When I was doing my first courses in my Bachelor’s my classmate told me that he woke up at 4 am to study and it feels amazing. So I thought, why not try? I can be a master procrastinator and whenever I sleep in, my productivity takes a nosedive. Also, the day feels awfully short when one rolls out of bed by 11 pm. I decided – tomorrow I’ll wake up at 4 am.
How did I manage to wake up at 4 am?
You may think I was too ambitious and burned my wings like Icarus. But I didn’t. Every exam period I would wake up at 4 am. Sometimes I would have lectures to attend or meet my friend in the afternoon to study together. With all that, I didn’t feel tired or had difficulties waking up that early every day. Here are a few tips you can use if you want to become an early bird.
- Early to bed, early to rise
I would always try to get 8 hours of sleep. Like you should. Ideally, I’d start rewinding at 7 pm. I would get back from university, take a bowl of granola (yes, my staple wasn’t ramen noodles, granola and cereal was my life), and watch YouTube or read until 8pm. If you think you could never fall asleep by 8 pm, try waking up at 4. It works like magic.
- No snoozing
While snoozing an alarm may not right away take you back to your dream palace when it’s 9 am and the sun is shining, it will be harder to not fall back to sleep at 4 am. Especially, if you’re in Sweden and you get 3 hours of sunshine during winter. Use that momentum when alarm disrupts your beautiful dream and scares the crap out of you and get up.
- Earplugs are your friends
You may want to block your neighbour’s TV or any other outside noises that come. In my case, my floormates would always have parties in the middle of the week. Even during an exam period. So I would just my put earplugs in, and goodbye world.
- Have your clothes ready
It’s always cozy to stay in bed. If you don’t have your clothes just next to you, you might not be able to make it out of bed. The motivation is not going to be your friend that early in the morning.
- Have a tasty breakfast
I always say sleep is the time machine to breakfast. Prepare to have the best meal of the day in the morning. Like oatmeal with chocolate. Or chia pudding. Or bagels.
Why is waking up at 4 am amazing?
And why would put yourself through getting up so early? Hear me out – it’s fun.
- There’s not much to do other than being productive
All your friends and family are still asleep and not much is happening on social media, like Instagram or Facebook. Hence, it’s the best time for work. Nobody will text you or knock on your door for another 4 hours and you can totally and fully concentrate on your hustle.
- Same benefits as staying up late, but you’re not tired
I used to be a night person, but now I notice even though I feel like working is easier when the world is asleep, I feel tired. If you strongly believe you’re a night owl, try waking up while everyone is still sleeping. You will feel fresh and rested, but can still enjoy the benefits of the night – quiet and maybe even some darkness.
- It’s the time for you
It was ideal for me to get up that early because I lived in a dorm. There were at least 9 people on my floor which means if you wake up at ordinary hours, you’ll meet 5 other people in the kitchen and stand in a line to use the bathroom. As I introvert, I like having my coffee first before I start conversing with others. If you’re a little bit the same, you’ll love being awake that early.
- The day feels so much longer
By the time people would wake up, I’d already be done with two chapters of a book. It feels really good to accomplish something before 10 am and feel like you have the whole day left. Even though you still have the same amount of hours in a day, it feels like you have more time. No matter how rested I am, my productivity and energy take a hit after 7 pm. So why not just wake up earlier and make your waking hours more productive?
Bottom Line
Getting up that early is amazing, but it may not be for everyone. I was able to do that because at that time I practiced waking up this early, I either lived alone or rented a big apartment where I could get up early without disturbing my roommates. If you live with someone and share a small space, that may require a bit more compromising. But if you have an opportunity to do it, I totally encourage it. Wake up at 4 am and get shit done.
My daughter goes to bed at 9pm ish so I couldn’t go before her! But kudos to you, it obviously worked for you and it’s a big yes to ear plugs!
Totally understandable. Waking up that early doesn’t work for everyone hihi. Thanks a lot!
I can never get up at 4am, my earliest would be 6am haha but I do relate. I love having the time to myself before everyone else is awake. I stick to my morning routine now and like you mentioned, the day just feels so much longer! I’m also definitely more productive which just makes me feel so good. Thank you for sharing this post!
Shuana
http://www.howivebeen.com
Yeap, it’s quite of a challenge haha. I know right! Starting your day early is awesome. Thanks for reading!
