Tip #24: Outrun Your Thoughts

One of the primary reasons why most people fail to wake up early in the morning is that once they wake up and turn off the alarm clock, they talk themselves into going back to bed again.

It’s amazing how many “good” reasons for sleeping another hour we may find once we wake up…

“I went to bed late last night, I need more sleep”
“It’s going to be a busy day today, I have to be prepared and well rested”
“I don’t feel well, I’m going to call a sick day today”

Do those sound familiar to you?

Don’t Rationalize

We start rationalizing, and the more we rationalize the more chances are we will end up going back to bed. Therefore one of your morning rules should be: Don’t rationalize.

Just follow your morning ritual. There are things you’ve “prescribed” yourself to do from yesterday and all you need is to just follow them on auto-pilot. Don’t listen to your internal voices – outrun your thoughts.

One of my favorite personal development bloggers Leo Babauta wrote at his Zen Habits blog:

“Do not rationalize. If you allow your brain to talk you out of getting up early, you’ll never do it. Don’t make getting back in bed an option.”

How to Outrun Your Thoughts

As soon as you realize you are actually talking yourself into going back to bed, drop it and go do something else. Go to the bathroom, go drink some water, go out and take a breath of fresh air…

Go “level above” your thoughts, understand what your thoughts are trying to lead you to, then disband and outrun them. And remember — no snooze, ever! Don’t let your weaknesses speak up!