5 Ways To Wake Up And Stay Up

How many times have you told yourself that you’re going to start waking up earlier? How many times has it worked? For me, I seem to go through cycles of extreme motivation followed by astonishing laziness. We attend a self-development seminar and get all fired up, set 52 goals we’re going to accomplish by tomorrow, go to bed excited to wake up and get started….and then hit snooze five times and sleep in.

Who are we really? Who is the real “you”? Is it the person who was motivated the night before? Or is it the person tangled in the sheets in the morning who is convinced that you need more sleep? I think the answer is a little bit of both. We have to understand that we all go through these cycles and that we can’t be 100% motivated all the time. But I truly believe that waking up early and staying up can be one of the best ways to sustain motivation, feel better about our lives, and accomplish our goals. So here are some tweaks you can make to wake up and stay up.

1. Keep Your Alarm Out Of Reach

This one is so simple yet so effective. Sometimes we hit snooze and fall back asleep before we are even conscious of turning off the alarm. However, if the alarm is all the way across the room, you’ll have success for two reasons. First, you’ll be getting out of bed quick to turn it off so as not to disturb any roommates, spouses, neighbors, etc. Second, you HAVE to get out of bed to turn it off. And once, you’re out of bed and a little more awake and aware, you’re going to have a much higher chance of not getting back under the covers.

2. Make Your Bed Right Away

Right after you turn off your alarm, turn around and make your bed. This will help wake you up but also help you from getting back in. Two more benefits are a clean, organized room that will help you feel more effective and a nicely made bed when you’re ready to go to sleep. Make this a daily habit and the first thing you do in the morning.

3. Use The Cold Water Trick

There are few things that wake people up better than ice-cold water. This could include a few splashes on your face from the bathroom sink, sticking your head under the bathtub faucet, or taking a full-on cold water shower, which apparently has numerous health benefits.^[1] Along with your ice bath, you can drink 8-12 oz. of cold water. Your body is usually dehydrated when you wake up, so this will help to hydrate as well as to kickstart your metabolism.

4. Get Your Body Moving

Shoot for 10-15 minutes of exercise each morning, even if you’re planning on working out later in the day. Some easy exercises include yoga, jumping jacks, pushups, situps, or any other physical activity that will help to warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate. Remember to start slow with some stretches and moderate activity to prevent any injury.

5. Sleep The Correct Amount

This might be the most important tip on the list because if you sleep the correct amount, you’ll be ready to wake up anyways. Most researchers recommend seven to eight hours of sleep for adults, so decide the ideal time you’d like to wake up and count backwards from there. Then be sure to stick to your set bedtime. If you’re sleeping seven hours but still waking up groggy, try adding on sleep in 15-minute increments until you find an amount that works well for your body. The consequences of sleep deprivation are scary, so don’t risk it. Get the sleep you need.

Making these small tweaks to your morning routine will help you to wake up and stay up every single morning, which in turn will allow you to accomplish the other goals you’ve set and make sure that you’re squeezing every ounce of productivity out of every day you can.