As I’m writing this, I’m awake, working and it’s just before 5 am. The house around me is beautifully still, the sun is just starting to come up and I can hear birds singing in my garden.

It’s a time of quiet joy that I savor. However, I’m no Zen monk: I’m in fact the furthest thing you can imagine from a morning person.

I’ve always loved to stay up late and sleep in the next day. It never made sense to me the way that going to bed early isn’t considered lazy but sleeping in is – you’re still sleeping either way, just on a different schedule.

But like it or not, there are rules that society has decided we should stick to and sleep/wake times is one of them. It’s just the rebel in me that likes to sleep in whenever I get the chance.

So how did this particular night owl change her ways and cultivate a habit of getting up early? Well, I love productivity hacks and the fact so many successful people swear by getting up at 5 am or earlier to get more done made me determined to try it out for myself.

Despite some short term pain, I found that it does actually work. Having undisturbed time to concentrate, when you don’t feel the need to respond to emails or do other things, is amazing for making big things happen. Plus, the achievement you feel when everyone else is just getting up and you’ve already completed so much on your to-do list is brilliant and leads to a way less hectic day overall.

If you want to try it yourself, here are 16 tricks to help you get up early and transform your schedule to get more done.

RELATED: 7 EASY WAYS TO BOOST YOUR ENERGY THAT WILL MAKE A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE TO YOUR HEALTH

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.

1.  Don’t leave yourself wired from caffeine
   To maintain a schedule of getting up early, you’ll inevitably need to start going to sleep earlier. During the day, make sure you drink your last cup of coffee is no later than 4 pm (ideally 2 pm is even better). in order to feel more relaxed before bed and have a more peaceful sleep.
2. Lay morning things out the night before
   Prep everything you’ll need for the morning and have it ready to go to make it as easy as possible to get up. Put comfy clothes within easy reach, get whatever you need out to make coffee, breakfast, or do anything else you want to accomplish. Don’t give yourself any reasons to stay in bed that relate to it being too difficult.
   

   Never leave your house without something again, fill this up with your essentials the night before

   
   
   

   Do Not Forget Door Knob Organizer

   Shop Now
   
   For more products to help with Work, Money, Productivity & Life Goals? Check out our dedicated shopping page, full of all our best finds from the interwebs!
3. Don’t force an early night
   Don’t force going to bed early the first night if you know you’ll just lay awake worrying about how little sleep you’re going to get. Instead, take the hit of going to bed at your usual time and still get up earlier the next day.

   One night of less sleep than usual won’t kill you and it will make it easier to sleep the following day so you can get into a routine more quickly.

4. Create a relaxing sleep routine that will help you to get up early
   Get a relaxing ritual in place for going to bed: limit screen time, dim the lights and do something that helps you unwind like reading or listening to music. If you want more tips for making your bedroom a relaxing sanctuary, check out RELATED: How to Make a Bedroom Perfect for Self Care
5. Set multiple alarms to wake you up
   To make sure you wake up and don’t fall back to sleep unintentionally, set multiple alarms 30 seconds to 1 minute apart. Make sure they’re close enough together that you can’t fall asleep again before the next one goes off.
6. Move your alarm clock away from the bed
   Make sure your alarm isn’t easy to turn off from the comfort of your mattress. You can even set up a mini obstacle course to get to it by putting it in a drawer or on a high shelf.
7. Don’t hit the snooze button if you want to get up early
   If you want to get into the habit of getting up early then you need to resist the temptation to hit your alarm’s snooze button as much as possible. The snooze button just delays the pain and reinforces the mindset where sleep is prioritized. You’ll wake up much easier if you only have to do it once!
8. Phase in waking up early
   If you want to get into the habit of getting up early then you need to resist the temptation to hit your alarm’s snooze button as much as possible. The snooze button just delays the pain and reinforces the mindset where sleep is prioritized. You’ll wake up much easier if you only have to do it once!

   If it’s better for you, phase in your waking up early gradually, so there’s less disruption to your sleep pattern. Start to set your alarm for 15 minutes earlier and carry on doing that either every day or every two days, until you’re waking at the time you want.

9. Use a morning light to make it easier to wake up early
   Getting up when it’s still dark outside isn’t the most fun thing, so if you sleep alone, try a sunrise alarm clock like this to wake you up with a natural sunrise effect.

HeimVision Sunrise Alarm Clock
Light gradually increases before your preset wake-up time until your room is filled with bright yellow light. The light will mimic the sunrise to help you wake up more naturally.
Shop Now

Want to shop all our Health picks in one place? Check out our dedicated shopping page, full of all our best finds from the interwebs!