Mornings 101:
How to Become an Early Riser

This is the first article in the Mornings 101 series. I will be discussing the most effective strategies for dominating your day before breakfast.

There’s no better time to dominate your day than before breakfast.

In the Mornings 101 series I will show you how to become an early riser, bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, achieve your own 5 AM Miracle, and much more!

Photo Credit: chellseeyy

I’m a huge fan of waking up early for many reasons, including making time for my biggest goals, optimizing the hours of the day when my brain is most alert, and having time to myself before the rest of the world wakes up.

If you are preparing to make the move from a night owl to an early riser, these simple steps can get you started today.

How to Become an Early Riser in 2 Steps

Though there are many strategies to help make this transition easier, there are really only two necessary steps in the process.

1. Pick Your Time

Choose an ideal time to wake up tomorrow based on your commitments. For most people their morning routine is based off two pillars, waking up and getting to work. The goal of dominating your day before breakfast is to optimize the time between those boundaries, and adjust the boundaries if you can.

If the time you need to get to the office is non-negotiable, then start there and work backwards to your ideal wake up time. If your workday is flexible, then choose the habits you want to include in your morning routine and choose the boundaries that fit best.

As an example, when I had a day job I would wake up at 5:00 am and leave for work by 8:30. I chose 5:00 a.m. because it gave me enough time to squeeze in my best morning habits before leaving the house.

2. Make the Transition

The transition from a night owl to an early riser can be accomplished in one of two ways, slowly over time or right away. If you are more of a masochist and don’t mind being exhausted for a few days (or a couple of weeks), then waking up early tomorrow will be your best bet.

If radically altering your schedule overnight sounds too intense, then take it slow. Set your alarm clock back by 15 minutes. After a few days, adjust it again. Repeat this process over the next few weeks (or months) until you have reached your ideal wake up time.

At this point it should feel totally natural because you slowly transitioned.

5 Additional Strategies to Make it Stick

It’s not rocket science to switch your morning wake up call, but it can be hard to achieve, especially when you have a variable schedule, a possible caffeine addiction, or just a plain old lack of discipline.

I struggle with all of these issues, and more, which is why I rely on a few key strategies to help keep my routines in balance.

1. Find Your WHY

If you don’t have a compelling reason to wake up early, the odds are stacked against you from the start. I made my initial transition four years ago because I needed to find time to train for an upcoming marathon.

The pain of waking up early was less than the pain of regret from not achieving my goal. That’s the difference maker.

Write down exactly why you are making this switch. Hang it on your wall. Remind yourself all day, every day, until the transition is complete.

2. Create an Evening Routine

When you have an ideal evening routine in place, waking up early is a breeze. The key is to consistently end each day with the intention of being asleep by a clearly defined time.

An ideal evening routine will be written down, have a strict time boundary for when you stop work for the day, and include activities that help you fall asleep easier.

That could include everything from reading a book instead of watching television, to practicing yoga or just laying in bed for as long as it takes to fall asleep.

3. Consume Less Caffeine

This is the hardest part for me, but it works wonders if you drink a lot of coffee, soda, or other caffeinated beverages every day. One of the best ways to fall asleep faster is to actually be really tired.

Plan to cut out caffeine completely (or dramatically decrease your consumption) during your transition period. It won’t be fun at first, but it works.

4. Book a Breakfast

Scheduling an early morning appointment is an awesome way to hold yourself accountable to waking up. Every Monday morning I have a video chat with my accountability partner. If I don’t wake up on time I would never be ready for our call.

As another example, Jay Papasan, co-author of The ONE Thing, hired a personal trainer to come to his house at 5:30 a.m. for an early morning workout. Such a great idea!

When you involve another person in your process it always provides a huge incentive to stick to your schedule.

5. Wake Up and Workout

This may be the most effective strategy I have found for making the mornings more enjoyable AND getting the added perk of falling asleep easier at night. Go ahead and plan to make exercise part of your transition process.

If you don’t already exercise regularly, this will be a great asset for you. If you do workout, change up your routine and intensity so that you are pushing yourself hard early in the day.

Over time I have found this to be one of the most effective strategies for switching my sleep patterns, not to mention the additional health benefits!

What Time Will You Wake Up Tomorrow?

You don’t have to wake up at 5:00 a.m. to make your day effective. The key is to plan your day intentionally the night before and stick to your plan.

Share what time you plan to wake up tomorrow morning in The 5 AM Miracle Community page on Facebook.