How to Become an Early Riser

How to Become an Early Riser

By Steve Pavlina

It is well to be up before daybreak(ˈdāˌbrāk), for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom(ˈwizdəm).
– Aristotle(ˈarəˌstätl,ˌarəˈstätl)

Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely(ˈdefənitlē) made. In my early 20s, I rarely(ˈre(ə)rlē) went to bed before midnight, and I’d almost always sleep in late. I usually didn’t start hitting my stride(strīd) each day until late afternoon.

But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high correlation(ˌkôrəˈlāSHən) between success and rising early(ˈərlē), even in my own life. On those rare occasions(əˈkāZHən) where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day. And I also noticed a significant(sigˈnifikənt) feeling of well-being. So being the proactive(prōˈaktiv) goal-achiever I was, I set out to become a habitual(həˈbiCHo͞oəl) early riser. I promptly(ˈprämptlē) set my alarm(əˈlärm) clock for 5AM…

… and the next morning, I got up just before noon.

Hmmm…

I tried again many more times, each time not getting very far with it. I figured I must have been born without the early riser gene(jēn). Whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that blasted(ˈblastid) noise and go back to sleep. I tabled this habit for a number of years, but eventually I came across some sleep research that showed me that I was going about this problem the wrong way. Once I applied those ideas, I was able to become an early riser consistently.

It’s hard to become an early riser using the wrong strategy. But with the right strategy, it’s relatively(ˈrelətivlē) easy.

…
https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/how-to-become-an-early-riser/