HOW TO ACTUALLY WAKE UP EARLY—Even When You Hate It
even night owls can learn to wake up with the early birds :)
Waking up early in the morning, to put it frankly, sucks. From fighting exhaustion to braving the colder temperatures as we are heading into the colder months, there is little incentive to get up and get your day started early. We've all been there—hitting snooze and drifting back to sleep "just for a few more minutes." Then reality hits when you wake up hours later, frustrated that another morning has slipped away without checking off a single item from your to-do list.
This was my life story for YEARS. I couldn’t figure out how to wake up early and stay awake. I wanted to wake up so that I could have more time to work towards my goals and dreams, but always felt so much resistance. I was tired of feeling behind and not having enough time to accomplish all that I had planned to complete for that day. I felt stuck and started to believe that it will just be something that I struggle with my whole life. This was until I finally figured out how to design an effective routine that allowed me to wake up early with ease.
This is the formula that allowed me to consistently wake up at 7 a.m. every morning, complete more tasks, be more productive, and gave me more opportunities to work towards my goals and dreams.
In this post you’ll learn:
How I Was Able To Wake Up Early Even When I Hated It
How To Design A Successful Wake-Up Routine In 5 Phases
Are you ready to have the time and energy to accomplish everything you want and more? Keep reading to explore the detailed formula that will take you from sleeping in late, to starting early!
How I was able to wake up early even when I hated it
Waking up early in the morning was not the battle I thought I would be fighting every day when I imagined myself being an adult. The morning was my greatest foe. I was notorious amongst my friends and family for my ridiculous sleep schedule. I would go to bed between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. and rarely wake up before noon. I couldn't understand people who woke up before 9 a.m. WILLINGLY.
That was a concept I never thought would be feasible for me. I figured some people were just born early birds and some were born to be night owls, and clearly I was the latter. Even though I had the belief that I’d always be a night owl, I still desired to wake up earlier, I just didn't know how to get there. I thought it was impossible for me. I’ve always been like this, I hated the morning and had little evidence to prove that I could actually wake up early. Despite this, I really wanted to feel more accomplished with my day and get more things done. I didn't like that by the time I woke up and got going, the day felt like it was already almost over. It seemed like others had already accomplished so much on their to do list, while I was finally just starting my day.
I knew that if I wanted to make my big dreams a reality and keep up with other individuals who were working towards their dreams, the first thing I needed to do was start waking up earlier. After years of trying and failing, I finally figured out the routine that enabled me to make waking up early not only the best option —but the easier one too.
I learned how to design a successful morning routine using simple systems and strategies that allowed me to get over my daily morning obstacles. I did this by priming my environment and technology to make tasks easier and more natural for me to do.
With this model, I believe it is more than possible for you to create a routine that allows you to be successful with waking up early too! So if you are ready to design a routine for your success and take back your mornings, let’s get ‘er done! You’ve got this!
How To Design A Successful Wake-Up Routine In 5 Phases
Designing a routine that actually works and is effective for you is LIFE CHANGING — but does require some intentionality to curate and build. After you’ve decided when you want to start waking up, there are a few phases that need to be covered to build a successful routine to get you to your wake up goal. Those phases include: rules, identify, strategize, prepare, and design. Working through these phases will help you create a truly successful routine because it will be tailored personally to YOU and what you need.
PHASE 1: RULES
We need to create easy, non-negotiable rules to follow and abide by. Realistic goals that with the right strategies will be easy to complete. These rules are meant to get you closer to your goal by making waking up the easier and more natural option. Here are some rules I made as an example.
Lights off, head on pillow by 11 p.m. My goal was to wake up at 7 a.m. so I wanted to give myself at least eight hours of sleep. I needed to make sure that my end of day tasks were completed and that I was prepped for the next day before 11 p.m. A good morning routine starts the night before, so we want to make sure that we are prepped and getting enough quality sleep. This will help us be less sluggish in the morning.
No electronics in the room, especially in the bed. I established that my bed and room was meant for sleeping. That when I lay in bed, my body can trust that it is time to wind down and sleep, not scroll on Pinterest. With no artificial light or distractions, my brain knows that it can actually release the right hormones for sleep.
Wake up, no bed. When I woke up, I was not allowed to get back into bed under any circumstance. It was ok if I was dead tired and fell back asleep on the couch. I was allowed to do anything I wanted after waking up. I just couldn't lay back down in bed. So to make going to the couch the easier option, I left a good book and a heated blanket. Knowing full well the first reason I always jumped back into bed was because I was cold.
2 minute golden rule: Anything that could be completed in two minutes or less that was in my natural path, I had to do. Anybody can do a task for 2 minutes right?
