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A Different Way to Become an Early Riser

I've tried, for years, to become an early riser with little success.

It seems that the one problem I had was how motivate myself to actually get out of bed in the morning. I knew my life would be better if I got up earlier, but that "Just another few minutes!" mentality always caught me off guard in my sleepy state. It's just too cold and snuggling under the blankets is so much better. Or it's too hot and I just want to lounge about and not move. Or maybe it's just oh-so-perfect sleeping conditions.

There are some circumstances that force me to get out of bed and it's usually because there's something more exciting or important happening the next day. The first day on the job, or going on an adventure; it's under these circumstances where you wouldn't dream of saying, "No, I want to go back to sleep. This is so much nicer." Why do you think children can suddenly wake up early on Christmas morning?

Now the main school of thought is that when you introduce a change into your life, you should do so slowly and sustain that for a month. I agree with this, but when making that first step to wake up early, I think you need more of a shock and awe approach. Jolt your morning into action. Do something different. Here's just 7 different ways you can jumpstart your way to becoming an early riser.

1. Wake up somewhere else
I don't think this will work for everyone, but I've found I get surprisingly freaked out when I wake up somewhere else, like another room, on the floor, in someone else's bed. Perhaps it's my morning after dread, but it wakes me up pretty quick and has me pulling on my clothes and diving for the windows or a nearby closet. Or at worst you'll wonder why you're there and remember there's supposed to be something different about this morning.

2. Plan something exciting in the morning
Christmas. Only you don't believe in Santa Claus, do you? Never mind, go and plan something awesome for your morning, and I do mean awesome. This should be on the scale of 11 out of 10 and almost prevent you from getting any sleep the night before. If you sleep in, you're going to miss it. Those of you with girlfriend or boyfriends can probably find something exciting for the morning. Just don't fall back to sleep. That's lame.

3. Schedule your important meetings in the morning
This is putting all your eggs into one basket. It sure sounds risky, but the more risky it is, the more inclined you'll be to get out of bed. This is your movie-classic, "Oh my God I'm about to miss my meeting with the CEO and I'm going to get fired," moment. Present yourself with an ultimatum: Get up or get fired.

4. Drink a lot of water
When nature calls, hope that it's not a fax. And hope that you don't get a paper jam. Drinking a lot of water before sleeping will either result in you waking up with a burning rush to the toilet in an effort to empty your bladder, or take you back to your bed wetting days. Either way, you're going to wake up in a real hurry and if you don't, well I think waking up early pales in comparison to some other issues you may have.

5. Park your car in a clearway
I have literally sprung out of bed, run down the street in my pajamas and jumped into my car to stop it from getting towed. I've also had to park a few blocks down and walk back home amongst the morning commute a little sheepishly.

6. Arrange for a friend to meet you for breakfast
I think most people have a friend or two that are early risers. Invite them to breakfast, but ask them to meet at your place. The more annoying and persistent they are, the better. You know, the early bird who for some reason hasn't quite caught on that not everyone is awake yet? The one that calls you up at strange hours in the morning (8am? What the hell is 8am?) thinking that everyone is bright eyed and bushy tailed. Invite them to breakfast. I think for the most part, most early birds don't like wasting their time. If they're at your front door, they're going to get you up rather than let you off with an, "Okay, maybe some other day then."

7. Make a bet
High susceptible to people who just cannot lose, make a bet with someone. Don't make it as simple as waking up or you'll just call them up sleepily, drawl out that you won and then fall asleep again. Now that just sounded rather lame over the phone. Make a bet with someone over who can be at a certain location earlier. If you want that extra incentive, don't set a meeting time. Let's see who'll get up earlier!

Now, all of these ideas are great for a single day, but who is to say that tomorrow you're not going to sleep in again? Start chaining these together. If nothing at all, I'm sure you'll have a more active lifestyle. Every time you find it's a little hard to get up, plan something outrageous and jolt yourself back into shape. Don't use just one method to get yourself out of bed or it'll become routine. I've almost missed flights, had my car towed, missed breakfast and meetings and peed my bed by getting stuck in a routine. Okay, maybe not the last one. Mix it up and surprise yourself!