I Started Waking Up Earlier and You Should Too
By: Calvin Cheung
Tags: Life Hacking, Life, Inspiration, Life Lessons, Motivation

Waking up early. I want to talk about the benefits that I’ve been experiencing ever since I went on the “millionaire routine”. Until now, I’ve been living by that idea, and it has “supercharged”, if you will, my life. I believe it may be beneficial to you as well.

The Cold Months May be Tough

It is just the right time for this article. It’s winter, warm and cozy inside a thick and fluffy blanket of yours, nights are longer, and for myself, it’s still relatively dark when I wake up for work.

It’s too darn early… Cold… and dark. I just want to hibernate. — Me

Even on a regular schedule, I understand it’s tough to muster up some courage to remove the blanket and get up from the bed. Once you do manage to wake up, though, you probably find yourself flustered, in a hurry, so you scramble around getting ready, and you still have to go through with the commute.

The transition hasn’t been easy, spoken from someone who enjoys sleeping a little too much, and the warmth of the bed during a winter’s day makes it that much tougher to drag me out of bed. Why am I waking up earlier than usual? Why am I doing this to myself?

Before I dive into the positive effects, I want to go over my recent transition into doing so.

No Clear Plan

Attempting to wake up earlier has been in my mind for quite a while. I have come across the idea here and there through videos and blogs, most notably from where “millionaires” acquire their success. However, knowing I wasn’t experiencing any significant issues in life, I told myself I didn’t need to sacrifice any sleep time to get out of bed earlier, despite the alleged benefits I heard from back then.

A few years have rolled by, and I’d still come across that type of content online, but because of my increased curiosity and I’ve already entered the workforce, it seemed like a good idea to get started.

I didn’t flick the switch immediately. I began reading further on the benefits people experienced to lighten my spark before taking the deep dive. It sounded evident to anyone who would’ve read about the benefits right? I mean, people were feeling more productive, healthier, improved mental capacity throughout the day, so it didn’t seem like there were any adverse effects at all! Heck, why didn’t I get started earlier?

So I decided to take my first step.

It wasn’t easy at first, but without contradicting the idea behind this article, try and hear me out — I want to have you prepared accordingly through my story, so you can make an easier transition moving forward.

Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

I started to set my alarm an hour earlier, and I was getting up without any issues. I was excited to get started, and I wanted to see results as soon as possible. For the first week, I didn’t exactly plan for what to do with this extra time. I just thought to myself to go ahead with the usuals — and that is browsing online and going through the endless scrolling on social media. I wasn’t prepared for the self-development routines that most practice during this time of day. I simply thought the extra time would help.

Long story short, this didn’t last too long as I began feeling the fatigue of waking up an hour earlier. The reason?

I wasn’t utilizing my time correctly, and there weren’t any incentives to keep me going long-term. It may sound like an excuse, but browsing social media was hardly productive and not necessarily something I look forward to all the time. In fact, I’m not too fond of it at times, but it’s the addiction and the need to keep myself updated that has kept me going for a while.

The Transformation

Anyway, I started to incorporate other routines that most have widely talked about, such as light stretching, cold showers, and planning my days. I must admit, cold showers are tough until this day. Eventually, I found my “reason,” and I began to see improvements in approaching my day. Here is the breakdown of my routine.

Light movement & stretching — The last thing you want is to fatigue yourself for the rest of your day. By getting my heart pumping and relaxing the tension with stretching gives me the energy to tack the day ahead. I know I’m not too scientific, but you know how exercise makes you feel “good,” especially after the shower that comes with it? Yep, that’s how it feels.

— The last thing you want is to fatigue yourself for the rest of your day. By getting my heart pumping and relaxing the tension with stretching gives me the energy to tack the day ahead. I know I’m not too scientific, but you know how exercise makes you feel “good,” especially after the shower that comes with it? Yep, that’s how it feels. Taking 10 minutes to think — It means to stay off your phone or whatever social media you have that continually gives you distractions. Reset your brain and allow the important thoughts to wash over you. I suppose you can call this meditation, but it essentially allows you to compartmentalize, putting you back on track with what’s important.

— It means to stay off your phone or whatever social media you have that continually gives you distractions. Reset your brain and allow the important thoughts to wash over you. I suppose you can call this meditation, but it essentially allows you to compartmentalize, putting you back on track with what’s important. Cold showers — I haven’t been able to do this all the time, maybe three days out of seven during the week. However, what I’ve been experiencing so far is similar to light movements & stretching. The blast of cold water works as a wake-up call, and believe me, as it absolutely puts me on high alert. Some days I don’t sleep as well, which helps me prepare for the day ahead.

— I haven’t been able to do this all the time, maybe three days out of seven during the week. However, what I’ve been experiencing so far is similar to light movements & stretching. The blast of cold water works as a wake-up call, and believe me, as it absolutely puts me on high alert. Some days I don’t sleep as well, which helps me prepare for the day ahead. Planning your day — I like to be in control. And while issues may arise throughout the day, I want to know what tasks should be achieved by the end to control my focus and priorities at work. Planning can be done the night before, but I prefer doing so in the morning.

It’s Not Hard. It’s the Incentives.

Once I began experiencing improvements in life, naturally, I felt inclined to carry on with my routine. I no longer feel like I need to put in additional effort to wake up earlier, despite it being dark and cold during the winter months. This, in my opinion, makes it easier to do so during the rest of the year if you can push through the winter months!

Is my routine concrete? No. Adjustments will be made according to any life changes, and I’ll continually find ways to improve my habits. But at least for now, I know the idea exists and it has helped with my life tremendously.

That is all for today. I appreciate you all for sticking by to the end. I hope some of these reminders can facilitate your transition, and help your journey to get out of bed earlier to increase your productivity. Take care.

Calvin