This is not one of those posts where I try to convince you to wake up at 4AM with me if you want to be successful. That time works on my schedule, but it might not work for you — and that’s okay. You don’t have to be the first human awake to actually get things done.
What I will tell you is my not-so-secret hack to actually getting out of bed in the mornings.
I’m a morning person, clearly, but that doesn’t always mean I want to get out of bed. I naturally wake up before the sun, even if I really don’t want to. I’ve learned to embrace the suck of it since that’s actually my most productive time, but it’s really tempting to just skip the productivity and try to go back to sleep.
My trick to waking up and getting out of bed is that I always have something to look forward to when I open my eyes.
Yeah, it’s that simple. I have my first real ‘task’ of the day be something I really want to do or enjoy.
Do you remember when you were a kid and on Christmas you would wake up crazy early because you were so excited to see what Santa brought you?
That’s the feeling I try to create every morning.
And you know what gives me that feeling right now? Writing.
It hasn’t always been that way, though. For the last two years, writing has been my morning activity but at one point it was running or working out. For a week or so, I had a coffee creamer that actually got me that excited for the morning. You might have a different idea for your morning spark.
It doesn’t matter what that first thing is, it just matters that it gets you excited. If you’re ‘meh’ about it, you won’t want to get up. If you absolutely hate it, you’re definitely going to try to skip.
I am head over heels in love with writing. I get giddy just thinking about it. My family and friends notice when I’ve been writing because I start to talk faster and louder about it. It gives me all the feels and it’s my passion, purpose, and everything in between. That’s why it’s the perfect first activity to encourage me to get out of bed.
There is always space for slip ups with this method. We all have days where external or internal factors make us want to stay in bed and avoid the day. I notice that those days typically come when I don’t know what I’m going to write in the morning — in other words, I don’t have something to be excited about. Having multiple projects to work on has reduced that feeling significantly.
I notice that sometimes my evening schedule dictates the energy I have in the morning. If I’m up late the night before, it doesn’t matter how excited I am about a project… I need sleep.
So yes, some days I do sleep in. Some days, instead of getting up at an alarm, I’ll let my body tell me when to get up. I choose to give myself a break and that’s okay. Rest and recharge is always critical for our health and wellbeing. I always know that when I’m ready, writing will be there to get me out of bed again.
Wondering what your thing is to help get you up in the morning? I can help with that! Get a free introductory coaching session with me and get clear on how to cultivate your passion. If you want more helpful stuff like this, sign up for my once monthly digest of all the best tips and tricks to get the most out of your thing.