Although there are those lucky few who wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to rocket out of bed and start their day, most people need a little bit of help taking those first few steps at the start of a new day.
If you are one of those people, read this list of 8 tips on how to get out of bed and you’ll be amazed at how much actual control you have over those first few minutes of consciousness when you first wake up.
1) Give yourself a mental command before you go to sleep.
This can take whatever form you like, but it would go something like this:
“I will wake up at 5:00am and get out of bed immediately.”
Seem simplistic? It is, which is why it is so effective. By implanting a mental command into your head before you go to sleep, you prepare yourself to be mentally alert the moment that you wake up. I have successfully used this technique for getting up to catch flights or to go on early morning road trips on less than 2 hours of sleep – without even using an alarm clock.
2) Think of your one definite burning desire as soon as you wake up.
As Napoleon Hill alludes to in the book ‘Think and Grow Rich‘, your one definite purpose in life should be something that you desire so greatly that it is the actual driving force behind everything that you do.
Even if you do not think of yourself as being “on a mission” to accomplish great things in life, you are on a mission to do something, either for yourself or for other people.
In either case, however, you can’t do it while you are asleep, so think of that one definite burning desire as soon as you wake up, and remind yourself that sleeping in will not get you closer to that goal.
3) Smile.
Yes, it seems silly. How can a smile help get you out of bed?
For starters, you need to think of something to smile about. Think of something that you are grateful for in your life, and actually physically smile when you think of it.
You can’t just think happy thoughts – that won’t do it. You will be amazed at how much the physical act of smiling will bring your mind into focus on your life, and also start to shake off the cobwebs of sleep.
This has the added bonus of energetically setting yourself up to attract even more things to be grateful for, so you get two perks for the price of one by simply smiling like you mean it!
4) Think of your “want to do” list.
Everyone has tasks they feel that they need to do each day, but in the grand scheme of things, you don’t “need” to do anything. Every single task that you accomplish in life is based on the fact that you want something.
You get up and go to work because you want a paycheck. You get up and exercise because you want to be healthy, lose weight, or accomplish a fitness goal. You get up and help your family get ready for the day because you want them to be happy, or because it benefits you in some way to send them on their way.
By thinking of how you will benefit from accomplishing your tasks, you not only make the entire process about your own desires, but you will also start your day with a positive attitude, rather than feeling like someone who is simply slaving away at life for the benefit of other people.
5) Think of the benefits that come from getting up and getting your day started.
If you have a morning ritual that you enjoy or that brings an immediate benefit to you – and only you – think about how it will feel to get up and start enjoying that benefit.
For me, my day starts around 5:15am, and includes 30 minutes of total quiet time with a cup of coffee and an enjoyable assessment of my personal and business accomplishments from the previous day. That 30-minute session is followed immediately by a total mind/body prosperity session while I run or briskly walk outdoors for 60 minutes.
That entire 90-minute period is all about me, and rarely do I even interact with another human being accept for the occasional run in with a fellow early morning exerciser. By the time I am back home by 7:00am, I feel like a million bucks and I am fully energized to focus 100% on another day of personal and business accomplishments.
6) Plan your first “reward”.
Other than the personal benefits that you get from accomplishing that first task or two after waking up, plan the first reward that you will give yourself for staying on track with your sleep schedule.
I am a firm believer in people “giving back” to themselves after accomplishing goals or tasks, so as you are laying in bed trying to motivate yourself to get up, plan the first reward that you will get as a result of rolling out of bed and getting your day started.
Maybe it is a mid-morning or afternoon nap, maybe it is a pleasant lunch with a friend or family member, or it could be something as simple as an hour of “play time” that you give yourself to do whatever you want to do. Make sure you stick to your integrity by not allowing yourself to have that reward unless you get out of bed on schedule!
7) Make a commitment to other people a part of your morning routine.
If you have other members of your household who are counting on you to be up and focused by a certain time of day, that can help motivate you to get up and do exactly that.
No one likes to feel like they let someone else down, and on that some note, most people like to feel wanted or needed. By making commitments to others that you can only accomplish by getting out of bed on time, you will be motivated to do exactly that.
Caveat: Remember, though – it is imperative that you do things for other people because you want to. If it starts to feel like a chore, or that it is expected of you, it will actually have the opposite effect, causing you to feel like a worker, rather than a trusted friend, family member, or co-worker.
8) Put yourself on a schedule that is non-negotiable.
Depending on what your morning routine is, there are very likely things that need to be done during a certain time frame, or it will cause stress or negativity in your life or in the lives of others. By locking your tasks into a certain block of time, you remove the luxury of possibly allowing yourself to sleep in.
