7 Genius Tips You Need To Wake Up Early

How you can wake up early without feeling drowsy and tired – 7 genius tips

Struggling to get out of bed every morning? Do you find yourself constantly hitting the snooze button? Climbing out of bed can seem like the most difficult thing to do, especially if you’re a night owl. 

For a period of time, I used to wake up at 10 am because I was sleeping at 2 am. I knew it was time for a change when I felt like my day was already half over before it started. 

Now, I generally wake up between 6:30 to 7:30 am. I’m not the super ambitious type to wake up at 5am since I still sleep around 11pm, and I want to get in at least 7 hours of sleep. But maybe in the future, I’ll try to aim to sleep earlier, but for now, this is what works for me. 

If you want to start waking up earlier, you’ve come to the right place! This post will give you practical steps you can take to start waking up earlier. 

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7 Genius Tips You Need To Wake Up Early

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Why is waking up early important?

First of all, probably the most important factor to consider is WHY you’re waking up early. If you’re waking up early just cause everybody else is, then trust me, you’re going to dread every morning. 

Your reason to wake up early has to be sustainable for the long run. So make your ‘why’ personable to you and motivational enough that it’ll get you up in the mornings even when you don’t want to. 

And if you’re contemplating what your ‘why’ is, let me help you out with that! Here are some benefits for waking up early that you should consider: 

1. You’ll have more time to yourself

Do you want to start a side hustle? Carve out more time to exercise? Sit down and journal instead of rushing through your mornings? Waking up early gives you more time to do the things you enjoy and want to focus on. 

I’d encourage you to think about activities/things you’ve been wanting to do in your mornings. In this post, I teach you step-by-step on how you can create a productive, simple morning routine that works for you. 

2. You can beat traffic = save more time and benefit your health. 

When I was a commuter in college, oh boy, I would be rushing through traffic to get to my 8am class. I’m pretty sure 80% of the time I was also running to all of my classes (lol). 

If I had just decided to wake up earlier, then I wouldn’t feel so stressed and rushed trying to get to school. It did affect my health because stress makes me break out and causes me to be more distracted. 

Do you relate to this? If so, maybe it’s time to start making a change in your mornings by waking up a bit earlier. Even just waking up 10 minutes earlier can make a big difference to save you time during your commute. 

3. Your skin will be thanking you. 

Studies have shown that sleeping earlier will result in a brighter complexion, less puffy eyes, and healthier hair. You reap the benefits when you start making the conscious decision to sleep early. 

I also struggle sleeping early, and that’s why I’ve decided to go on a 30-day sleep challenge in order to fix my sleep schedule. Hopefully by sleeping earlier, I’ll gradually change my waking time to 6:00 am. I think I’m going to create a post about how this goes for me, and I’ll share my journey with you, so stay tuned!

7 genius tips you need to wake up early

1. Write down your ‘why’

Your WHY is probably the most important factor that contributes to waking up early. 

If your ‘why’ is influenced by how others will perceive you or because you think you “should,” maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your reason. I say this because I have definitely been sucked into the “5 am club” (there’s a book all about it) and waking up earlier despite not having a real desire to. 

But now, I do it because I love taking early morning walks, hitting the gym early, and getting a headstart on my side hustle. If you’re not sure ‘why’ you want to wake up early, here are a few questions to get you started:

• How do you want to spend your mornings?
• What do I want my life to look like?
• How am I using my time? Do I make time for my goals?
• What habits do I have that stop me from reaching my life goals?

Asking yourself these questions, will make you stop and reflect on your life and what you want to do with it. The intention is not to judge yourself, but to simply evaluate where you’re at right now. When you dig deeper, you’ll find what your values are which will become your ‘why.’

2. Create small goals

Once you’ve established your ‘why,’ now it’s time to create small action goals. If you need help with goal setting, this super helpful post will teach you how to break down any goal into actionable steps. 

It’s important to take baby steps when it comes to waking up early. If you normally wake up at 8 am and the next day, you force yourself to wake up at 5 am, you’re probably going to feel super groggy and tired. Your mind and body will take time to catch up to such a drastic change in your sleep cycle. 

So let’s take baby steps by creating small goals. 

There are two big questions to ask yourself before setting these goals, though. 

1. What time do you want to wake up? 7 am? 6:30 am? 5:00 am? 
2. What time do you normally wake up? 10 am? 8 am? 

Your ‘starting point’ is the time you’re waking up right now and your ‘end goal’ is the time you want to wake up. 

This is your first challenge: start waking up earlier in the morning by 15-minute intervals each WEEK until you reach your desired wake-up time. 

I’m not saying every day; I’m saying to do this each week so you’re not putting your body in shock. Plus, you’re more likely to establish better habits by taking baby steps. 

Here’s an example of what this could look like:

Starting point: Currently wakes up at 8 am. 

End goal: Wake up at 6:30 am consistently. 

Week 1: Set alarm for 7:45 am

Week 2: Set alarm for 7:30 am

Week 3: Set alarm for 7:15 am

Week 4: Set alarm for 7:00 am

Week 5: Set alarm for 6:45 am

Week 6: Set alarm for 6:30 am

I know this seems like a while to reach your goal, but just like any habit, whether that’s working out to see progress or building your stamina, every habit takes time. So push yourself to be consistent! 

3. Charge your phone across the room at night

This is something I personally do to help me get out of bed. Sometimes, I just want to check the time right when I wake up, but I can’t if I don’t physically pull myself out of bed. 

When you make a habit of having your phone charging right next to you overnight, it’s easy to scroll through your phone in the morning. It could start to become a habit, which will make it harder for you to actually get out of bed. 

