In yet another flash of inspiration from the iPod (something I think I’m going to have to try more often), today’s post comes from a song title, this time “Wake Up” by The Arcade Fire.

In trying to find time, we’re constantly saddled with trade offs, between what we want to do and when we have time to get it done. In the first “Finding Time” post, I wrote about utilizing your commute for more than just getting to or from work or school. That was a pretty easy trade off to make, as you’re already awake, so you may as well try to do something. However, if you’ve already maximized your waking hours, what do you need to do to find a little more? One thing you can try is to re-jig your day a bit, and get up a few hours early.

Before we look at the how, let’s take a quick look at why you might want to try this. Now, this is a topic that has been widely covered in the blogosphere, and I’ll be posting a few of my favourite links below, but here’s a quick outline of some of the benefits of becoming an early (or earlier) riser.

The obvious change is that you’ll have more time available in the day. But you might think, “What’s the big deal if I just trade an hour at the end of the day for an hour at the beginning?” I look at it like this. The time you get in the morning can be more productive and allow you to get a jump start on your day. How so, you ask? Namely, other people aren’t usually up and about at this time of day, and even if they are, they’re probably thinking the same thing as you, in trying to get a few things done before the rest of the world wakes up. Thus this time becomes far less interrupted than that same hour at any part of the day. You can use this time to sketch a rough plan for your day, clear those inboxes, write that blog post, get your workout done, or pretty much anything else you want to do. Heck, I’m sure we’ve all seen the articles on the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast, why not try that? Leo Babauta raises a great point in his article:

9. Commute. No one likes rush-hour traffic, except for Big Oil. Commute early, and the traffic is much lighter, and you get to work faster, and thus save yourself more time. Or better yet, commute by bike. (Or even better yet, work from home.)

This is actually something I’ve seen both my parents do throughout their careers, but haven’t yet done myself.

So if we agree that there are benefits to be had, the next question is “How do we make it happen?”

  1. Pick a time you want to start getting up by. Now, start working towards that. If you have a lot of trouble with big changes, then start shifting you wakeup by a fifteen to thirty minutes every few days. Adjust, and then move it a little earlier. However, some people will find it easier to make a big change and then let the results sort themselves out. I remember when I returned from living in Japan, making a thirteen hour time change, I pretty much did one 36-hour stretch of staying awake, and while my sleep schedule was slightly off for the next few days, it was much easier for me than trying to slowly adjust. The key here is to know what works for you and try that.
  2. Get up when you hit that time. The snooze button is your enemy! Especially in the early days, if you’ve made the commitment to get up at a certain time, do it. If you go back to sleep, you set yourself back and miss out on the benefits. Plus, once you break a commitment, it becomes easier to do it again . . .
  3. Give yourself something to do. If you have a reason for getting up other than just dragging yourself out of bed, it can be easier to do so. So plan to exercise, write that blog post, read that article or something, but give yourself a goal. This has the added benefit of giving you something to focus on, and something to feel good about when it’s completed.
  4. Give yourself something for doing it. If you’ve gotten up and done what you wanted to do, reward yourself! Have that tasty breakfast, treat yourself on your way to work, or do bigger rewards for making the change over a longer time frame. Plan a massage or morning at the spa if you can do this over the span of a month. I’m not above a little self-bribery every now and then.
  5. Log what you get done. Sometimes just looking back at what you’ve done in this extra time you gain is a motivator in and of yourself. If nothing else it further justifies your decision to become an early riser.

If you’re interested in what you see here, here’s a few resources I’d highly recommend.

- Steve Pavlina’s articles How to Become an Early Riser Part One and Part Two
- Lifehacker’s post on these articles, which in typical (and great) Lifehacker fashion, have some great tidbits in the comments
- Leo Babauta’s posts from ZenHabits, How I Became an Early Riser, and 10 Benefits of Rising Early and How To Do It

Now, this is something I’ve tried in the past, though haven’t really committed to doing it. However in the spirit of experimentation, starting Monday, I’ll be giving this a go for the next month. I’ll let you know how things go!

Even if you don’t necessarily want to use the extra time in the mornings for some of the reasons I’ve listed above, just gaining an extra half hour or more each morning can allow you to slow down a bit, and start your day in a more relaxed fashion. Rather than waking up and running the half hour mad dash to get out the door on time, giving yourself more time allows you to start the day without that added stress. Starting your day without the feeling of already being behind the eight-ball can work wonders for your perspective, and really help in maintaining balance.