Again, using my early morning cardiovascular routine as an example, I have no choice but to do that within a very specific window of time. Summertime in northeast Florida means that the sun is fully up and blazing by 7:15am, and it is already 75-degrees (or more!) and very humid as well. If I am not pounding the pavement by 6:15am at the latest, I will not have 60 minutes to exercise before the sun becomes a debilitating factor.
If you use this method of putting yourself on a schedule, make sure once again that you keep the right frame of mind. You put yourself on that schedule because of something that you wanted, not something that you had to do.
Let me close this piece about how to get out of bed by saying that I love to sleep! I could sleep for 8 hours a night and still be perfectly happy to take a 2-hour nap every day. Sleep is wonderful and is something that I both enjoy and endorse.
However, my love for sleep is overshadowed by my burning desire to accomplish both my physical fitness goals, as well as my personal and business goals. I only point that out because I want you, dear reader, to know that this list was not written by some robot who only needs 4 hours of sleep per night.
I get my butt out of bed early in the morning because I have goals to accomplish. If you are having trouble getting up each day, maybe you should think about whether or not your desires in life are actually strong enough to launch you out of bed and into action!
And avoid having a cat!
There’s no way to get up when your cat is purring you in bed…
… though he’ll eventually get hungry 😉
HA! Good point, Patricia!
We have two indoor cats, and they have both been responsible for missed deadlines in the past! 😉
Funny, I would never have thought of the “smile” one, but it makes perfect sense 🙂
Thanks!
you never commented on how to contend with
“Snuggling Spouse Syndrome”
that is why I don’t want to get up in the morning!
LaVere,
Yeah, that’s a great one! I actually realized it by accident awhile ago when I was thinking how happy I was that I didn’t have to get up because I work at home. I got up anyway, but the fact that it was a choice brought on the smile. 🙂
Karen,
Yeah, that’s a tough one! I think that falls more into the realm of making sure there is enough time in the schedule to allow for it! 😉
I took the easy way out by putting my alarm clock on the other side of the room. I use a radio setting which gradually increases the volume so I don’t get the abrupt awakening of a harsh, loud alarm. But after a minute or so it’s at a volume that makes it impossible to go back to sleep.
Mark,
I used to use a similar system, but then I realized that no matter how harshly I was woken up, I could still go back to sleep after turning off whatever was making the noise!
Aaron,
That may be a sign of a very strong will; to be able to get back into bed even though you know you have to get up and you *already have*. I’m glad you’ve found a way to use your powers for good instead of the evil of sleeping in 😉
Mark,
You know what they say – With great power comes great responsibility!! ;)~
Hi Aaron, I’m going to implement this list immediately. Morning time is dragging time for me and everyday I find myself doing the “I don’t wanna” whine.
Although, I have been able to get up after 2 hours with no alarm with the proper motivation 😉
In Spirit,
Nneka
You were brave! I like the one about issuing a command before going to sleep, and plan to try it. But don’t think I’d try it out right before an early-morning flight! Great post.
That’s the trick, Nneka – the proper motivation! When we have that, we can do anything.
Glad you liked the list and enjoy some newfound “getting up” ability!
As Nneka was just saying in the previous comment, Susan – it’s all about the proper motivation. 9 times out 10, a road trip or an early morning trip to the airport is something that I want to do very badly, so I give myself the command, and then willingly sacrifice the sleep!
Of course, the fact that the evening before one of those road trips is usually full of last-minute packing always helps to trim off the amount of available sleep time! 🙂
I like the Smile tip 🙂
Got to add it to my collection of wake up early tips and tricks.
Sleeping Dude,
Looks like you’ve got the beginnings of an awesome list going there. Please do add my smile tip to the list! 🙂
Great tips, Aaron. I have used…
1) Give yourself a mental command before you go to sleep.
…for years now.
For those folks that have never really used it, or for that matter, even think it is possible, believe me it always does the trick. There may be a settling-in period, especially if you are a bit skeptical. But give it a try.
I first learned of #1 from Brian Tracy about 4 years ago. That was also around the same time my wife and I began to visualize parking spaces (another trick that actually works!).
One of the tricks I use to get up, even if I don’t want to, is to outrun my thoughts. As soon as I wake up, I can generate a million reasons why I should go back to sleep. But I give a little stretch, and get moving immediately. I have done it long enough that it is now auto-pilot. My mind might be complaining, but my body is out-running it!
That is my two yens worth.
Great Post!
Takuin Minamoto
Takuin,
Thanks for the endorsement on the mental command tip. I’m glad someone other than just me can attest to its usefulness!
