How to Get Up Early

Getting up early in the morning is a great way to be productive and to get more out of your day. Many people love getting up early when they are able to, but can't seem to be as consistent about getting up as early as they'd like. In this post, I will explain benefits of getting up early, as well as a few tips that have made me successful at rising with the sun.

I believe there are many benefits of getting up early. I will mention my top 10 list below.

1. Quiet and Peaceful

Getting up in the early hours gives you extra quiet time and a peaceful start to the day. Most people in your area are still sleeping, and you get to enjoy the peacefulness before the whole world is out and about.

2. Exercise

Sometimes it can be hard to find time in your busy day to get out for a walk, hit the gym, or go out on the tennis court. Planning to exercise in the early morning will help eliminate disruptions from your daily workout routine. Exercise is extremely important in people's lives and is a great way to jump start your day. Exercise has been proven to give people more energy, make you feel better, and to reduce stress.

3. Time Before the Kids are Up

If you have children, sometimes it is nice to get a break from things by getting up to enjoy your own time before they are up. You can get in your morning walk, read the paper, practice yoga, or write in your journal all before the kids are up.

4. Watch the Sun Rise

Getting the opportunity to watch the sun rise is a very beautiful thing. You are essentially watching mother Earth wake up.

5. Grab your Cup of Joe

Early risers have time to make their own morning drink that they can actually sit down and enjoy. You'll have the extra time to grind your beans, read the paper, and sip on your freshly brewed coffee.

6. Read

Whether you need the extra time to read a book, the Wall Street Journal, the local morning paper, or your favorite magazine, getting up early will ensure that you can catch up and accomplish the extra reading.

7. Meditate

The early morning hours are quiet and relaxing. Take this time to do your routine meditation to help soothe your mind and body.

9. Feel Better

Once you actually are up, the thought of being up early, having the opportunity to be more productive, and getting in your morning exercise routine will put you in a better mood and your day will not be wasted one bit.

10. Be more productive

Just think, by the time most people are just getting up, you've already read the paper, exercised, and prepared yourself for the big day. You are not having to rush your kids to school because you had the extra time to pack there lunches, buckle the seat belts, and drive them to school safely. Maybe you had a presentation to prepare for a potential vendor, and you were able to go over it a few times to make sure everything goes well. Whatever the case, the extra time in your day will help you be a more productive person.

Now that you've heard a few benefits of getting up early, just how will you actually go about making it happen? Below are a few tips that have helped myself and others.

1. Go to Bed a bit Earlier.

Try to wrap things up at a decent time so that you can get the required sleep your body needs. Avoid coffee and caffeine drinks late in the night because you will have a tough time falling asleep which will make getting up earlier more of a challenge.

2. Alarm Clock

People say the hardest part about getting in shape is getting started. I feel getting up early is very similar because once you do get in the routine, it is fairly easy to stay with it. For the first week or so, I'd recommend setting your alarm clock across the room from your bed. This will force you to get out of your bed and walk over to turn the alarm off. It's much harder than simply pressing the snooze button on the alarm at your night stand.

There are some Alarm clocks that will actually slowly light the room as it get's closer to your designated wake up time. These can really help people get up, especially in the winter time when it is still dark late into the morning.

3.  Quotes

Find a few motivating quotes, print them off, and put them on your walls in your bedroom. They will help inspire you to be productive and to get out of your bed. The couple I have are:

“Whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun.” Thomas Jefferson

“Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it.”   Richard Whately

4. Don't Think about how Warm and Comfortable your Bed is.

Don't give your mind the chance to think about going back to bed. Once you jump out of bed; stumble over to the bathroom to hop in the shower and then brush your teeth. The shower will help wake you up and make you feel ready to take on a new and exciting day.

5. The Coffee is Brewing

Set your coffee machine to start brewing about the time you are ready to get up. You'll smell the fresh coffee and your nose may lead you downstairs to grab a cup. There is nothing like the smell of freshly brewed coffee early in the morning.

6. Exercise

If your goal is to exercise first thing in the morning, get prepared the night before. Have your running shorts, shirt, shoes, water bottles, headphones, and ipod laid out at the base of your bed and ready for you to gear up and head outside.

7. Create a Morning Routine

Come up with goals that you want to accomplish the next day and create a plan and routine on how to accomplish what you need to get done. Having a purpose to get up early will help ensure that you follow through with it.

I personally have found many benefits from getting up early and have been able to stay fairly consistent with it. Yes, there will be late nights here and there when you won't be able to get up at your desired time, but do try to create a routine that becomes a habit of getting up early. Trust me, you will feel better because of it.

Please post any suggestions or tips that that have helped you get up early. We'd love to hear them!

Article by Pete Sveen