It’s time to put my post about public and humiliating failure to the test.
For months I’ve fought a losing battle to wake up early. There are several projects I want to make progress on but, when I get home from my job, it’s hard to find the necessary energy. Tired and hungry from paperwork and people, I just want to relax. The the siren call of watching DVDs with my wife is too great.
Since it’s not possible to manufacture more hours in the day, the only solution is to more them around. I must wake up earlier.
How to actually achieve this? No one will know if I get up at 5:00AM or 6:00AM other than me. While it’s easy to set an alarm, getting out of bed and on the computer is not so easy. This is where the public humiliation and failure comes in.
Using Twitter, I will report to the world when I’m at my desk and ready to work. I’ve never tried twitter before, but this seems like a good way to start. Here is the goal: to be at my desk, and working, no later than 5:15AM each morning, every morning from now until July.
If you want to follow the Great Early Wake-up Challenge, I’m proporcupine on twitter. You can send me encouraging or disparaging emails at Porcupine@ProductivePorcupine.com depending on how I do.
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Header photograph by laffy4k
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Wow… at 5:15 am I still haven’t gone to bed.
Years ago I trained myself to get up at 5am (now I aim for a more civilised 6). Before that I’d hit the snooze button like it was going out of fashion.
The things that really helped me to be consistent were first to learn to jump straight out of bed when the alarm goes off. Takes some practice but once you’ve mastered it you remove any opportunity to rationalise more sleep. Once you’re up, you’re up. Next, get up at the same time every day – even weekends.
Finally, in order to make sure you get enough sleep, avoid TV and screens later in the evening. Go to bed when you’re tired. Read. Learning to spot when you’re actually tired, and avoiding bright artificial light like TVs and computer screens is really useful. Now I know (after a bit of time on this sort of schedule) I’ll go to sleep between 10 and 12 so avoid screens after 9 as much as I can.
And I had an idea – how about a “coffee club” website – a site you go to first thing, when it’s still obscenely early, to exchange bland pleasantries with other bleary-eyed early-workers? Actually, I might have to do something like that myself … :)
I like the idea of a Coffee Club website. It would help getting up early with other people to check up on. I’ve been surprised how motivating twitter is, though I still haven’t meaningfully hit my 5:00AM goal.
Okay, I’m way late to this party, but I came here for a totally unrelated reason (bounced from your profile slashdot) and have a suggestion:
Get a SunRizr. It’s a little box that you plug into your nightstand light. You set the time on it for when you want to be “awake,” and 45 minutes before that it turns on your lamp very slowly – simulating the light intensity curve of a sunrise. I’ve had one for about 12 years, and it may be the best $130 I’ve ever spent. Give it two weeks, and you’ll hate having to wake up without it. Seriously. I pack it, and an incandescent bulb, when I go on travel for work now (it won’t work with a CFL).
To wake up each morning at 5 am??? Brrr… Sounds scary! :)
I prefer to wake up at 9-10 am, and to go to bed around midnight… Also, I think I work better during evenings and afternoons, not in the early morning — so why wake up so early?
Unlink you, Michel, I’m still working towards total control of my schedule. Right now I still have a day job to go to, so getting up at 5AM lets me get some work done before my job. Also, not to scare you, but I recently had an Australian time management coaching client for whom I woke up at 4:30 to prepare : )
4:30 am? LOL! :-D A tiny bit earlier, and I don’t think he needs to get to sleep at all… :-)))
I don’t have a day job now, trying to go all way freelance. Up to now, except some personal satisfaction and lots of debts, no much results… but even that’s a start, I guess.
Good luck with the early waking up! I’m checking you on Twitter, mind;-)
In my case, I know that I cannot eat dinner in front of the computer (I don’t have a TV) because then I keep going until I have blown an hour I don’t have.
Going to bed hungry is a great incentive to get out of bed.
Sleeping on a comfortable bed is a big problem. I am trying it now without a pillow (I hate it,) but the most effective way is on the floor.
Coffee is out.
Wow, sleeping on the floor is hardcore! But I must admint, while my supremely comfortable bed contributes to a good nights sleep it also makes it a long night.
And I concur with Jordan. I have a Philips Wake-Up-Light which has worked wonders for my mornings. It comes on gradually so the waking process is more natural than the abrupt and harsh instant bucket-of-cold-water that is the regular alarm clock.
Want a wake up? Get a cat.
When I really need to sleep, I can ignore light, sound, movement, professors slamming things on my desk, but I cannot ignore a scratchy cat-tongue on my face.
To train your cat to wake you in the morning, set off your alarm when you feed him the first few mornings. He will quickly learn that alarm = food and come to badger you, should you roll over and ignore the alarm, whatever time it may go off.
Unfortunately, I also have the problem where I don’t really “wake up” when I first get up. So I’ll feed the cat and fall back asleep. I have ended up on the kitchen floor with him before.