Not everyone wants to be an early riser, but I always did.
Most of the people I wanted to emulate with my life were waking early in the morning, making the most of their day and life. It was something I desired to be true of me, but was never able to accomplish—until my mid-thirties.
Roughly a decade ago, I decided to change my habits. I don’t wake up at 4:00am like some stories I hear, but most mornings nowadays, I wake up at 6:00am cheerfully and excited to get started with the day.
And everything changed in just one month’s time.
If you’ve ever wanted to become an early riser, here are the exact steps I took:
1. Set a 30-Day Experiment.
I learned the value of 30-Day experiments from Steve Pavlina.
When it comes to changing habits, in his words, “We often psyche ourselves out of getting started by mentally thinking about the change as something permanent — before we’ve even begun…
But what if you thought about making the change only temporarily — say for 30 days — and then you’re free to go back to your old habits? That doesn’t seem so hard anymore.“
30 days is a long enough period to see if you like the changes in your life. And, after 30 days, if you like the change, it is easier to mark the behavior as already a habit.
You can try the 30-day experiment for any life change you are interested in. For me, it became the month-long experiment that turned me into an early riser for good.
I chose a 30-day period and committed to waking up every morning at 5am. “It’s just for 30 days. Surely I can accomplish that.”
And so can you.
2. Feet on Ground, Look Out the Window.
Every morning when my alarm went off, I gave myself only two instructions:
- Feet on the ground. (Stand up).
- Eyes out the window. (Look outside).
These were the only two disciplined steps that I required of myself each morning. Not burdensome, not difficult. In my head, I’d just repeat that phrase, “Feet on ground, eyes out the window.”
Those steps became incredibly effective—especially on the days that I struggled to get up. They weren’t difficult. But once you complete those two steps, you’ve won 80% of the struggle. At that point, it requires a conscience decision to go lay back down and fall sleep.
Plus, depending on when you choose to wake, if there’s sunshine outside, the sunlight boosts your serotonin and biologically helps you stay awake.
But even if there is no sunlight: “Feet on ground, eyes out the window.”
After completing those two simple steps, buoyed by my desire to be successful in my experiment, I was up, awake, and out of bed.
3. Go to Bed When You are Tired.
Waking up earlier will mean that you get less sleep if you keep the same bedtime.
The most important change to become an early riser is to learn going to bed earlier.
But what time should that be? Let your body tell you.
Change your thinking from, “I go to bed at x pm” to “I go to bed when I feel tired.” And let your body tell you when that is.
It’ll take a little getting used to, especially if you are used to wasting hours at the end of the day watching television or scrolling social media. But remind yourself that you are only trying this out for 30 days.
I can almost guarantee that after a few weeks of learning to listen to your body and going to bed when it asks you to, you’ll love the new approach to bedtime—rather than letting the clock tell you how late you should stay up.
4. Find a Motivation for the Morning.
Waking up early is easier when you have a purpose to it.
In most cases, your home will be quiet when you begin waking up early. So use that time intentionally.
During my 30-day experiment, I was working to minimize the sentimental items that had collected in our basement. It was a project I wanted to complete, but knew would take time. I also had two young children and didn’t want to sacrifice time away from them in the evening after work.
So decluttering the basement became part of my morning routine. I’d wake up at 5, declutter a box or shelf in the basement for an hour, and then make breakfast, get ready for work, and be fully ready by the time my kids were up getting ready for school. I would also use occasional mornings to write when appropriate (growing this blog actually), but I always knew what I wanted to do when I woke up.
Maybe you would enjoy extra time reading, praying, painting, exercising, journaling, baking, meditating, or doing yoga. The choice is yours. Don’t pick an activity that you dread, but pick something that will help you stick to your experiment and wake-up time.
5. Awake is Awake.
There’s a difference between awake and cheerful. And some mornings, that was helpful to remember.
There were certainly some days when I felt alive and excited to be up. But there were other mornings where I was simply dragging myself out of bed. (I was the only one awake in my home so my sloggy mood didn’t affect anybody else).
I’d often have to remind myself that my goal for the 30-Day experiment wasn’t necessarily to be a Fully-Joyful Joshua at 5am. My goal was to be awake.
Over time, as I appreciated more and more those early hours in the day, joyfulness came more naturally.
6. After 30 Days, Adjust.
After 30 days, make a decision on how you want to continue. You can keep your designated wake-up time or you can adjust to a new one.
If you have enjoyed the mornings, believe you are living more intentionally, and don’t feel like you are missing much late at night, almost certainly you will have begun reshaping your sleeping habits.
You can keep your designated wake-up time (5am, for example) or adjust to a new one.
After my 30-day experiment, I had completed most of the work in my basement, but still enjoyed the writing that I was doing in the early mornings. So I kept my 5am wake-up for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. On Tuesday and Thursday, I’d wake up at 6am—which is when I wake up most days still.
John Dryden is quoted as saying, “We first make our habits, then our habits make us.” Becoming an early riser was a habit I always wanted to make for myself. And through the steps above, I accomplished it. You can too.
Donna says
This combined with the three item to do list – life changing.
Pat says
Love the articles. My struggle is to incorporate an exercise routine into my day. I am a morning person and thoroughly enjoy the first cup of coffee while watching or reading the news. Will keep reading your blogs for inspiration.
