Tips & Tricks for Waking up Earlier

There is a bountiful list of tips and tricks one could try, but the truth of the matter is, that you simply must create a routine and stick to it consistently. Trying your very best to go to bed around the same time and waking up around the same time day after day until it comes naturally. I am going to give you an easy three step to do list that will set you on the right path and help you get into the right routine for you.

Step #1.

Identify your why. If you do not know why you are doing this you will find it much to easy to slip back into your previous routines and habits. An example of a "why" would be something like "I am going to wake up earlier because I feel as though I don't have enough time in a day and like my life is slipping past me." or "I will get up early because I keep sleeping through my alarms and have to rush my morning routine so I'm not late for work. Rushing my routine makes me start the day wrong and leaves me feeling anxious and stressed." Once you come to a conclusion of why you'd like to wake up earlier, ingrain it into your mind and whenever you find yourself about to snooze the alarm or turn it off all together, you can either remind yourself of your "why" or if that doesn't work, count backwards from five and then fly out of bed before you can think twice about it. The five second rule can apply to many areas of your life. We often overthink situations and persuade ourselves not to do something because we are worried what others think of us or because we are only thinking of all the negative results something could lead to. By simply counting down from five we allow ourselves to have five seconds where we can stop ourselves from making a decision we will later regret.

Step #2.

Create a routine for yourself. Write down a list of things that calm you down and help you relax and then put together a night routine for yourself. Getting to bed early is sometimes the harder part for people to do. In this day and age where we have so much technology, we often will use our evenings and nights to catch up with friends or browse through Instagram or Pinterest to see what people are up to. This is definitely not the kind of night routine you want to have. Not only will it be all the harder to fall asleep but you'll find yourself more anxious and stressed. I would encourage you all to pick a time about 1-2 hours before you plan on going to bed and put away your phones, laptops and any other electronic you might have. Spend the last hour of your day doing things that calm the mind such as yoga, journaling or reading. Try different things and see what works for you. This will make waking up earlier all the easier and after a while of sticking to your routine, you'll be able to achieve it with admirable ease.

Step #3.

After completing step one and two, it's time to put your plan into action. For the first few weeks you are going to have to push past all of the discomfort and maybe lose a few hours of sleep if you can't manage to get yourself to sleep at a reasonable time. Still force yourself to get up at the same time even if you do not follow your night routine, once your body realizes that you aren't going to let it sleep in it will want to go to sleep earlier. While this might seem difficult at first, by the end of those first few weeks, it will start to become a habit and you should be more adjusted to this new schedule.

I hope that these tips helped in some way and that you will use these to help you achieve your sleeping goals. You've got this! Peace out my peeps:)

-Lydia Johnson