7 Tips For Waking Up at 5 AM

I recently listened to the audiobook of the 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma and decided to flip my entire schedule to wake up early. Mainly because I started the editing process of writing my upcoming book and I needed an uptake in time and energy each day.

Coming from a night owl, I found this whole waking up at 5 AM to be extremely difficult.

Since I've been DJ'ing for nearly a decade, I've developed a habit of doing all my creative work between the hours of 10 PM - 2 AM.

For a while, I always thought to myself:

"I'm just not a morning person."

"I do my best creative work at night."

"I do my best thinking at night."

"I'm most productive later in the day."

And boy, was I wrong.

Since waking up at 5 AM consistently for 4 weeks, here are a few differences that I've noticed:

• I've felt a huge boost in morning productivity.
• Increased focus in the first half of my day, without having a morning cup of coffee.
• A lot more clarity and creative flow.
• The ability to ideate like never before.
• An amazing feeling of being ahead of my day, resulting in a calmer start to the morning.

I've shared this journey each day via Instagram and a few people have reached out for advice, so I figured I'd write this post to potentially help others make the switch.

Here's how I have been able to consistently wake up at 5 AM:

1. Turning on a space heater when my wake-up alarm goes off. (Can't use "it's cold" as an excuse anymore.)
2. Putting my phone underneath my bed so that I physically have to get up in order to turn it off.
3. Preparing my gym clothes the day before (or wearing it to sleep).
4. Using an automated light, like Lifx or Hue to turn on every morning (I use the florescent white, doctor's office-style brightness).
5. No caffeine past 4 PM.
6. Playing an audiobook or podcast as I'm getting ready in the morning to wake up my brain.
7. In bed by 9:15 PM. Lights out by 9:30 PM. Sleep by 9:45 PM. This one is tough and I still struggle with it at times. Especially with the urge to check social media at night, but gotta work on that self-discipline, otherwise be prepared to face the consequences when you feel exhausted in the morning.