I especially like your idea of outrunning your thoughts! That is a great system! As soon as we wake up, the reasons not to get out of bed start flooding in. Jump up and get moving, and don’t give those thoughts a chance to get a foothold.
Awesome advice, Takuin – thank you so much for sharing it!
I’m running out of ideas soon so feel free to contribute 🙂
Hey Aaron,
I have tried point 1, 6 and 8 before and they definitely works! Great post you have here and now, I know of 5 other methods to get me out of bed instantly 🙂
There is one other basic method that always works and will make all the points here extra effective and that is to sleep early and sleep sufficiently. 🙂
Great Post!
Cheers
James
James,
Glad you liked the list and that you have seen success with some of these methods!
And yes, getting plenty of sleep is certainly one of the best methods of being able to get out of bed easily.
I used to sleep until I woke up naturally, but that was usually around 7:00am, and these days I need to be up by around 5:00am, so employing these concepts is sometimes a necessity!
Good article. Keep up the good work
Jaison,
Thanks for the positive feedback and for the link love! 🙂
Added! It’s up now at How to Wake Up Early blog.
Thanks for great tip!
Sleeping Dude,
Wow – thank you so much for such a great post on your site that shares my tip with your readers! That is truly awesome, and I’m very grateful.
While I was at your site I checked out some of the other tips, and there are certainly some great ones there. I added a review of your page to Stumbleupon in order to help send some traffic your way. That’s great info that your sharing. 🙂
Good article. Usually if i need to wake up early in the next morning, I will mentally prepared myself the night before; and jump out of my bed the minutes i gain conscious the next morning.
Steve,
Glad that you go so much out of this post!
The mental preparation thing really works. I have used it many times because I have a tendency to get to bed late even though I still need to get up early. By giving myself that command, it not only gets me out of bed, but makes the process a lot easier as well.
“i dont wanna wake up early in z mornings”
how do i delete this mental setup from my head ?
My first response would be to redirect the thought of getting up in the morning to the thought of doing something that you want to do!
I don’t particularly want to get out of bed every morning at 5:15am (even weekends usually!), but I use the tips above to get myself up out of bed because my desire to do the things I am going to do each day (and with my life) is stronger than my desire to sleep late.
When you got places to go and people to see – or just things to do – ya gotta get up out of bed to make it happen!
thnx paL !
will try my best [but am not gettin up on weekends :P]
Patricia,
in my experience, having a cat was a major reason I had to wake up early… She wasn’t even hungry, she just wanted to play 😉
Great tips, dear. I have used
and Thanks………
Awesome tips. I’m gonna have to put some of them to use. Because I HATE getting out of bed at any time.
Jenny,
Sleeping is a wonderful and enjoyable thing, and it can be hard to break that cycle in order to get up and start taking action on things.
I have found that – in a nutshell – getting out of bed is simply about being motivated to do so. Find your motivation, and you will have found what it takes in order to get you out of bed. 🙂
For me, the best reward is 20 minutes of snooze in the morning. But I assume snoozing defeats the purpose of your tips. I have depended on my snooze button for 10 years now. Any suggestions?
By the way, great suggestions. I plan to try them tomorrow morning . . . if I don’t snooze!
Cher,
Glad you liked the suggestions, and if you are going to start using them tomorrow, then remember Tip #1:
“Give yourself a mental command before you go to sleep.”
Otherwise, you’ll just wake up tomorrow and start hitting the snooze button again!
As far as ideas on breaking the snooze habit, how about a compromise? I used to like the snooze button, too, so rather than make myself 20 minutes late each morning, I just set my alarm for 20 minutes earlier!
That way, even if I hit the snooze several times, I would still actually be getting up on time.
Remember, it’s all about knowing when you want to get up, and why. I love to sleep myself, and sometimes do the snooze thing as well, but overall, I get up because I have things to do that I actually want to do.
Hey there,
Stumbled upon your blog and found this information very useful.
Shall definitely try these out!
A smile is always the best way to start a day, and the best days usually start with a smile!
For those alarm clock types, here are a few handy pages I found with seemingly clever (and annoying!) ways to wake get you (and possibly the whole house with some of them!) functioning as early as you should need.
My favourite: https://www.boysstuff.co.uk/product.asp?id=13583
https://www.uberreview.com/2006/03/top-ten-most-annoying-alarm-clocks.htm
https://www.firebox.com/product/1764?src_t=wnw¤cy_conversion=1
https://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/snuznluz.shtml?cpg=cj&cpg=cj
https://www.geekologie.com/2007/06/the_carpet_alarm_clock.php
Happy Sleeping!
