The morning routine: How to wake up at 6am and conquer your day with a 10-step recipe for success
Getting an early start to my day allows me plenty of time to get things done and leaves me more options for what I want to do. My mornings usually consist of some combination of getting schoolwork done, going for a run, reading a book, doing dishes and laundry, and making breakfast. 6am tends to be a good time for me to get up because it keeps me consistent and I usually have a bit of time before my son, A, wakes up. Even if I have nothing else going on that day, I still try to wake up around 6am so that I keep a good routine. Below are the steps I take to wake up at 6am each day.
Identify why I Want to Wake up Early
It's easier to wake up when I understand the reasoning behind why I want to wake up early. For me, it's because I want to have a consistent routine, get stuff done early so I can enjoy the rest of the day, and I don't want to spend my time with A doing homework. On days when I wonder to myself if I really want to get up, I remind myself these reasons and then I get myself going for the day. Later, by time it hits 10am, I feel happy with myself because I have already gotten so much done.
Avoid Late Night Snacking
Sometimes it may be really tempting to me to eat after I get home from work but I tend to be pretty good most of the time about not eating past 7pm. If I get eating, then sometimes it wakes myself up more and then I want to stay up later doing other things. If I just get myself to bed and read some of my book, then I start getting sleepier faster and am able to sleep just fine.
Decompress Before Bed
Once I get to my bed, I take some time to read a book. It helps me wind down from the day so I am not too high-energy or busy-minded. Reading helps me focus on something else, relax, and makes me sleepy after a little while. By time I have read for a little while, I am ready to fall asleep. Other times, I might spend some time talking to my husband, C, which also helps me wind down.
Set an Earlier Bedtime
After I've decompressed, I make sure I am trying to get to sleep at a good time. I usually try to start falling asleep around 10pm. It's much easier for me to get up the next morning if I have gotten plenty of sleep. When I've gone to bed plenty early then I naturally wake up earlier, sometimes even before my alarm goes off.
Meditate
When I'm ready to fall asleep, I turn on a sleep meditation to get me fully relaxed. This is especially helpful during nights when my mind is very busy and I may be struggling to quiet it down. There are many sleep meditations available on YouTube, which is what I use. I also know there are apps that can be used for meditations.
Optimize my Sleep to get Better Quality Rest
It is much easier for me to get up in the morning when the sleep I got was good quality. To do this, I try to make sure that the temperature is set to where it won't be too hot, I wear pajamas that will keep me at a good temperature, I keep the lights off so the room is plenty dark, and make sure to the best of my ability that there is not too much loud noise which includes keeping my meditation to a low volume. By time 6am comes around, I have been fully rested.
Adjust my Alarm Gradually
If there is some reason why I have been thrown off my sleep schedule, I gradually adjust the time that I wake up so that I am not just suddenly trying to get up at 6am. This helps me to be patient with myself as I gradually try to begin getting up at 6am each day and ensures that I am not depriving myself of sleep by trying to just jump right back into my routine.
Do not Snooze
When my alarm does go off, I avoid hitting snooze. Hitting snooze conditions me to dismiss my alarm and wake up later. Instead, if it is hard for me to wake up immediately after my alarm goes off, I plan ahead by setting an alarm fifteen minutes before I want to wake up and allow myself to go back to sleep for those fifteen minutes until the next alarm. This helps me get to a lighter stage of sleep and then it is easier for me to get up when the second alarm goes off. The key is that it is planned ahead that I will wake up for sure at the second alarm and am aware that the first alarm is more of a heads up that I will be waking up in fifteen minutes.
Use External Cues to Optimize my Body Clock
After it is time to wake up, I make sure to get up, drink some water, and use the restroom. This forces me to sit up and get out of bed which signals to my body that it is time to be awake. I also make sure I turn some lights on and do something that gets my brain going so I don't fall back asleep. Usually the first thing I do is work on some schoolwork. Once A is awake, I sometimes will turn on some music and we dance together.
Drink More Water
Drinking water during the day helps me keep more hydrated so I wake up less during the night to drink water. It also keeps me more alert and forces me to use the bathroom more frequently so that I am moving around often. Plus, it is just refreshing to drink water and keeps me coming back to the kitchen to refill my water bottle.
What steps do you take to waking up?
Identify why you want to wake up early
Avoid late night snacking
Decompress before bed
Set an earlier bedtime
You can vote for more than one answer.
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