How to get up early
Waking up early has been a goal since I started goal-setting. I’m not a consistently early-riser, and it frustrates me.
I find it frustrating because the mornings are, for me, the best time for getting things done. In terms of productivity and drive, there’s nothing like being fully dressed, showered and fed, with another two hours before I’m due in the office.
That time is largely spent tying up loose ends, paying bills, reading, writing, and, often, just drinking coffee and thinking.
(In an ideal world, of course, there’s no coffee, and it’s an hour of exercise and deep-breathing, but one step at a time.)
So, more as a reminder for me than a resource for you, the definitive guide, courtesy of the internets, to getting out of bed and carpe-ing diem, full of vim and gusto.
How to Become an Early Riser by Steve Pavlina
The original for the life-hacking community, dating from almost four years ago. A long post, summed up in the final sentence: “Go to bed only when you’re too sleepy to stay up, and get up at a fixed time every morning.”
Steve followed up on this with another piece, in which he addressed the need to give up caffeine intake and the reasons for getting up early:
I’d say the main reason is that you’ll have a lot more time to do things that are more interesting than sleeping
Keeping the bandwagon rolling, he went on to write close to two and a half thousand words on how to get up as soon your alarm clock goes off, making him far more eloquent, commited, and verbose than I will ever be.
How I Became an Early Riser by Leo Babauta
The inspirational Leo Babauta of Zen Habits writes clearly and simply on how he gets up early and then expatiates on his morning routine.
He mentions that watching the morning dawn is beautiful, calm and peaceful. Maybe. Perhaps on Guam. But in Brussels it’s more grey and wet, and filled with police sirens and garbage trucks.
[Edit, seems there's more: 10 benefits of rising early and how to do it - includes prize for best use of aspirational word: "quietude"]
How to Wake Up Early dot com – does what it says on the tin
A blog devoted to the army of well-meaning sloths. Entries of varying quality, from “Ask someone who wakes up early to wake you up” to “Use multiple alarm clocks“.
Nothing if not common sense.
Becoming an Early Riser by Dave Navarro
And if you’re serious and can apply yourself, this could be money well spent. It seems that there really is a market out there for books and audio-sessions on getting out of bed and making your day longer, and you’ve got the internet and its long tail to thank for that.
I’ve not tried this yet. But I’ll be pleased to hear from those who have. Naomi Dunford, of Ittybiz.com fame, says it’s “extremely accessible, cheap, and insanely practical. It’s about making a couple of tiny changes and capitalizing on your momentum to make monumental change“.
