May 15, 2019 by Klaus Crow
Sunrise in Machu Picchu by thecsman
Since a year now I have been waking up early. Going from 6 a.m to 5 a.m. My life has changed because of it.
Finally I have the time to do everything that I love to do: practicing guitar, running my business, writing a blog, writing songs, working out, reading, spending a lot of time with my wife and children.
It’s the greatest reward and reminder for waking up early.
I wake up early at least 5 days a week. I like to wake up early two or three days in a row and then one day sleep late. (7.30 a.m.) At night I go to bed at 11 p.m. Not a minute later. If I go to bed at 12 p.m. and try to wake up early it won’t work. I tried many different ways and figured out the one that worked best for me. I think this is different for everyone so you have to experiment with this.
Originally I am a night owl and waking up early is not something that came naturally for me, but it has become a habit and it’s the best thing ever!
Here are the 8 tips that do work:
1 – The reason
You got to have a reason to wake up early or else you won’t do it. The reason can be a goal. Before you go to bed, write down the steps you will take the next morning to achieve a part of that goal. Make sure it’s a goal you really want to accomplish. It has to be something you are passionate and excited about.
2 – Early enough
Set the alarm early enough so you can really get some work done. If you wake up only 15 minutes earlier and it’s too less time to accomplish anything you won’t stick with it. Wake up a half an hour, one hour or two hours earlier. Gradually increase your wake up time.
3 – Go to bed
Let’s be honest, you won’t get any smarter by watching TV. It won’t realize your dream goal. Just go te bed in time. You can do without those late night talk shows or crime scene investigation series. Be smart. Waking up early is much more fulfilling.
4 – Stop thinking
The moment your alarm goes off you’re are giving yourself a hundred reasons against one or two to get back to sleep. Stop your thinking the very right moment you wake up. Just step out of bed. Don’t you dare talk to yourself. Don’t go into a discussion. You will lose if you will. Don’t go for the short term benefits, but go for the long term benefits that will change for life. People who give in to the short term benefits won’t get their dream goals accomplished.
5 – Mantra
If you do get trapped into thinking, speak out your mantra. Create a mantra for yourself to make sure you wake up early. The Mantra should contain a few keywords to define the reasons why you want to wake up early.
One of the reasons could be is to get some work done. If you have children it’s really difficult to get any work done. So this is your private time in total solitude. Your most productive time of the day. The Mantra keywords could be “private time”, “productiveness”.
6 – Accountability
Talk to people about your waking up early system and which goals you have accomplished or are busy accomplishing. The more people you talk to about it, the more accountable you feel to practice what you preach.
7 – Rewarding
You can reward yourself for waking up early, but the best reward is to be productive and focused on your goal. Get away from distractions (internet, mobile phones, TV, newspapers, etc) and just go for what you want to achieve. The feeling of accomplishment after you worked hard on your goal in the morning is the best reward ever. Try it and you will see.
8 – The Habit
It takes 3 to 4 weeks to create a habit. If you tried a few times but failed here and there, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just try again. You just need to make it through the 3 weeks. By this time you created a habit. Now you are in it for the long term. You’ll have the best time ever!
Hey Klaus,
Nice mantra!
I agree with you. I do have days where I wake up early instead of “just in time”. The thought that already gives enough reason to do so is that “I don’t need to hurry”. When getting up in a rush it’s harder to take it easy during the rest of the day. It’s like jumping in a train that never stops to contemplate.
When I go to work I rather get up 2 hours in advanced. It gives me for necessary things or good ideas that might come in my mind while I’m awake and sitting , eating breakfast.
Instead of worrying when to have time for great ideas that come up in your mind, you can now easily work them through and relax.
Hi Vincent,
Indeed, It’s awful to be in a hurry.
When you’re in a hurry you automatically rush into stress-mode and it determines your mindset for the rest of the day.
Good to hear it works for you too.
Thanx for sharing your view.
