Waking up early

I'm reading Robin Sharma's The Greatness Guide and every chapter has been food for thought. Many of the ideas aren't so alien but it helps revisit all that I've come to know so far. The guy is full of positivity throughout the book, though I may not completely agree with everything he writes.

What made me switch on the computer at this hour was the latest chapter I got myself into -  Be Wise, Early Rise. Always heard people say that to be a good leader, you've got to wake up earlier than the rest. Knowing that sleeping is one of my greatest pleasures, I take pride in having the urge to wake up early so that I could accomplish more for the day.

Some tactics he shared in his book:
1. Don't lounge in bed. Bet many can relate to that. Should jump right out when the alarm goes off. I do find that easy to do when there's something that I need to do, like a reason to wake up, which is another point he discusses later - have goals in life that make you want to get out of bed every morning. Like Benjamin Franklin said,"There'll be plenty of time to sleep when you are dead". I am still not overruling the pleasure of snuggling in bed on a cold, cozy morning ;)

2. Set the alarm 30 minutes fast. A wonderful thing the brain is. It learns. Picks up more stuff than you do consciously. It may work for a while but once the brain has figured it out, it can even tell you,"Ah, it's alright. The clock is fast anyway. Take it easy. Plenty of time". Sneaky little thing. Best thing to do, and I've tried it too, is to tell myself before bed what I need to accomplish the next day and how much time that is going to need. Only by waking up early can all that be done so, wake up all bright (no moody face :p) and jump right into the day. So far, it has worked 'cos I'm not cheating anyone, especially myself. And the brain knows that, too :)

3. Give it 30 days. Now this one I've heard from my grandmother. Old habits die hard. Can't blame them, they are that way because we constantly 'practised' them, right? So, get a new habit in with a little determination and it'll stick on. Still, who doesn't love that feeling of knowing that you can go back to sleep on the weekend after a long week hehe...