Becoming an early riser seems to be beyond me

[InterfaceLeader]

I have tried! I have three alarm clocks, one of which I hide in out of the way places like inside drawers and behind curtains. Even though I have to get out of bed and become coherent enough to switch it off, I still end up back in bed and asleep

I used to be very good, in bed by 11 and up at 7am. But lots of trips across the Atlantic, working in a bar which meant staying up until 2am or later, and late-night gaming sessions have ruined me.

I want to get back into the habit... but despite reading all the articles on getting up early, that extra 30 minutes or an hour asleep just is too tempting... and now that I work from home, I have no real need to get up early (aside from the fact it makes me feel happier, gives me more time, and makes me more productive).

What can I do? I suppose I need more self-discipline... but I am normally very good at making changes like that. It's just this one habit that seems to have thrown me!

I think it's because when I was young I used to wake up and then go and get in my mothers bed and cuddle her for an hour. I'm trying to recreate it or something :P

[Addict]

Originally Posted by InterfaceLeader

I have no real need to get up early (aside from the fact it makes me feel happier, gives me more time, and makes me more productive).

No real reason except for being happier, more productive, and having more time? That's too bad.

[Livgivare]

I have a very easy trick. First accept that you come from this possition, and then the real trick. Put things into the bed and sofa like books and newspapers and such, this way it will be impossible to go back because you have to ridd the bed from those things and you become clearly awake from that. Maps, coffee-table-books and hard cover books that are brick-heavy. Really this will work I have newspapers and stuff in both bed and sofa so that makes me not push it away after awaking.

I know what you are going through, I was the same and I just started up this trial. I have pushed back my morning 6 hours.

Love Leelene

[Angela]

Why should you get up early? Your post indicates that all of your thoughts about getting up early are negative ones. The most positive assertion you make about getting up early is that you want to get back in the habit. That doesn't sound very inspiring. No wonder your whole being says stay in bed.

What thoughts about rising early could you generate that would inspire you? What thoughts could you project out into the world that would be so dynamically vital that you would LEAP up out of bed to follow them?

(a suggestion: what feeling would you get from going to your mom's bed for a cuddle -- was it affection or comfort or something else? Whatever that feeling is, how might you build it for yourself outside of your bed, so that it will lure you out into your day?)

[Shamou]

Robbins says that, "If you can find a good enough reason to do anything... you'll find the way of doing it..."
.

[InterfaceLeader]

Originally Posted by Addict

No real reason except for being happier, more productive, and having more time? That's too bad.

I meant I had no real time to get up for; I don't have to be at work for a certain time. Nobody except myself is going to be affected by my decision to stay in bed.

Livgivare - Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a go And six hours? That's awesome!

Angela - Hmm. I know I always feel better if I go to bed before midnight and get up before 8. I feel good about myself, and I usually make time for a productive morning routing (good breakfast, walk outside, shower). If I get up later I feel guilty, and rush into work whilst simultaneously grabbing snack food etc. Common sense tells me that now I have the option of setting my own schedule, I should go with early bed/early rise.

What I find is that my room is cold (I have to sleep with the window open, fresh air = good) and my bed is warm. I really enjoy snuggling up in bed thinking about nothing. However, there is no reason why I can't make that time in the evening - instead of being on the computer until late.

Whether or not this lasts beyond 7am tomorrow is the question :s

Shamou - thanks for the inspiring quote.

[Livgivare]

I loved the warmth of the bed too. I hated the morning tiredness. Get a coffee mug ready in the morning. Go arround in the appartment. You see I have among the tiniest appartments there is, just 23 m² so my tiny space have a bed and a sofa in the same room and such.

Go and get the TV on, if sound makes you awake.

One more thing don't feel bad about yourself. There is A people and B people. The A people are naturals for early mornings and the B person is the natural for a little less early mornings. If you take this in, you will get the feeling that after all there is not the big accident that you have a tired moring. Just focus on the mornings and what you think when you are in the moring. Read the article Steve wrote about this. It is wonderful. Makes you know that you are not a bad person just because you are stupid thinker those 10 minutes in the beginning of mornings.

