All right, admit it, we’ve all had those mornings where it’s almost impossible to get out from under the covers and start the day.
I myself cycle through nearly five alarms every morning before I finally manage to put my feet on the ground and get myself out of bed. After eight semesters of college and working at early-o’clock in the morning, I’ve constantly been trying to find methods that make leaving my wonderful bed a heck of a lot easier.
If you’re going to be the person that sets 20 alarms in the morning just to make sure you get out of bed, make sure they aren’t too far apart. While the repetitive noise of the alarms is frustrating, having them set 10 to 20 minutes apart makes it a lot harder to motivate yourself to move, especially when you’re getting small catnaps in between the noise. It’s also important to change your alarm tone every once in a while — listening to the same noise every morning, depending on the person, can cause the alarm to lose its luster. After two weeks have gone by, you’ll have become so used to the alarm that you sleep right through it, making your already-tough morning routine harder.
Getting everything ready the night before helps, too. If you know you have a big meeting at work, or you have a lot of books for your classes you need to bring with you that are currently scattered all over your house or apartment, make sure you put everything in one general location. Having those extra few moments in the morning, when you would have been running around trying to find your keys, wallet, and the history book you need will give you a few moments to soak in the morning and start your day happier.
Preparing your coffee and breakfast the night before could be a lot of motivation towards getting yourself moving quicker — make your pancakes the night before and reheat them in the morning. If you’re still using a coffee pot and don’t have a Keurig, fill it with water and coffee grounds the night before, that way all you have to do in the morning is press a button. It’s also not a bad idea to have breakfast-to-go options in the house, like fresh fruit or cereal bars. Waking up and actually eating breakfast at home feels like a treat, so perhaps doing the aforementioned and eating a full meal in the morning would be great motivation.
Finally, when you hear your first alarm go off, stop telling yourself you’re going to get up in just five more minutes. We both know you’re lying to yourself! The moment that alarm rings and you’re conscious enough to hear it, put your leg off of the side of bed. Progress is progress — even if it takes you a few weeks of slowly sliding out of bed in the morning, you’re at least getting up and trying. When you’re finally able to hop out of bed at the first alarm and enjoy a nice warm breakfast and slow morning, I can guarantee you’ll feel a lot better.
Also, it’s important to note that any of the aforementioned information will basically be useless if you’re pushing yourself to the limit and staying up until 4 a.m. when you have to be awake at 6 a.m. But hey, if that’s the kind of life you want to live and you're actually able to drag yourself out of bed, set 20 alarms and keep going — you’re doing great.
