Becoming an early riser is not as easy as you think. Mainly, because most of us think of the wrong way to do it. We all know that people that get up early seem to get more done during the day…and we’ve all heard that the early bird gets the worm. The problem, is that when we decide to start doing our own worm getting, we tend to think it’s just a matter of shifting hours.

So if you go to be at 1am and get up at 9 the next morning, you think “boy, if I shift that back to 10pm I’ll get up at 6am!”. So you set the alarm…then when it goes off, you hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. It doesn’t work…but there’s a reason why, and a way to fix it.

Sleep when you’re sleepy - Dont’ go to bed at a specific hour. If you’re not tired, you won’t go to sleep. You’re waisting time you could be doing other things. Stay awake until you’re too sleepy to continue. Your body will let you know when it’s time to go to sleep. Listen to it.

Wake up at the same time everyday - That’s right, Monday thru Sunday, set that alarm for whatever time you like (say 5am) and keep getting up at that same time. The time you go to bed each night will differ, but when you get up always stays the same. This will allow you to enter a various sleep patterns and allow your body to compensate for the nights you don’t get enough sleep.

Sit up, get out of bed - When that alarm goes off, don’t allow yourself to debate hitting the snooze button. Train yourself to sit up when you hear that noise and immediately get out of bed. Once you get used to it, this will become very easy, and you’ll find yourself having an easier time waking up.

Stay active - Keep doing things throughout the day. Don’t veg out on the couch in the morning, or you’ll be sleepy all day. Keep your mind and body stimulated - even if it’s with relaxing things - and remember, when you get sleepy - go to sleep. It doesn’t matter if you’re tired at 9:30 one night, and 11:00 the next. Just hit the sack when your body says it’s time.