"Early to bed and early to rise - this is what makes a person healthy, rich and intelligent."
Benjamin Franklin, 18th century. a politician
Getting up early as a child was a big misunderstanding for me. Get up at six in the morning, get dressed with zombie speed, forcefully eat breakfast and prepare for the trip to the sea?
Why do my parents torture me so much? Why can't you sleep yet???
But over the past year, my perspective has changed.
Since the end of January, I have set a goal for myself - to get up at least 7:30 a.m. of my own volition. Instead of the usual 9:30 or 10:00 hours.
The reason is simple - so that I can finally make it to the morning lectures, which the teachers plan to hold at 8:30! And look, I've already achieved my goal of turning back my internal clock this week. And completely painless!
How to start getting up earlier?
Here are some simple ideas that I believe will help you get up earlier without the help of a bucket of cold water. 1
First: Notice your procrastination.
As obvious as it is, it's insanely difficult for some reason.
"Just a little more..."
These words follow us everywhere. A little more French fries, a little more cigarette, a little more sex without a condom, a little more Facebook… 2 And, of course, a little more sleep.
It's easy to say: "Don't procrastinate and do it!".
But it's not that easy to do, is it? I myself sometimes notice that some mornings I don't want to get up at all...
What do I do then?
Second: Ask yourself why you procrastinate.
We all procrastinate. Always. Everything. Even if we want to, we can tolerate it for at least a few moments before we can't anymore. 3
...And surprisingly, procrastination is natural.
If we do not choose procrastination ourselves, it is a sign from our subconscious that we need to procrastinate.
- Yesterday at work you shook hands with a sick colleague. You didn't notice it all day, and the viruses have already damaged your body. The body needs rest, the body says, "Hey, hey, hey, what's up?" Maybe you at all? Don't even get up!” So you delay getting up.
- A few days ago you met a girl you can't forget. You didn't notice it on purpose, but at this moment you are scrolling through Facebook looking for her messages to relive those pleasant moments. So you delay sleep.
- Your child's jacket is torn and winter is coming - he might get cold. You don't realize it, but in the moment you're working on ignoring your hunger for donuts so you can save more money. You delay eating.
…And so on.
Third: Is it worth delaying?
Although it will be difficult to ask yourself this in the first moments, 4 after a few 5 times you will learn to notice your procrastination and ask yourself.
Is it worth it? Is it worth the wait?
- You might feel really bad. You check your temperature and the thermometer reads 39 with several parts. Then don't hurt yourself and let yourself sleep in today. 6
- Maybe you will realize that you are just wasting your time on the Internet. So, you turn off your cell phone, put it on the far windowsill of the room and go to sleep like a normal person.
- Maybe you will remember that you can use the morning to make your dreams come true. 7 So you close your eyes, exhale the air... Take a deep breath and get up for a new day.
…And so on. In matters of sleep and all others.
You need sleep. That's a fact. You want to sleep. This is also a fact.
But it shouldn't get in the way of your life.
Don't worry about sleeping so long. Don't worry about going to bed late. at all - relax. And then:
If you need to get up early, get up early.
I didn't get up. I didn't get up early because I had no reason to.
Why the hell am I up so early? To listen to that Soviet lecturer's monotonous lullaby about steel stress calculations???
When I found a reason for not procrastinating, I started getting up earlier.
My reason?
I told myself I could watch another episode of Game of Thrones every morning. After I finished the series - I changed it to an hour of the World of Warcraft video game. After getting bored of that - I saw the joy of daily writing and I devoted my mornings to eating chocolate and writing.
…Provided I get out of bed, get dressed, wash my face with cold water and boil a kettle of water for a delicious herbal tea.
Now, every morning I have two choices:
a) Procrastinating and wasting your chance to enjoy life today.
b) Get up and take your chance today to enjoy life.
Same in the evening:
a) Keep scrolling down the Instagram wall and feel like a corpse in the morning.
b) Turn off the phone and win moments for an evening book and a good sleep.
