How to wake up early roundup

Waking up early is a perennial topic among productivity bloggers, but I feel like there’s been a higher concentration of posts on this topic in recent days.  Then again, maybe I’ve just been primed to notice them now that I’m trying to adopt the habit myself.  So far I’ve woken up at 6 AM every day (including Saturdays and Sundays) for the last 19 days, and it’s been great.  Starting the day like this has helped me establish a routine that incorporates three of my top 5 productivity tips from last year:  contingency management, mindfulness meditation, and using a timer.

How to get started

A classic on waking up early is Steve Pavlina’s How to Become an Early Riser (don’t forget part 2).  I’ve basically stuck with his advice and so far so good.  Bottom line:  use an alarm to wake up at the same time every morning and go to bed when your body tells you to.

Here’s an excerpt from an MSN Health & Fitness article I just came across that backs up Steve’s approach:

The American Academy of Family Physicians has developed a list of ideas for improving your sleep. Waking up at the same time every day is at the top of that list. The academy emphasizes that this habit should be followed even on those nights you didn’t get enough sleep.  The idea is this routine eventually trains the body to sleep at night. It might not do wonders for your social life, but, then again, maybe it will if you are better rested and feel happier.

Another good post to start with comes from the blog Zen Habits, and is called How I Became an Early Riser.  There are obviously some similarities to Steve’s article, but the great practical tips in this article really stand out.  It’s also worth checking out the author’s post on doing most important tasks first thing in the morning as well as his bio, which is hands down the most inspiring About page I’ve ever seen on a blog.

No one said it’d be easy

Today I enjoyed David Seah’s aptly titled post, Grogginess.  He reports from day two of his plan to wake up regularly at 6:30 AM…needless to say it’s not a ringing endorsement for getting up at the crack of dawn.  Nevertheless, I think it’s a good read for anyone thinking about starting to wake up early, or change any habit, for that matter.  You can have the best of intentions, but that doesn’t mean your body will want to play along.  (Good luck, David!)

Made not born

Those were some of the highlights I’ve come across lately, though there are countless articles and other resources out there (I didn’t even mention Ben Franklin and some of his thoughts on the subject).

I think it comes down to giving it a shot and remembering that, as Steve P. says, morning people are made, not born.