-Halfpint
Halfpint,
Wow, thanks for the great list of alarm
annoyancesclocks!I like the one where you have to get out of bed and put your feet on it to shut it off. However, the quote that came with that post is even better! 🙂
Again, thanks for sharing!
Love the tips, perhaps they’ll work but I certainly find myself a push over when setting a plan that I think is not negotiable 🙂 I really should stand firm with myself from time to time.
What I liked best is the “want to do list”, perfect!
Robert,
Thanks for chiming in on this discussion as well as your thoughts on sleep over at this post.
Yes, the “want to do” list is one of my favorites, too. I mean, if all we ever did were things that we felt we had to do, or that we needed to do, that isn’t much motivation to get out of bed in the morning!
Man, Aaron, your feed is one of those I really try not to miss, and this one slipped through somehow. Thank god for Patricia at Personal Development Partners!
This is getting implemented tomorrow morning… well, actually tonight with my mental command! 🙂
Lyman,
Your feed is likewise one that I see pretty much everything that comes across the wire, but how cool is it that we have people who will help us to fill in the occasional gap?
I can’t believe of all the posts that you missed THIS one! At more than 43,000 pageviews, it tripled the exposure that was seen my controversial and massively popular post about naked pictures of Antonella Barba!
Whoops! Did I just slip that keyword combination into yet another post? ;)~
Glad that you got to see this one, Lyman, and enjoy the mental command – it’s amazingly powerful!
Great tips and I definetly need them. Intentionally planning to need the toilet when your alarm goes off also works well.
Brian,
That’s a good one! The call of nature is a powerful force first thing in the morning, and as long as you don’t hop back into bed afterwards, you’re good to go! 🙂
Hi Aaron,
I am really struggling to get my happy bottom out of bed each morning. I have used the mental message before and it did work. What I have been working on lately in mind is that the morning is the only time I have for myself. With three boys (including my husband) I just lose myself during the day. So, my new motivating mental prompt is to get out of bed to spend some time with myself! Plus I have committed to run a marathon for my 40th year of life so I have got to train in the morning…if not, it will not happen 🙂 and I will disappoint those that I have promised to run with 🙁
Thanks again,
Robyn
Robyn,
I understand completely! I am a total “by myself” person in the morning, and I use that time to get things going online while I get some breakfast and coffee. I have been known to get up hours before everyone else just for that reason!
That is awesome about running a marathon – you rock! I’ve only ever done half, and it was just on a treadmill. 😉
If you want, check out Beachbody’s online gym called WOWY. You can log in workouts in order to win money and other prizes. It’s free, and if you’re going to be training anyway, it’s a great way to keep up accountability. I’ve logged in 13 workouts over the past 22 days, so it has definitely helped to keep me on track!
I just graduated, I’ve got volunteer obligations and I’m pregnant due in 2 months. It’s summer time and I’m excited to wake up in the morning and take care of all the things I need to do. But there are many things I need my husband to help me with (those big heavy furniture moves and climbing, etc). How do you get your husband out of bed????? LOL He’s cuddled up with my 5 yr old son. I’ve been up since 7 and it’s going on 9:30! 🙂
NOTHING IS GETTING DONE! AHhhhhhhhhhhh!
Have a SUPER day!
HA! Stephanie – that’s a good point! This is an awesome list for getting yourself out of bed, but it doesn’t do much for other people, does it? 😉
Well, you could try some of the motivational tips listed here, or, if all else fails, a squirt gun filled with cold water is an effective method that can be used from a distance! 🙂
thnx this was very helpfull!!:)
love the last comment…
i am glad i found this site, because i am haveing a heck of a time getting out if bed..i am sure some of it is depression living here is springhill florida……thank you
Very nice tips. Smile is the best ingredient to make your next day bright and beautiful.
good tips
I'll add another tip, don't get an adjustable bed if you already have problems getting up from your current one. Those things are so comfy that you want to lie down the whole day.
you loser.
Wish I read the article before I bought my tempurpedic mattress. The smallest reason makes me wanna stay in bed all day long. If I have a runny nose I call my boss and say I have a cold and sleep a few more hours. It's just so cozy! Got any advice against that? Besides replacing it with a regular mattress.
This is such a great post! I'm a total lazy bum who just can't wake up in the morning! I need at least five snoozes and three different alarm clocks to wake me. Thanks for the great tips.
2) Burning desire = make coffee.
3) Smile…..impossible firs thing in the morning!
🙂
My “first reward” is always a cup of tea.
My partner thinks I'm crazy as I will get up just to have tea. She prefers to get more sleep. Sometimes on the weekends if I wake up early I just get up, and will have a cup of tea and read a book in the kitchen. I find it's a great way to ease into the day