About To Give Up The Dream Of Getting Up In The Mornings

[Edvard]

Man, once and for all I'm gonna have to make a decision. Am I gonna get up at the same time every morning, or am I gonna give that dream up? This is a problem I have had since about 13, and I've had many attempts on solving it. The problem is, it's just never worth it. The only time I make it is when I have gone through the cyclus of getting into bed later and later, until I'm back at 11pm again. Have been doing reasonably OK since I started university (which actually means really bad), but now I'm totally backsliding again. This, (maybe tied with tidyness) is my number one problem. Fitness, health and diet is pretty good(have gone cold turkey with no candy for 2 months now), but this I can't seem to get in place. The reason is probably that I'm naturally a person who doesn't like to go to sleep and doesn't like to get up (works best at night) and I don't have the internal necessary motivation for getting up. Because what's ultimately the reason? My current motivation is that I would study a lot better, and schedule the day better (get more things done), but it seems not to be strong enough. Or, it may be strong before I go to bed, but I know that in the morning it's gonna feel like I won't get up in a million years.

So, what is the reason for getting up? Any tips for how to motivate myself? 

Any advice is highly appreciated.

[TimStr]

Ask yourself: Do you spend quality time in the evening?

I have the exact same problem like you and I struggle with it till this day. But it has improved a lot recently, because I know, that I will benefit from forcing my self to go to bed earlier. Most of the time, when I was staying up late, it was either because I was doing some neurotic work for the next day, that I procrastinated on or I was just wasting my time with watching movies or playing computer games. But, I know people that are at their maximum productivity when it's very late. 

You have to judge by yourself weather you are just wasting your time staying up late or if you are a natural night owl. If you are, forcing yourself to go to bed early might just be a waste of time. But if you aren't, going to bed early is a extremely useful tool for productivity and controlling your bad habits. 

If you find, that you're just like me and you waste your time in the evenings, then you're right, there might be something off with your motivation.

Notice that most of the time during this post, I was not talking about waking up early, but about going to bed early. I think, that going to bed early is far more crucial and motivating, than just waking up early. I go to bed, knowing, that I can now put to rest my efforts for that day and regenerate myself for the next one, not because if I wouldn't I would only get 4h of sleep till my alarm clock rings. Positive motivation is crucial here. You have to see, why this is good for you. This way you ensure, that you get a healthy amount of sleep (7-8 hours minimum). The one big trick here, is to force yourself to go to bed at about the same time each day. Then after a few days, waking up will be much easier and you need a little less sleep after you adjusted. 

Positive motivation for pulling this adjustment off. You need a very clear picture in your mind about how this habit can improve your life. Don't let yourself be forced out of bed, because you think, by fear. Let yourself be inspired out of bed by the vision of what you can accomplish that day.  If this is hard for you, work on your goal setting. Write your long term goals on a piece of paper that you put next to your bed. Then, every evening, take a look at that piece of paper and think about what you want to do tomorrow to get closer to your long term goals and write 3 short term goals for tomorrow on a post-it. Put both of them next to your alarm clock and look at them, first thing in the morning. If you're still struggling with motivation take bigger action, the life Purpose course offers great leaverage on motivation problems.

One other thing, that helps greatly is having at least one appointment every day, pereferabely early. That way, you have to get up, and, if you have a morning ritual, that takes up some time, you have to get up early. 

You can also schedule your workout early in the morning or talk to a person, that should hold you accountable. 

Edited November 2, 2017 by TimStr

[Nahm]

@Edvard stop demotivating yourself. Appreciate the ‘reset’ through sleep. We wake up with a clean slate every morning...unless you fill your momentum back up from yesterday. If that’s the case, you need to walk out of the machinery.