If this is you, challenge yourself to charge your phone somewhere else in your room. Set your alarm for when you want to wake up and get up to snooze it and do not go back to bed (I know how tempting this is lol). Continue to do this for 3-4 weeks in order for it to become a routine. 

I know this will be hard in the beginning, but as time goes, it’ll start to become easier! 

PSST….having an effective morning routine is soo important to start your day feeling energized and productive. Grab this (FREE!) printable below to create an amazing morning routine!

4. Avoid blue light 30 minutes before bed

There have been multiple studies regarding the negative effects of blue light. Blue light exposure, itself, is not bad. It’s beneficial during daylight hours because it boosts our mood and attention during the day. 

On the other hand, Harvard did a study about how blue light at night can affect our health, which could contribute to obesity and diabetes. 

Blue light are blue wavelengths that radiate off the screens of our phones, laptops, or any technological device that we use. This ultimately makes it harder for us to sleep at night, which will make it difficult to wake up earlier. 

That’s why, researchers recommend that we avoid blue light 30 minutes before bed, either by stashing away our phones and turning to other activities to wind down for the night. 

Here are some of the best ways to optimize blue light before bed or at night:

1. Get as much daytime light exposure as much as possible. 
2. If you work at night, consider using blue-blocking glasses that filters the blue wavelength at night. 
3. Avoid looking at bright screens 1-2 hours prior to bedtime. 

This leads me to my next point…

5. Wake up to light right away!

Right when you wake up, you want to expose yourself to daylight. Whether that’s opening your curtains or shades, this will help you to stay awake. 

If you don’t live in an area where there’s a lot of sunlight due to seasonal sunlight changes, consider investing in a light therapy lamp. Light therapy lamps help with the winter blues, regulates sleep, improves focus, and boosts energy.

If there’s just not enough light entering your room due to lack of windows or the placement of your room, consider investing in a sunrise alarm clock that will expose you to light first thing in the morning. A sunrise alarm clock will improve your overall quality of sleep, health, and mood. 

6. Be consistent (including the weekends)

I can’t stress this enough, but it’s so important to be consistent, even on the weekends! That’s why it’s crucial that your ‘end goal’ for waking up earlier is sustainable and long-term. 

If you want your goal to be 6am, can you wake up at 6am on the weekends? Think about it. If you normally wake up at 8am on the weekends, and you’re forcing your body to wake up at 6am on the weekdays, you’ll have a difficult time adjusting to these time changes. 

Sleeping in on the weekends can be really tempting after a stressful, busy week. But the challenge is being consistent with your morning routine. Strive to wake up within 30 minutes of when you wake up on weekdays.

For example, you might wake up at 6am on the weekdays. On the weekends, try waking up at anytime between 6:00 to 6:30 am and no later than that. 

Again, the more consistent you are with waking up earlier every single day, the easier it will become!

7. Avoid heavy meals at night

This is definitely something I struggle with (lol). Sometimes, it’s really hard not to eat late at night when I’m hungry. I currently work a part-time job, and my shift ends at 8pm somedays, so I’ll drive home craving a big meal for dinner. 

Because of my work schedule, I’ll finish dinner at almost 9pm. It’s definitely not ideal, but I still need to eat to fuel my body. So one thing I’m trying to do is eat a snack in between my shift, so I’m not coming home with an empty stomach. 

If you can avoid it, I’d recommend not eating a heavy meal past 8pm because your body takes time to digest food. So I’d encourage you to eat regularly during the day so that you won’t be too hungry at night. This is definitely something I’m practicing, too!

Tips for success in waking up early

Prepare the night before. It’s a lot easier to wake up earlier when you know what you want to do during your mornings. Start by writing out 1-3 things you want to do in the mornings. Once you have your to-do list, figure out how you can make it easier to do those things.

For example, you might want to go on a walk in the morning. Set out your workout clothes so you don’t have to spend time looking for outfit. Another example is you might choose to journal in the mornings. The best thing to do is place your journal on your desk so you’re ready to start journaling the morning of! 

Don’t press the snooze button. This goes back to tip #3 (above), but try your best not to press the snooze button. When you set your phone across the room as an alarm, make it a habit to just get up and get your day started. This will definitely be a mental challenge, but it’s a good one! 

Reward yourself. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE rewards. If there’s no incentive for waking up early, then I most likely won’t do it (haha). 

A few rewards for me (yes, I have multiple lol) are making a refreshing iced coffee, going to an empty gym, taking a walk when the sun is barely peaking out yet, etc. These are rewards that bring me joy and help me to wake up because I look forward to them. 

What are 1-3 rewards you will look forward to in the mornings? 

Write down something you look forward to the next day. This kind of goes with rewarding yourself. What is something you can look forward to the next day? 

For example, I might have plans with a friend for dinner, which is something I look forward to. Because I want to have a good time during my hangout, I’ll do what helps me get into a good mood! And surprise surprise, waking up early and having a good morning routine sets me up for the rest of the day. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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The last thing you need to know about waking up early

Waking up early requires genuine motivation, grit, and consistency. You need to set clear, focused goals that will motivate you to get out of bed. With time and patience, you’ll be able to wake up early like a pro! 

To recap, here are the 5 takeaways: 

1. Write down your ‘why’ to motivate you to wake up early.
2. Create small goals to wake up for each week.
3. Charge your phone across the room at night.
4. Avoid blue light 30 minutes before bed.
5. Wake up to light right away. 
6. Be consistent waking up early, even on the weekends.
7. Avoid heavy meals at night. 

I hope these 7 tips have motivated you to start waking up earlier! I’d love to know – what helps you wake up early? Comment down below!

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