For about the last six weeks, my alarm has been blasting me out of bed at 445am on weekdays and weekends. I’ve been working on a big project that I’ll be sharing soon, and it has required some extra hours to stay on top of my self-imposed deadlines.

As I’m getting out of bed, it’s clear that I’m not the only member of the early-wake-up-crew. There are also cars pulling up to our house with Ryan’s clients stumbling out, determined to get their workouts finished before the clock even strikes 6am.

This got me thinking the other day—why is it that some people manage to get their butts out of bed before the first bird chirps, while so many others want to but just can’t build it as a consistent habit?

You might be thinking that it comes down to motivation and those that don’t have a repeatable early morning routine simply lack the motivation to execute it. I’m going to instead argue that it’s not motivation they’re lacking—it’s strategy.

So, if you want to be the kind of person who gets up early to get things done, have some time to yourself before the chaos of the day begins, or crush that workout, stop thinking that sufficient motivation is what’s holding you back. It’s time to focus on getting strategic instead.

Here are three things you need to do to make your early morning wake-up a guaranteed part of your daily routine:

1. Know Exactly Why You’re Getting Up

If you don’t have a clear reason to get up, your brain will find a million reasons to stay in bed. Comfort will always win over some vague idea of "being productive."

But even if you know you’re getting up to have time to yourself, work, do food prep or chores, build some strength or boost your cardio, be very specific on what you will actually do. Break it down into the exact tasks or exercises that you’re committing to. If your still sleepy brain has to spend time making decisions, one of two things is likely to happen:

1. You’ll stay in bed because you don’t have a real plan

2. You’ll waste your awake time stuck in a cycle of indecision, which will result in you doing nothing

Both will leave you filled with frustration and regret because you won’t get solid, restful sleep or you’ll get up and then get nothing accomplished. No matter what, you’ll feel disappointed in yourself and that’s not a great way to start your day.

So, get clear on precisely what you’ll do when you get up. For example, the night before I plan to wake up early to “do work”, I write down a list of what I’ll accomplish so that when I plunk myself down in front of my computer with a steaming cup of coffee I know exactly where to start.

You could also write down your plan the night before. It could look like this: “I’m waking up at 530am so I can drink my coffee in peace, journal for 10 minutes, and ease into my day with intention.”

Or, it could say something like this: “I’ll wake up at 515am and by 530am, I’ll be on the treadmill, where I’ll do a 5-minute warm-up, followed by 20 minutes of 2-minute intervals. I’ll finish with a 5-minute cool down, including stretching.”

The clearer your purpose, the easier it is to follow through. As I’ve said before, what gets written down gets done. Make that contract with yourself the night before so you feel compelled to get up.

2. Your Early Morning Starts the Night Before

Harsh truth: If you’re staying up late watching Netflix or scrolling your phone, waking up early is going to feel brutal—or you might quit before you’ve started by pulling out of your plan before you even go to bed.

Understand that your nighttime habits determine your morning success. That means reverse engineering the success of your morning by figuring out what time you need to be in bed to get enough sleep (ideally between 7 and 9 hours). Once you have that bedtime goal, build in the window that it takes to get ready for bed, and then commit to when you need to shut everything else (shows, screen time, etc) down to make it all work.

I like to be in bed by 9pm, and I know I need 15 minutes to brush my teeth and wash my face, so I make sure my other evening activities are wrapped up by 830. It’s not a perfect system but it offers some sense of structure to follow so I get my 7ish hours.

3. Choose an Effective Alarm System

If you want to sabotage your morning routine, set your alarm so close to your bed that you can whack it without even opening your eyes. This will guarantee that you’ll turn it off or hit snooze before you’re conscious enough to make a real decision.

If you want to guarantee your success on the other hand, make your alarm system work for you. Here are a few ideas:

• Put your alarm across the room so you have to physically get up to turn it off

• Use an app that makes you solve a puzzle, scan a barcode in another room, or take a few steps before shutting it off (I can’t vouch for these but examples include Alarmy, I Can’t Wake Up!, Mornify, Mimicker Alarm, and Step Out! Alarm Clock)

• Wake up to something you enjoy—an energizing playlist, a sunrise alarm clock, or even an upbeat podcast

The bottom line is that you have to choose a system that gets you out of bed or snaps you awake on the first go. I’ll tell you that getting out of bed is the hardest part. Once you’re on your feet, your face is washed, and your teeth are brushed, you’ll feel more alert and maybe even grateful that you’re up and get to seize the day.

And the more you practice your early morning wakeups, the more your internal clock will adjust. Within a few weeks, you might even find yourself waking up just a few minutes before your alarm🤩