Time is one of the essential elements of the productivity triptych: time, energy and concentration. Getting up earlier means saving time and therefore increasing your productivity, but be careful not to neglect the other two elements of this triptych!
1. Go to bed earlier the night before
There is no secret, the body needs to sleep between 7 and 8 hours per night (more or less for a smaller part of the population). To maintain this number of hours per day while getting up early, you must of course get into the habit of going to sleep before a certain time set in advance.
2. Don’t leave room for doubt
What prevents us from creating a new habit is often that we leave room for doubt and tell ourselves that we will decide when the time comes (in this case, to get up when the alarm clock rings). This is a very bad strategy. We create uncertainty in which our procrastination or lack of motivation will sink in. In order to prevent this from happening, we must simply eliminate the option of not getting up at a certain time. The idea being that getting up early becomes an obligation in the same way as brushing your teeth or eating.
3. Take micro-naps
Micro-naps are very useful especially if your nights are shorter than normal. In order to continue to get up very early, while having a lower than average nightly sleep time, you need to schedule daytime sleep times. Without this, you will collapse from fatigue after a few weeks. In order to implement these micro-naps, you need to be in a work environment that allows it. It is not possible for everyone, but it is becoming more and more an accepted practice so you can talk about it to your superiors so that they know that you are absent for this reason (it has a boosting effect on productivity, which you can put forward ;)). On the other hand, micro-naps can be part of polyphasic sleep cycles (simple man, uberman etc.) in which you have to have more naps per day to compensate for excessively short nights (3 or 4 hours).
4. Give yourself an instant gratification when you get up
A habit, for it to be repeated, needs a reward. It’s up to you to imagine the reward that matches the effort you put into getting up early. Without it, you risk getting discouraged. You can be very imaginative, it can be a food or a drink that you love, it can be a points system that you have set up that gives you a boost of stimulation or even sending a message to a friend that will give you a sense of pride for having accomplished this small daily feat.
5. Set up a ritual
Getting up can be part of a long morning ritual that you can design from scratch. It can be a meal or a simple snack, with physical, spiritual or creative exercises added in. The idea is that getting up early coincides with a sequence of good actions that give you a boost for the day. In order not to miss this ritual, you will be willing to consent to getting up early.
6. Create a support and control group
Social pressure can be an important psychological lever. If you form a small support group, to both motivate and monitor each other, you will be much less likely to miss this daily habit. Indeed, the fear of disappointing (and the possible subsequent exclusion from the group) can act as a real stimulant in the realization of a habit.
7. Find a strong enough motivation to do it
Without strong motivation, there can be no real meaningful action. Getting up early requires effort, if it is not correlated with a deep desire, there is little chance that the habit will take hold. To do this, you must determine the underlying reason that motivates you to get up earlier. This reason must be existential if you can. It also needs to be a motivation that is not too vague, but instead clear and specific. Here are some examples:
To free up time for a business creation project (freedom and financial independence).
Playing sports to be athletic (to maintain good health, self-esteem and desire to please)
Devote yourself to a spiritual practice (to have clear ideas and to live in coherence with the philosophy of life that you have chosen).
etc.
8. Change your identity
To change one’s habits is to change one’s actions and beliefs and ultimately to transform one’s identity. In order to be an early riser, you must believe that you are an early riser. This belief must be supported by facts. The more you repeat these actions, the more you reinforce this belief and the earlier you get up again. In this way, you create a self-perpetuating virtuous circle. The beginning of this belief starts with your actions.
9. Put your alarm clock at the other end of the room
You are more likely to not get up if your alarm clock is within arm’s reach. To create the inescapable need to get up, you need to put your phone (/ alarm clock) somewhere in your room that forces you to get up. Of course, you might fall back asleep after holding it, but you greatly reduce the chances of that happening.
10. Associate the morning with an ultra-productive time
The morning is a special time, especially if you get up before the sun. There is a special energy that you can take advantage of for whatever you might be doing (professional, personal, physical or spiritual work). The morning brings you a boost of energy that can be put to good use. If you can make the morning a highly productive time, you will feel that you have accomplished a lot before your day has even begun. It’s a simple way to gain confidence and self-esteem every day, giving you a daily boost that will propel you through the rest of your day.