I don't really have anything to do in the mornings either. I am a student with lots of spare time where my studying time shall be. And my biggest motivation for early rising and getting an day to day rythm is to get my stomach back together so I wont get so much hurt from not being able to empty it like I should do. And probobly this is making my alergic to lactose even worse. So this health issue is really helping me alot.

Try to make a 30 days trial for yourself on mornings. It is hard in the beginning but you get along afterwords.

Just a few words from a beginner who likes the beginning very much....

I pushed my evenings back with just 3 hours. Knowing that less hours in bed would make me get less headache too. So actually I have moved alot of hours arround the day.

I hope my words are inspiring!!!

Love Leelene

[lizthefair]

I think this may be a case of you either need to do it--train yourself to get up (Steve had a good article a while back about how to do that) or don't. Sleep in and stop feeling guilty about it. Waking up early is a good thing, probably better than sleeping in. But sleeping in and then feeling crappy about it is the worst of both worlds.

[Kaspian]

Steve's article on getting up right away when your alarm goes off is awesome. (Link in lizthefair's post above.)

My brother used to hit the snooze button several times over an hour or two, and when he tried Steve's suggestions, he found that he got the best results using a new alarm clock with a different sound, since his association with the old alarm clock's ring and going back to bed was very strong. Rather than using several alarm clocks, use just one with a sound that's not already wired in your brain to mean, "Go back to bed."

Also, using three alarm clocks sets you up subconsciously for failure. In essence, you're telling yourself that it's okay to go back to sleep until the next alarm goes off, which only reinforces the habit you don't want!

Another thought—What if instead of going back to bed for some quality time with your comfortable bed and warm blankets, you promise yourself a short nap or two during the day? It's those moments as we're falling asleep and waking up that we're aware of the coziness, anyway. Perhaps shave 90 minutes off the amount you sleep at night and add a 20-25 minute nap in the middle of the afternoon.

(My favorite sleeping schedule is 1am-4am, with 23 minute naps at 8am, noon, 4pm, and 8pm, ± an hour. I enjoy laying down with my warm, fuzzy blanket and super-comfortable pillow five times per 24 hours—It's great!)

[Iko]

The best way? Have kids..lol..you can borrow my two and four year old. They'll get you up.

I agree on a couple of things. One, it's a habit that needs to be created. Every now and then my kids will sleep in (7am), but I'll still get up around 6am.

Two, have a reason to get up. I used to swim on a team, and the workout would start at 6:45am.

These days, I enjoy getting up early because I LOVE the ritual of grinding the coffee beans, and getting that yummy cup of coffee, and witnessing some of the most beautiful sunrises. It's a great way to start the day!

If you want, I'll start calling you at 6am...lol...

[The David]

Originally Posted by Addict

No real reason except for being happier, more productive, and having more time? That's too bad.

I thought the same thing. I'm not an early riser and I don't know if it's necessary for productivity as long as you don't oversleep, but that line was just sort of sad.

[munish]

Originally Posted by InterfaceLeader

I have tried! I have three alarm clocks, one of which I hide in out of the way places like inside drawers and behind curtains. Even though I have to get out of bed and become coherent enough to switch it off, I still end up back in bed and asleep

I used to be very good, in bed by 11 and up at 7am. But lots of trips across the Atlantic, working in a bar which meant staying up until 2am or later, and late-night gaming sessions have ruined me.

I want to get back into the habit... but despite reading all the articles on getting up early, that extra 30 minutes or an hour asleep just is too tempting... and now that I work from home, I have no real need to get up early (aside from the fact it makes me feel happier, gives me more time, and makes me more productive).

What can I do? I suppose I need more self-discipline... but I am normally very good at making changes like that. It's just this one habit that seems to have thrown me!

I think it's because when I was young I used to wake up and then go and get in my mothers bed and cuddle her for an hour. I'm trying to recreate it or something :P

Have a purpose in your life.And read this article again and again till you start getting up at 5.(I think 2 times would be enough).Not just read it,live it.

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...oy-of-sadness/

Also read about subjective reality first, if you have not found a purpose in your life yet.

[Livgivare]

Read your inbox InterfaceReader and reply to my post if you want!

Love Leelene