Kim says
Hey and if it doesn’t work for 30 days or even before that, I still can get back to bed ahaha! :0)
Eden Parker says
Thank you for this article, it gave me motivation! I chose to get up early this morning (I’m writing this comment as I sip my morning brew) and reading this article helped to solidify my desire to get up early consistently and take charge of my day instead of feeling dragged into it like I usually do.
I have a very active two year old and when she’s awake, she’s *AWAKE* so if she manages to get up before me, I’m practically pulled into waking up which creates a begrudging start to my day.
Me being resentful about an abrupt wake up time isn’t fair to my child or myself, and I don’t like how it so negatively sets the tone for my day.
But here I am, up early and enjoying my full cup of coffee in peace, no husband or kid pulling at me for anything, and I actually feel a sense of individuality for once in my day.
I am starting my 30 days today, decisively ☺️
Amy says
Thank you for this. I struggle with getting up earlier than absolutely necessary, but I WANT to wake up earlier. Mornings are always hectic and frazzled. I know that quiet time will give me a lot of calm as well as time to read or enjoy a slow cup of coffee… and wind into my day peacefully rather than frazzled and rushed as it is now. I love that your idea was to just try 30 days. I’m inspired to make a change. Going to steal your “Feet on the ground, eyes out the window” mantra. I’m usually going to my phone instead of getting UP. And thanks for reminding us that we don’t have to be cheerful – just awake :).
jay says
I start my wind down at 7:30 in the fall and winter. “Down with the sun”. We do quiet time. Reading, prayers, sometimes tv and snuggles. We are all in bed by 8 and naturally wake up about 5:30 without alarm clocks, even on days off. I set one for 6:30 just in case. It gives me time to awaken and think about my day ahead.
Lisa says
Crazy thing, I have pets who wake me up early….my lizards! They scratch to get my attention, then crawl or jump into my bed to cuddle up with me. Hard to get them out of my bed or off me once they get their cuddly faces up against mine or hubby’s. I have 16 of them, but I have my 5 biggest lizards next to our bed most if not all nights so you would think I would be a morning person, nope. I am mom to 7, ages 26-9 and am tired, add in crazy affectionate lizards who want us to stay IN bed WITH them….I’m not going anywhere in the morning! LOL
Hse N says
I live alone for so many y ears and thought adopting a dog or pet. This article brought to my mind that I really dislike being interrupted during my sleep. I have co-workers and acquaintances who are waking up at 4am each day to care for them. I can’t hardly stay up and walk them whenever it is possible unless having my own yard. what do you think? how do you give to your pets this morning walk even in winter
Andrea says
Your pet brings enough enjoyment into your life that you will want to do it and the pet will you outside to appreciate nature – good and bad weather. Or you find a way to have a little backyard area to quickly let them out on bad days. Or you sign up for doggie daycare.
Jane says
I have 5 Miniature Schnauzers. They add so much to my life! I am not a morning person! I never get up before 8am. I trained them not to get off the bed until I do. For training, I had an exercise pen set up in my bedroom. Anyone that got down from the bed before me would go out to pee, but then in the x-pen until I was ready to get up. They catch on pretty quickly! In bad weather, I have an exercise pen set up on my lanai with artificial turf. They use that and come right back in. When weather is okay, I have a small 25×15 fenced yard with artificial turf and also a large pool deck to run around on.
Dee says
Hi, I have always had dogs and have trained them to not stir until I have already woken up. Of course if you have a puppy you are on call 24/7 to let them out when they start to show signs they have to go potty (because who wants to deal with accidents inside?) but that is a short period until they are potty trained. My training was simple: every time a dog stirred I told them to lay down/to go back to bed. We did this most recently with a rescue dog (7 yrs) and after a week of getting up at 05:30 he got the message. Now the dogs lounge in the bed even after we have gotten up and sometimes go back to the bed (or their beds) after they have gone out. But I am also alert for any signs that they actually have to go outside in the middle of the night or super early. Your dog is telling you they are not feeling well and need to go out. Having said all that if you are not prepared to take care of them (walk them daily, interact with them, pay for their care and food) I suggest visiting a dog shelter where they sometimes welcome volunteers to spend time with their animals. You will get the benefits of being with a dog but not the full time responsibility. I have loved all of my dogs. They have brought me so much joy.
Laura C. says
I am getting back on track with sleep schedule (after caring for an almost recovered dog). Can’t wait for clock change. Both dogs’ hunger patterns will then be back to “normal” and it will no longer be pitch dark upon waking. In the meantime will try your helpful tips. Thanks for perfect timing.
Lena says
Thanks Joshua for sharing.
Yes, I also like waking up early and use that quiet time for my meditation, yoga but also for my work when no one disturbs my concentration.
30 days experiment… I am so happy I did the 30 days Alcohol experiment following book by Annie Grace! It was 4 years ago and I am still a happy person that does not need any alcohol in my life!
My best wishes to all!
Susan says
Yesss!! Cannot say enough good things about Annie Grace and her FREE 30 day Alcohol Experiment on FB. I must confess I am not a person who wants to be a morning person, but I am a person who wants to want to be a morning person.
Kathi says
I like your statement I want to want to be a morning person. I just can’t get there.