This Simple Life Hack is Guaranteed to Make You Wake Up Early.

Do you have trouble getting up at 5am everyday? I did.

I’ve always been a night owl of sorts. Going to bed after 3am almost everyday was my normal routine?—?that is, until I heard from my best friend about the benefits of waking up early.

I never believed him at first —my initial reaction was to make him my ex-best friend and ban him from my life. Instead, I threw him a look of disgust and shot him down for trying to sabotage my routine. To make an owl wake up before the sun? Goodness me.

Later, when I was alone, I tried to research deeply about the benefits of getting up early by referring ancient texts and traditions of ancestors. So, like every other research scholar, I googled. Google seemed to answer in the affirmative about the benefits of waking up early?—?so I decided to try it out for a week.

Deciding to wake up early, and actually waking up early are two completely different things. Like every other person, I tried a variety of things to help me beat the sack in the morning.

Here are some of the things I tried:

a) I practiced going to bed early (9pm)

b) Read motivational books half an hour before I slept

c) Read Fiction instead of Self-Help

d) Counted sheep and rabbits jumping across the fence

e) Manipulated the environment?—?slept in complete darkness

f) Tried meditating before I sleep

g) Ate a heavy lunch and a light dinner

h) Ate no dinner

i) Downloaded  Sleep Tight apps

j) Uninstalled those apps

k) Used my dog to furiously lick and wake me up

l) Put my dog in the kennel

m) Attached a water spray to the phone and set it off at at 5am  (Disaster: Wet my bed, but did not help me get up.)

You get the idea.

I tried every trick in the book?—?only to be disappointed over and over again. I wanted to give up and resort to being a night owl all over.

And then it struck me like a bolt of lightning.

All my failed attempts at getting up early were only because the Snooze button was in my control. I could try various things?—?read motivational texts, eat light before sleeping, etc., etc., etc.,?—?but the Snooze button ultimately determined if I get up from my bed or not.

So, what did I do?

I placed the mobile phone far away from the bed.

Well, not in the next room. In the same room. In your vicinity, but, not too much.

I have a dressing table that’s about 15 feet away from my bed?—?so, when the alarm goes off?—?I’d HAVE to get up from my bed, walk across the carpet, take the phone and then press Snooze.

Surprisingly, once you get up and walk even a short distance, you will not be in the mood to sleep?—?go with the flow?—?splash cold water on your face, do some quick stretches?—?and you’re good to go.

Try this technique and let me know if it helps. And also?—?tell me about other techniques you have adopted to wake up early.

Disclaimer: 

…and so today, I did the same. The alarm went off, I got up, walked across, switched off the alarm, did some stretching

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. . . and went back to sleep.

Nah, just kidding. :) 

I wrote this article.