and you’ll feel MUCH better. It’s also scientific! The end of your sleep is usually full of that good REM restorative sleep. And hitting snooze repetitively will disrupt REM sleep which will actually make you feel more tired the more times you disrupt it. And this is why our next tip is a perfect solution if you’re having a hard time avoiding the tempting snooze button!
Use A Sunrise Alarm
Ever notice how nice it is to wake up naturally with the sun? It just feels more refreshing than being woken up in the dark by a jarring alarm sound. There are alarms that can achieve this for you and they’re called sunrise alarms. They emit a warm glow and slowly brighten over time to wake you up more naturally from your REM sleep and support healthy cortisol levels.
Amp Up Your Morning Routine
When you’re excited for a morning routine, you’ll be ready to get out of bed to start it with a bit more energy. I’m someone who loves my morning routine. Make my bed, make my coffee, maybe do a little journaling or read a bit in your new book. This morning routine will help motivate you to start your day.
Make Your Bed Immediately
Nothing is more enticing to get back into bed when it’s all messy and cozy looking. It’s screaming to get back in, right? This is why I make my bed immediately upon waking up. I actually make it while I brush my teeth to make sure I’m not tempted to crawl back under the sheets. Plus, making your bed is just a really good morning habit to build that can set the tone for the day and make your home feel more put-together. Plus, studies show it makes you feel good to complete a task to start your day off. It sets the tone!
Have An Accountability Partner
Creating a new habit can be hard, but having an accountability partner can make it a little easier. Maybe you check in with a friend every morning to tell them “good morning” to motivate you to get your butt out of bed to text your fellow sleepy-head friend that it’s time to get your day started.
Create A Habit Tracker
Have you ever read Atomic Habits? It’s a really good book on how to develop good habits in a more manageable way so you’re successful. And one of the things James Clear talks about is creating a habit tracker to track your progress. This can be as simple as checking off your calendar every day for the days you do wake up early, or go to bed early, whatever it is that you need to motivate you. Seeing the empty calendar day without a checkmark in it is actually a really good motivator in creating a habit. You’ll be more inclined to get out of bed knowing you’re on a good streak! Maybe keep this calendar next to your coffee maker so you can check it off while rewarding yourself with your cup of Joe in the morning.
Stay Consistent
Yes, your habit tracker will help you with this. But staying consistent in the other things that help support your new — waking up early — habit, like going to bed earlier, removing the phone from the room, and so on, is important. Don’t worry if you fall off the wagon for a day. It’s all about getting back to it the next day. Reinforce the good habits as often as possible.
Move Your Phone To The Other Room
This is something I swear by personally. It means I don’t go to bed scrolling on my phone. And I also don’t wake up to checking my emails and having a groggy start to the day. But this also serves a few other purposes to help encourage you to get out of bed. If you use your phone as an alarm and it’s in the other room, you’re required to get out of bed to turn it off. More motivation to wake up!
Start With A Few Minutes A Day
There’s simply no way you’re going to be successful at waking up earlier if you drastically change your routine. Going from 8am to 5am isn’t going to render the results you want. You will quickly fail. Instead, do it slowly. You can set your alarm a few minutes earlier each day until you slowly work backward to your goal time. Or maybe 30 minutes each week to slowly get used to the time. You’ll find more success by slowly achieving your goal and getting your body used to waking up earlier than jumping head in and simply getting frustrated from the get go.
