Be an early riser

“Early to bed and early to rise

Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

All of us have recited this nursery rhyme in our childhood. But waking up early, especially in the cold, foggy winter mornings seems like the most dreaded thing to do. Do you find yourself hitting the snooze button every morning when the alarm goes off just to sleep five minutes more?

The lure of that extra five minutes of sleep is so tempting that you keep on lying in our warm quilts until it’s absolutely necessary to get out of the bed or else you might be late to work. By then, you already set the house on frenzy- scolding yourself for not getting up on time, hurriedly dressing up and rushing breathlessly to the workplace!

In contrast, imagine yourself waking up early and enjoying the numerous benefits that you will enjoy. By waking up early, you can:

  • Enjoy the quiet, uninterrupted time.
  • Write in your journal.
  • Work on a project for an hour before the day has actually begun.
  • Work on a hobby or read a book.
  • Exercise or go for a morning walk.
  • Listen to the birds chirping.
  • Enjoy the simple pleasure of a cup of tea or coffee.
  • Dressed up and get ready for school or office on time.
  • Meditate or pray.

How to be an early riser?

  1. Choose to adjust gradually: Start getting up 15 minutes earlier and make a gradual shift every few days until you reach your ideal wake-up time. This will reduce the likelihood of hitting the snooze button repeatedly and slowly the habit of getting up early will be formed without you even realizing so.
  2. Force yourself out of bed: Keep your alarm far off from the bed so that you have to get out of bed to turn it off as quickly as possible. After turning off the alarm, resist the temptation of getting back in the bed.
  3. Go to bed earlier: If you are aspiring to be an early riser, then you must sleep on time. You must get at least 7-8 hours of sleep to function well. So you must sleep on time to avoid exhaustation due to sleep deficit.
  4. Have a good reason to get up: Have something to look forward to or a particular reason for the motivation to get up early. Be it uninterrupted studies, exercise, a leisurely shower- find out a motivator to get up early in these chilly mornings. It surely helps.

Waking up early has been a defining mantra for success for thousands of years. In the words of the famed philosopher Aristotle, “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.”

Becoming an early riser takes discipline and commitment. You just have to do it.Take a simple 21 days early rising challenge. Go to sleep on time. Wake up early and never hit the snooze button. Why 21 days? To build waking up early a habit.

© 2017 Shaloo Walia All rights reserved

 

 

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13 comments

    1. Hitting the snooze button is so common. I always put on alarm fifteen minutes in advance because I too tend to hit the snooze so that I could sleep just a little more.

  1. What a lovely post. If only people could understand the benefit of rising early and get over the laziness. I get up really early at least on weekends. This allows me to enjoy beautiful nature

    1. Thank you! Weekend is the time for me when the lure to sleep late is hard to resist. But I make it a point not to give in to the temptation.

  2. I think waking up early sets the day right for me, well, most of the time. Whenever I wake up later than usual, I kinda feel something’s not right. It might just all be in my mind but waking up early has always been a habit of mine. I actually always wake up before my alarm. ?

    1. Same here! I have always been an early riser. I can’t even sleep late during the weekends though sometimes the temptation is strong.

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