Now, instead of going to bed at 2:00 AM and getting up at 12:00 AM… I fall asleep at 11:30 PM and wake up at 7:30 AM. And almost without an alarm clock. 🙂
Why are you procrastinating?
Is it because your activity is really important - your child needs clothes, your body needs holy peace, your wife wants a child from you, other people's calls are not so important to you? 8
If so, everything is fine. relax Repeat with me: "I put".
And if you have a reason for procrastinating... You already know what to do.
Do you see how easy it gets?
Although, as my father told me, it was one of the more effective methods of awakening in the Russian army.↩
God forbid someone texted in the last 15 seconds! Have you checked yet?↩
Unless we're babies. Well, they never put it off. If you really want it - you need it!↩
Mostly because you will forget these questions in a moment. Until you get used to it.↩
Or a dozen. It took me about a week before I started noticing my reluctance to get up.↩
By the way, if you're afraid of employers, you can always tell them "I believe you're better off with a healthy and alive employee than a half-dead one infecting your colleagues." It works.↩
These can be called your Morning Rituals. Simas Balčiūnas wrote good articles about them: "Morning rituals are my recipe for a perfect day" and Martynas Jocius: "Morning Rituals: 2 amazing hours for yourself", and also "The Lazy Manifesto" I'm telling you too.↩
For example, if you simply don't like running and you have more fun playing basketball with your friends, you don't need to run. Even if all your friends, doctors and family recommend it.↩
And why do you want tightness when lifting? What's not to like about freedom? Is it like with clothes - some people like to dress earlier (tighten up), while others are more relaxed...
You have a walkie-talkie article 🙂 I used a slightly different methodology for getting up earlier - I have sleep disorders due to an illness, so first of all I had to coordinate the right dose of medication in the hospital and constantly monitor whether I would get out of the routine. No early wake up times, no alarms. I gradually moved up the time I go to bed, half an hour earlier. This is how I managed my sleep and wake up routine, and I haven't fallen out yet 🙂
Very interesting and useful. Daniel, start writing a book. The book would be really useful.
Absolutely, Nerille!!
Once upon a time, I tried to get up a little earlier, but I didn't have enough patience 🙂 The biggest problem was that as soon as the time came, something would happen that would soon ruin my schedule again (a trip, a loud party, etc. =). I have been (successfully) using a slightly different methodology for some time now: http://www.audioknygos.lt/kaip-atsikelti-anksti-ryte-lengvai-su-vejeliu/
Good ideas, Aurimas!
(By the way, are you also the author of audioknygos.lt? Or is it just a common name?)
I really think this article needs to be updated. And when I update, I guess I'll link to your article as well. Because right now I have the challenge of getting up at four in the morning. Thank you :))
Thank you, Daniel. I've been browsing your blog all weekend and found so much good stuff there! A wonderful discovery (for me).
And the name is really a mismatch. Even if you decide not to share the link, thanks for the nice effort!
In this case, self-loathing and self-suggestion will help 😀 When you stay up too long, you have to keep repeating to yourself "What a fool I am, I won't sleep, go to sleep, [name], go already... look at the clock... Well, be smart for once... After all are you smart Tomorrow you will be sleepless, angry, irritable, etc. 5 more minutes... 5?! 5?!! No! You can control yourself. Yes! I order myself to go to sleep immediately!" or something 😀 It works 😀
Waking up early in the morning has been the biggest problem for me all my life (according to my mother, even as a baby, I used to sleep through the night, eat at 6 o'clock and sleep again until 9-10 o'clock). I am an incorrigible owl. Neither the alarm clock at the other end of the room nor the cold water helps... Maybe (MAYBE) it would be easier to wake up after hearing the fire sirens in the yard. But that would be a luxury 😀 So I can get up earlier only when I go to bed earlier. That is, I get up when I fall asleep.
Oh, indeed, getting up when you're already asleep is a good way to get up earlier.
The problem is, it's true - sometimes (or often) it's easy to sit at work or Internet entertainment for too long, without even noticing that the optimal time to sleep has long passed. :))