Did you try to rise early and failed?  You probably tried a lot of methods, but nothing works on consistent basis. ?

Getting up early is just mind over matter. if you dont mind , it will not matter. What does waking early do for you?  on a kinesthetic level, you can imagine, the morning is quiet as the world hasn’t begun stirring, the perfect time for meditation, writing, exercise and some quiet reading.

Rising early can give you an 1-3 hours extra to achieve your goals, you procrastinate and promise youself to do those things later in day, but most people don’t

Myths or Mental blocks

• I need 8 hours of sleep. I strongly disagree with this. Every person has got their own capacity. For majority of people 8 hours sleep may be required, but only if you have easy goals in your life. But successful people set higher goals and they are perfectly fine with few hours of sleep.  Personally 5 to 6 hours of sleep is enough to keep me afresh all day.
• My body need more sleep -  This mental block is hard to remove. But trust me you need more peace of mind than sleeping. Sleeping more will not solve your problems. "Fatigue,finally,is a symptom of self-centeredness.One who can forget himself in helping others and in giving strength to them will find himself rarely exhausted" (Quote Swami Kriyananda)
• I will feel sleepy during the day. Yes you will if you keep thinking about it. If you have a well planned day, then you will only realize it late in evening, by that time it would be time to goto bed again.

Personally I wake up at a fixed time now, it was not always like that, I liked sleeping very much especially on cold days. However over the period of time, I have mastered the art of rising at the time I want to rise . Sharing some of the techniques for waking up early.

Small Steps always help.

Do it gradually — 10-15 minutes earlier for 2-4 days, until you feel used to it, and then repeat. If you get up at 8 a.m. normally, don’t suddenly change it to 6 a.m. Try 7:45 a.m. first.

That might seem too slow to most people, and you’re free to disregard this advice. However, in my experimentation, the most enjoyable and long-lasting change in sleeping schedules has been slow and gradual.

Sudden changes are not likely to last. If you get up 1-2 hours earlier, on Day 1, then you will be thinking about that all day and will want to cover up for sleep.  The next day, you will feel sleep deficit, and it’ll be even tougher (assuming you’re able to do it 2 days in a row). Day 3 is even harder. Eventually you either make it through the tough times (it’ll take at least a week of suffering), or you crash and sleep in late and have to start over or you give up.

Sleeping patterns are difficult to change, and so the gradual method works much better. Same is true for changing eating habits, exercise habits, clutter habits and more.

How to actually get up early

So you’ve set your alarm for 10-15 minutes earlier than normal, and maybe got through the first few days, then set it another 10-15 minutes earlier, and soon you’re at 30-45 minutes earlier than usual … but now you have the tendency to hit the snooze alarm and stay in bed (sometimes awake) without getting up.

Here’s how to beat that in 3 steps:

1. Inject Fun or associate Fun - Fun is the real catalyst for changing things. Remember the pike place fish market  , so the first thing you must do is something which  you really enjoy or look forward to. As an example- try Massage Vibrator - Most people love the neck and shoulder vibrator or some massage vibrator. Why not keep it besides your bed and do that the first thing after turning off alarm. You will immediately feel refreshed and you will look forward to massage before sleeping and will get you excited about waking up.
2. Put your alarm across the room. If it’s right next to you, you’ll hit the snooze button. So put it on the other side of the room, so you’ll have to get up (or jump up) to turn it off. Then, get into the habit of going straight to the bathroom to pee once you’ve turned it off. Once you’re done peeing, you’re much less likely to go back to bed. At this point, remember your exciting thing. If you didn’t jump out of bed, at least stretch your arms wide and greet the day. If you can afford buy an alarm clock that runs around in house, for most people that’s enough to solve the problem.
3. Get excited. The night before, think of one thing you’d like to do in the morning that excites you. It could be something you want to write, or a new yoga routine, or meditation, or something you’d like to read, or a work project that’s got you fired up. In the morning, when you wake up, remember that exciting thing, and that will help motivate you to get up.
4. Jump out of bed. Yes, jump out of bed. With enthusiasm. Jump up and spread your arms wide as if to say, “Yes! I am alive! Ready to tackle the day with open arms and the gusto of a driven maniac.” Seriously, it works.

