Wake Up Now! 3 Steps to Getting Up Early

Don't you just hate it when you miss an important appointment because you overslept? From now on, those days are over! Just follow these three steps.

1. Understand the value of getting up

This is perhaps the most important step. Why do you even need to wake up early in the morning? Imagine that you've just won a prize and you have to wake up early to collect it. Would you spend the whole night chatting with your friends online, or would you go to bed on time so you could wake up on time? Give yourself a real reason to get up, and getting up becomes much easier.

2. Don't do these things

• Don't stay up too late. We all know it's fun to stay up late chatting, but seriously, you have to learn to restrain yourself!
• Don't watch an action movie right before bed. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who can't get a good night's sleep because a certain scene keeps replaying in my head.
• Don't drink alcohol before bed. I don't think I need to tell you why.
• Don't drink too much coffee or cola before bed. Some people seem to be unaffected by caffeine, but that doesn't apply to most of us.

3. Use your alarm clock the smart way

Most of us use some kind of alarm clock, and it has many advantages if you know how to use it.

First, never put the alarm clock close to you. Why? If you place it a few meters away (yes, I did say meters, not feet), you have to get up to turn it off, right? The first step in getting up is the most difficult one; the rest is a piece of cake.

Second, if you are a heavy sleeper, it might be a good idea to set the alarm half an hour or so before you actually need to get up. If you're anything like me, you'll probably hit the snooze button once or twice, but you won't be able to do it the fourth or fifth time the alarm goes off.

For more on getting the rest you need, read how to have a good night's sleep.