Klaus Crow
Hey those are great tips! I have been meaning to start waking up earlier and i think this will help, thank you!
Hi Coram,
Try to keep it up the first few weeks and you’ll be a winner!
Good luck!
Klaus Crow
These tips are awesome. I never even considered waking up early as a solution to my busy schedule, but reading this blog has given me a new perspective on things. Thank you so much!!
Jade Taylor
Hi Jade,
I hope it will make your life easier, more peaceful and musical above all.
Stick to it for a while and you’ll be the champ!
All the best,
Klaus Crow
Do you find it more difficult to get up when the mornings are darker & if so do you have any tips for that?
In the summer (here in UK) I find getting up early much easier than in the winter – it’s a real struggle in the dark!
Hi Dom,
Last year I had also some trouble with that, this year I somehow have managed to overcome that.
Just think about all the people who wake up really early to do construction work and people who have to drive long distances to get to work.
Knowing you are not the only one out there might make it more acceptable.
Some of the things I do is to make it as cosy as possible inside the living room so when I wake up and come down stairs I feel right away at ease.
I make breakfast, pour a cup of hot tea, do some stretch exercises so I feel vital and then take a few minutes to contemplate about things and enjoy my private time.
I also make sure I know what to do right away to create a good head start.
Don’t think about the things you don’t like (darker mornings), only think about the things you do like. (cappuccino, head start, guitar playing, working out, reading, writing etc.)
If you stick with it ( waking up early when it’s dark) you will definitely overcome.
Good luck!
Best regards,
Klaus Crow
Thanks Klaus – will give it a go.
Great blog!
Hi Klaus,
I Recently found your site and I have to say you’re quite an inspiration. I love playing guitar and I endeavour to lead a life that feels fresh and creative. this site is great and you’ve done a great job, i’ll try and take in your advice as much as possible. I want to get up early, I really do, but I’m still a teenager so it’s reaaallllly hard haha, but I’ll keep trying.
Thanks!
I landed here from Yahoo but I don’t think that I agree with everything. Learning the guitar was one of the hardest things I did.
good ideas but if you are working a gig until 2:30 am it is sort of hard to get up at 5:30 or even 6.
LOL just is life make your priorities count.
– Thanks for the tip, gonna try this right away!
I read somewhere from Satch that, he used to this when he is still in high school… He used to wake up very early so can practice boring, non-melodic guitar exercises for an hour or so, before going to school… so after school when it’s time to pick up the guitar again, it’s all crazy guitar stuff all night before bedtime….
Hello Klaus,
Guess I’m a little too late posting a comment on this thread.But I’m reading this article right now,not having slept the entire night,and BAM! I loved the article.
But buddy,m an ardent night player.Practice my guitar entire night…
How do I shift my practice schedule?
Regards,
Hritwik Vachaspati
(India)
Hi Klaus
Great site; wonderful tips and tid-bits!
I too have felt my life completely change, after committing to getting up early – between 5 and 5 30 in my case. I feel much more inspired and creative, and whilst one may feel tired for the first while, I can say I have way more energy overall now as a result.
I wanted to add something I heard recently that really inspired me – of the possibility that our collective belief that we require at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night (optimally) may simply not be true…! If that is true, its a revelation that many people need to hear! The advice was to try 4 to 6, and see what happens. Well, it certainly works for me: it was intense at first but I’m pretty sure body and mind are accepting the change, and I could hardly have believed the ways I seem to have benefited (I’ve been in and out of it for the past couple of years). If it simply feels too intense, like has been said: take a break, and try again when you feel up to it.
It probably helps that my goal is doing between 1 and 2 hours of Yoga in the morning, but honestly, take Klaus’ advise and hang with the early-bird!
I found the best way to make waking up early a habit was to also make it a challenge. I made a bet with myself I would wake up at 6 am every day for thirty days. It was tough, but well worth it.
http://keystooptimalliving.com/6-am-challenge-the-benefits-of-waking-up-early/