Great advice! Definitely advice I need to follow.. my snooze button is my best friend 😂❤️
I have the same problem haha. If I get into snooze loop, I can do it for a whole hour.
Bravo! I used to wake up at 4:30 for CrossFit until the lockdown restrictions were imposed. Totally doable and not at all difficult!
Go you!! I think so too! The only thing it requires is having a system hihi.
I had to wake up at 4:30am for day shifts which was challenging because the neighbors are loud. Earplugs don’t really help because I can still hear their stomping 😐 Looking forward to buying a house this spring!
Congrats on waking up early and consistently everyday! There are a lot of benefits to being an early riser.
Uff I can imagine! Congrats!! I hope you get a lot of nice sleep haha. Thank you!
I have never been much of a morning person but lately I have been trying to go to bed earlier and get my full 8 hours sleep in. So I am definitely going to take on board some of these tips! 🙂
I’m glad! I hope you’ll feel all the benefits of waking up earlier!
That’s too early for me! 🙂
Understandable haha!
Yeah i am not sure, as I rarely can sleep early, unless i am sick. It is productive to wake up early. I am so a night owl 🦉 i think when the sun rises earlier it is easier to do. I wake up 7.30am outside is just about starting to get bright.
Haha I get it! I also find it a lot easier to get up when it’s bright. During December it was so hard to wake up ’cause it would still be dark by 8! Now it’s getting easier.
That’s incredible honestly! 4:30 am. I’m used to sleeping at one in the morning and then waking up at eleven or twelve. Lately though I’ve been sleeping about the time you wake up and then waking up beyond noon. Crazy sleep schedule these holidays. I need to regulate it because college won’t allow for that craziness.
I can relate! Holidays can really mess up the sleeping schedule haha!
I’m definitely a morning person and more productive in the morning. I started getting up at 6:30 before the pandemic started and it worked SO WELL for me but then it messed with my sleeping schedule. I think 4 is a little too early for me but I will take these tips on board so I can apply them for my own routine! 🙂
I’m glad! I hope you can fix your sleeping schedule soon and enjoy the early morning benefits haha!
Great advice here! I really want to start rising earlier, I’m just bad at snoozing!😅
Relatable!! Some determination is needed to avoid the snoozing button haha
Oh, this post is lovely. There is something magical about waking up before the world does. The air seems fresher and everything you do feels like a secret. It is really nice. Also, it made me smile to learn about the granola life. I feel you. Haha!
I know right! Waking up early can feel so fun. Hahaha granola is still a big love of mine.
Do you bake your own granola, too?
I used to in the past! But after a few burning accidents I stopped haha. How about you?
Oh sorry to hear about the burning accident. Yes, we bake our own because we eat a lot of it and we will be so poor if we keep buying it. Haha.
Great post! I wake up at 5:30 am but have been debating if I should get up early to have more time to accomplish my daily tasks. I’ll be using these tips. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I totally recommend getting up earlier! Really worked for me. Let me know how it goes if you decide to start your days earlier!
Great post! I need to start getting up earlier, and I know I need to start unwinding earlier, but it’s a struggle xx
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
Thank you! I feel you on that one!
This is so important! Thank you for the tips, I really need to start going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. I’m awful at snoozing my alarm. Great post!
Thank you for reading! Same here! If I’m not determined to wake up early I can snooze for a whole hour haha
Wow congrats for being such an early bird! I am also a morning person and I do currently wake up earlier to study before going to work, but I have never woken up that early, though I would LOVE to! The only thing stopping me is that all of my friends and my boyfriend have very different rythms so that would mean compromising on spending time with them! But I’ve found a nice routine now and I can still get shit done in the morning while seeing my friends (in “normal” non-lockdown times I mean)! 😄 Thanks for sharing your tips, they’re really great!
I totally get that! I assume it’s even harder to spend some quality time with loved ones when you’re working. Evenings are all you get. But it’s great that you found the perfect balance! Thanks a lot for reading!!
Great post I wish I was someone who could wake up early and be able to function- I’m sure if I followed these tips I could get to that stage but unfortunately I become 10x more productive in the evenings these days- I think it’s because everyone is around during the day, and it gets a lot quieter in the evening. Great post, I should try implementing this for a short time and see if it works for me x
I totally get that. I also liked the quiet and morning were a lot quieter than nights hihi. Tell me how it goes if you decide to try this!