What to Do When You Get Up – Sustain the wakeup

First, things not to do with your newfound early-morning time: don’t check email, news, social media, blogs. Don’t clutter your mind. Don’t waste this new time doing the same thing you always do.

1. Drink a glass of water, spoon of honey and eat one date. You’re dehydrated from not drinking any water all night. Drink a full glass of water if you can. It’ll make you feel more awake.
2. Pray or Meditate. Even just for 3 minutes. It’s such a great way to start your day — doing nothing, just sitting, and practicing mindful focus.
3. Plan your day – Well planning is half the work.  Your entire day can be enjoyable if you plan what you will do, and you will feel stress free and active in evening, basking in the warm relief of having a good day where you have finished your planned tasks.
4. Exercise. Go for a walk or a run, or do a home workout. Even just 10 minutes. Just take the first step. Don’t fool yourself to doing it later in the day. You know it does not work.
5. Read something motivational or few pages of your religious book
6. People – Think about people who have made a positive difference in your life. Pray for them in your heart. Next think how you will make someone’s day special today.
7. Enjoy healthy breakfast early.

Sleeping Earlier

You can’t just wake up earlier and not sleep earlier. You’ll eventually give-up. So here are some tips for getting to sleep earlier:

1. Set a bedtime of 6 to 8 hours before you want to wake up. So if you’re waking up at 6 a.m., go to bed between 10-12 p.m. Where you are in that time frame depends on how much sleep you need. Most people need about 6 -8 hours of sleep, though there are lots of variations. I tend to get about 6 hours. If I sleep for 9 hours, I have wasted my day and my entire day seems lousy.  So don’t sleep too less or too much. I have survived even sleeping for 4 hours on some nights, but not as routine.
2. Create a bedtime ritual. I like to start by taking some fruit or a small glass of juice, followed by cleaning my room and then floss & brush my teeth . Then I take my favorite book and start reading it till I feel like dozing off.
3. No computers in bedroom. That means no laptop, no tablets, no mobile phones. Kindles are OK except the Kindle Fire, which is the same as an iPad. No TV either. Just reading.
4. Exercise helps a lot earlier in the day. It gets your body nice and tired, so you’ll sleep better. Don’t exercise an hour or less before bed, or you’ll be pumped up.
5. Try this method if you have trouble sleeping: close your eyes and get comfortable, then think of the first thing you did that morning — the very first thing, like turning off your alarm. Then think of the next thing, and so on, replaying your morning in as much detail as possible. I never get to mid-morning.

Common Problems

Here are some of the most common problems in my experience and from readers’ questions:

• Super tired in the morning: If you wake early and just can’t seem to function, that’s fairly normal. My solution is water, after brushing put lot of water in your eyes, and drink a bit of coffee or matcha (powdered greeen tea). I will sometimes take a nap in the afternoon if I’m really tired. Also, it might be a sign that you’re moving too quickly — make sure you’re waking just a little earlier, and stay at one time for a few days until you feel adjusted before setting the alarm a little earlier.
• Missing out on spouse time: If you are used to spending the evening with your spouse, and going to bed early means you’re missing out on that time, you have a few options. One is to see if your spouse is willing to try getting up early with you, perhaps to meditate or exercise together, or just to have coffee together. That can be really nice. Another is to cut out that together time in the late evening, but find time during the day (if possible), or at least in the early evening and weekends. Finally, you could decide that the together time is too important, and not get up earlier — or compromise and keep most of the evening together time, but wake just 30 minutes earlier.
• You’re not a morning person: Some people think this but just haven’t given it a try — or they’ve gotten up an hour or two earlier all at once, and hated being so tired. This is why the gradual method is so important — it’s not that you’re not a morning person, it’s just that you tried to change too quickly and are suffering. But finally, it’s true that some people just are better focusing late at night (I have some friends like this) and morning isn’t their thing — and that’s perfectly alright. There’s no need to conform to what others do. I just shared this to show what works for me.

Famous Quotes

It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom. - Aristotle