5 Ways to Become an Early Riser (for Solopreneurs)
You've probably heard that that waking up early has many golden benefits. For solopreneurs, being an early riser means...
- Getting more meaningful work done before 10am.
- A chance to enjoy a good workout.
- Increased alertness throughout the day.
- Better sleep quality.
- More quiet time.
But no matter how badly you want to experience these benefits, you keep hitting the snooze button.
What must you do to break this habit? How can you become an early riser and still feel your best? Check out these five tips.
Read more: Morning Rituals That Make Your Day Ten Times More Productive
5 Ways to Become an Early Riser
1. Go to sleep earlier!
The first thing you must do to be able to wake up early is to adjust your bedtime! You cannot sleep at 1am, wake up at 5am, and not have low energy. To sleep earlier, minimize your exposure to blue light an hour before you sleep. Steer clear of coffee in the evening.
2. Start slowly.
As much as you're tempted to, don't make drastic changes to your sleep schedule. Start small, like waking up 15 minutes earlier than your usual time. Do this for a week or two, and then increase it to 30 minutes.
3. Wake up with coffee!
Many people find it impossible to start their day without relying on a cup of coffee. If you happen to be a coffee lover, get your favorite coffee flavor and a coffee machine with a programmable timer. But if coffee is not your thing, you could replace it with a caffeine-free hot drink. Herbal tea or hot water with lemon will do.
4. Manipulate your environment.
Do you hit snooze often? Try moving your alarm clock across the room so that you're forced to get out of bed. If one of your personal goals is to improve your fitness, sleep in your workout clothes so you have no excuse to skip an early morning workout.
5. Listen to an energizing playlist.
Make a playlist of tunes that are sure to wake you up. NASA actually created a Spotify playlist "Opportunity, Wake Up!" to kickstart your morning. You might want to give that playlist a try! Included in their list of songs were Wake Me up Before You Go-Go and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Final Thoughts
Ready to become an early riser? For the best results, I would recommend being consistent with your wake-up time throughout the week. Also, remember that starting a new habit like this can take practice. Give yourself enough time to get used to it!