Waking Up Early

Many of the most successful writers I know are well-versed in waking up early. There's something about being up before most of the other people in the building, apartment, neighborhood and town that makes it somehow easier to write. If you are looking to make writing a part of your life and you consider yourself the opposite of a morning person, you may want to make some changes in your life. Here is a step-by-step process to waking up early during your busy life.

1. Cut out caffeine completely or reduce it to one cup of coffee or tea per day. The more addicted you are to caffeine, the harder it is for your body to wake up naturally. Even if you do eventually convince your body that waking up early is a good idea, it may take too long for your caffeine-addicted brain to turn on before you have to leave for work. Little by little, make it a priority to get it out of your routine.

2. Take an hour off from all electronics before you go to sleep. Even though many people feel as though searching around on Facebook and watching television is a welcome, relaxing change from working all day, these activities actually act as stimulants. Taking a stimulant before bed in any form can cut into the effectiveness of your sleep. Less efficient sleep makes it harder to wake up in the morning.

3. Create a reason to get up in the morning. Most people that have trouble getting out of bed before the last possible second only have work to look forward to, which often sends them running back to the covers. If you have a major project like a book that you want to write, writing down the purpose of starting and finish this book during your free mornings will act as a nice impetus. Focus on this purpose and state it to yourself before you go to sleep.

4. Set an alarm and don't go back into the bed. The snooze button was one of the worst things invented for someone trying to become an early riser. It encourages perpetually heading back to the sack for an additional five or 10 minutes several times over. When you get out of bed to turn off your alarm, stop yourself from returning. Stand there for a second, go into the kitchen, sit down at your desk or some other activity that will force you out. Eventually, you will get used to it, but until then, you need to put your foot down (somewhere that it won't be covered by a blanket). 


Waking up early is hard to do, but if you can cut the caffeine, place an embargo on the evening TV, give yourself a strong purpose and avoid the snooze button, you will be able to learn why the best writers in the biz start early. 

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