I’ve never tried waking up at 4 but I used to always do 6am! I’ve gotten so bad lately though after the Christmas holidays. I need routine! So good to read how early mornings help you, I’m most definitely a morning person too but just not THAT much of a morning person
Haha I totally understand, 4 am is bit extreme. But totally possible! I was always a night owl, but when I tried waking up at 4 am and became a morning person for good. Now 6 am is kind of perfect for me as well!
These are great tips. I am a morning person, I wake up early and I am more productive in the morning. I used to get up at 5 before the pandemic and now I get up by 7 lol. I feel like waking up by 4 is too early. I do prefer waking up by 5 lol. By the way, these are amazing tips. I would definitely put your tips into practice. Great post x!
5 am is really good!! Lately I’m sleeping in as well and looking forward to start waking up earlier again. Thanks a lot Ruth!
It’s great that you’re able to wake up so early and really feel the benefits. Lovely tips too! I’m not aiming for 4, but I can definitely apply this to 6 🙂
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
Thanks a lot! I’m glad you found these useful!
I recently made the switch to waking up earlier and it is amazing. As a student myself, I don’t have time in the afternoon to focus on me-time. But the morning was made for me. I don’t think I could get up as early as 4AM, but I’m still trying to roll back. Kudos to you for doing it in a dorm – that would have been so difficult for me!
Thanks a lot! I think the most important thing is going to bed early, which was pretty easy for me as I was trying to avoid the party crowd haha. Mornings are awesome! There’s so much you can do during those few hours of no distractions.
I actually think this is more productive! I used to do this to study for tests when I was in uni. I’d sleep early then wake up and study and I found that there are less distractions. I found this more effective than cramming the night before and ending up staying up late or super distracted with social media. Great tips and post! Thanks for sharing x
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
I felt the same! It was so much easier to focus in the morning than at night! Thanks for reading Lynn!
I love this!! Waking up early comes with so much benefits. You can get so much more done. I like the different habits you’ve created to make waking up 4am a habit. I used to wake up at 4am, I need to give this a try. Thanks for sharing all of these benefits!
Nancy ✨ mdrnminimalists.com
Thanks a lot for reading! I hope you give 4 am another shot haha. I totally agree. It’s amazing to be wake up early.
Great post. I did this several years ago and it worked like a charm. I felt I was missing out on so much of my day. Now, I’m not sure I could but I should consider it. With the whole covid thing any type of schedule has been tossed and that’s not always good.
Toma, I love this so much! I’m massively a morning person and find myself way more productive and focused first thing . . . Unfortunately my partner doesn’t feel the same haha. We cancelled all our streaming services this month, so hopefully with no nighttime TV I’ll be able to convince him xx
Thank you!! Haha mine is kind of the same. He’s more productive at nights but when we started waking up earlier he noticed that it’s the dark and quiet that he likes, so it’s not so bad to wake up early. Maybe that could be a thing for your partner as well hihi. That’s interesting that you’ve decided to cancel your streaming services! Let me me know if you notice any changes this month! Maybe that’s something I should try as well haha
I used to wake up at 4 AM back in high school because I was always so late before and it was already the last straw lol. I get so tired because it wasn’t really my intention to wake up that early, you know. But when I’m set up to do something like doing a project I can really attest to your statement about being more productive because there’s nothing else you can do haha and then you realize how much you can do if only you wake up early. It feels fulfilling and rewarding to be in control. Love this!
http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com
So true! If you really set up a routine and feel determined to wake up early it does wonders. Thank you for reading!
I got myself into a routine of waking up at 7 because I wanted to be more productive! It really helps!
https://www.emilyclareskinner.com
I’m glad it does!!
I love this post! I enjoy my quiet mornings to myself to journal, meditate and get ready for the day. I want to try to start going to bed earlier to wake up earlier. I know I would love it if I started it. Take care!
I absolutely love the idea of getting up early, but I struggle to actually do it! The earliest I have managed to get up is 6am but lately I have been getting up at 8.30am. My main problem is that I find it difficult to get to bed early enough, because my family is making noise and talking to me! You have inspired me to try to get up earlier, though.