PHASE 2: IDENTIFY
This is where we identify the obstacles that are making waking and staying up in the morning such a challenge. We must pinpoint exactly what's keeping us from getting up early. Is it exhaustion? Is it the cold? What is keeping you in bed? What are the first thoughts that run into your head when you wake up? We must find a strategy that helps you overcome the problems you face in the morning and keeps you from falling asleep again. Here are some examples from my own life.
Example 1: I kept waking up exhausted because I wasn’t sleeping well through the night. I found myself waking up every two hours counting down the clock before my phone alarm went off because I was stressing about the next day. Eventually I would be jolted out of sleep by an obnoxious alarm, wake up exhausted, and crash soon after waking up.
Example 2: I hated getting out of bed because it was super cold. I would roll over, turn off my alarm, and lay back down in bed to keep warm. Eventually I would fall back asleep, missing all of the goals I had set for the morning.
PHASE 3: STRATEGIZE
What is the solution? When you can find the solution to your personal obstacles, you will be able to design specific systems and strategies to help you overcome these hurdles.
Example 1: I decided to give the Hatch Restore Alarm Clock a try after some research, and I am now a believer! It sports a feature that I haven't heard anyone talk about, which is the disappearing time display. When I would wake in the middle of the night, the first thing I would do was look at my alarm and start calculating how much time I have left before I have to wake up again. Taking my brain out of sleep mode into stress mode, making it really difficult to fall back asleep. With the Hatch alarm, I am able to wake up and quickly go right back to sleep because I can’t start stress calculating the time. And if I do for whatever reason need to see the time, I can simply tap the display and it will show the time for three seconds before disappearing again. A feature that I had no idea would change my sleep habits so much! I already knew that being able to customize how I wake up was going to be a game-changer. With calming soundscapes and a selection of warm sunrises to choose from, the Hatch has been so helpful in waking me up during the darker winter months. I now wake up from deep sleep much easier and more peacefully, with no abrasive alarms in the mornings.
Example 2: Now having my Hatch alarm clock in my room, I was able to use my phone as a second alarm outside of the room that would go off five minutes after my Hatch. I chose an obnoxious alarm so it was difficult to ignore and had to get up and walk to turn off my phone alarm. Walking helped me to wake up some more and create distance from my bed instead of just hitting the snooze button like I normally do. I would then leave the clothes I was going to wear next to the phone alarm so that I could put them on and warm up quickly. After that, it seemed kind of silly to get back in bed fully dressed. Usually by this point I was fully awake.
If you’re ready to wake up with less anxiety and more energy, transform your mornings with the Hatch Restore alarm clock! The revolutionary game-changer for anyone who struggles with waking up!
PHASE 4: PREP
What can you do to make your morning as easy and simple as possible? I have found that getting as much squared away the night before is KEY in having a smooth morning. The night before I will make my lunch, prep my work bag, lay out my clothes, etc. I do this to make sure I don’t have to use any more brain power than I have to in the morning. I can simply just go through the motions and follow my detailed morning routine.
PHASE 5: DESIGN
Speaking of a detailed morning routine, this is where everything comes together. With all of these essential questions answered, you can now design an effective wake-up routine. One curated to get you over your morning obstacles and helps you get ready to accomplish all your goals! I personally found the most success by implementing my solutions and tasks as two minute rules. I simplify what I can down to something I can start or complete in two minutes. Think of it as getting the ball rolling on the task. If I make it easy to start doing and get the task rolling, I'm more willing to keep moving through my tasks at a good pace, complete them and get out the door on time. Anybody can do anything for two minutes— including us! This makes moving through the morning easy and simple.
For example: One of my goals in the morning was to walk for half an hour. To help me start doing that, I simplified it into a two minute rule. At 7:45 a.m. I had to put on my running shoes, my fitbit, and stand outside for two minutes. I only had to stand outside, I wasn’t required to walk. But I often found that I would naturally want to start walking, even though it wasn’t my original goal. Before I knew it, I was walking 30+ minutes every morning effortlessly.
And that’s it! You now know the formula to build the perfect wake up routine! A routine that will help you wake up earlier, complete more tasks, feel more productive, and have the necessary time to work towards your personal goals and dreams!
Waking up earlier has been pivotal in helping me work towards my dreams and accomplish them! This is something I want for you too! And I can honestly say that it has been 10x easier with the help of my Hatch Restore Alarm Clock. If you want to wake up easier with less stress and finally get the deep sleep you deserve, check out the Hatch Restore Alarm Clock here!
If you’re someone who needs a visual and loves an example or template to follow, you’re talking to the right girl! Check out my post, The Exact Routine That Made Waking Up EASY.
To your continual growth and wellness,
Natalie
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