Tip #14: Put Your Alarm Clock Far From Your Bed

It’s simple advice yet many people don’t use it. They keep turning the alarm off while being semi-asleep and then wonder how come they couldn’t wake up and missed an alarm…

The Simple Solution

All you need is to put your alarm clock far enough to make you stand up and take a few steps away from the bed to turn it off.

I’ve used this approach successfully for a few days until I found myself… walking back to the bed and falling asleep for one more hour!

If You Still Go Back to Bed

If this happens to you, here’s what you should do. This tip works great paired with another tip—Create a Morning Ritual. I found that if I have something else to do after turning off the alarm clock, I’m likely to go and do it, because the first and most challenging task—getting out of the bed—is already done.

So I’ve built a small morning ritual to follow, but it all starts with turning off the alarm which is in the opposite corner of my bedroom.

An Added Health Benefit

Having the alarm sound further away has an additional benefit. You should avoid putting a buzzing alarm clock right near your bed when you sleep because abrupt awakening is generally not a good thing for your health. Having the alarm clock 10 feet away will make your awakening less stressful.

Recommended Reading

How Alarm Clocks Can Disrupt Your Sleep and Stress Your Body — Sleep.me
Waking Up Is the Hardest Thing I Do All Day: Sleep Inertia and Sleep Drunkenness — PMC / National Institutes of Health
Is Snoozing the Alarm Good or Bad for Your Health? — Scientific American

Tip #1: To Wake Up Early, Go to Bed Early

As simple as it seems, this tip can be hard to stick to, which is why we put it as number one. Having enough sleep is important not only for waking up early, but also for feeling energized, productive and focused the next day. It may easily be the best technique to solve your waking up problems.

Tip #3: It Takes 3 Weeks to Form a Habit

Some sources say it takes 21 days to form a habit, some say it’s 24 days, and some say it’s 30. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you do not need to commit yourself to waking up early every day until the end of your life. Just commit to waking up early for … 3 weeks. That’s all. And if you need extra motivation, create a reward for yourself at the end of those 3 weeks. Yes, building a habit takes some time, but 3 weeks will definitely be enough to build a basic early waking habit.

Tip #10: Give a Promise

Give a promise to someone that you will start waking up earlier. This works best with family members, close friends, or anyone whose opinion matters to you. Once a promise is given, it should be kept. Otherwise, you risk losing respect in the eyes of those people—and in your own eyes as well.