If you want to start waking up earlier, stop focusing on "what time do I need to get up?"

Start asking - "who am I waking up for?"

While the first question is important, the second is what will actually get you out of bed.

As a lot of us do -

I used to set my alarm for the time I needed to get up for work.

The rest of the morning would look like snoozing, scrolling social media, and dragging myself out of bed to rush to work.

Who was I waking up for? Who was I setting my alarm for?

I had to admit to myself that it was social media & work.

Some people may be ok with that, but that didn't sit well with me and I KNEW I wanted to be more than that.

I wanted to be waking up for me and starting the day in a way I was proud of.

So I started setting my alarm to do something important to me before the workday started -- have a moment to journal, sit quietly with coffee, and work on my (eventual) side business.

Yes the alarm had to be set for earlier than I was used to in order to do these things before my day job.

But mindset shift of waking up for ME led to:

Greater purpose to get out of bed
Easier, less dreadful 5:30am wakeups
A more fulfilled, energetic person at work and in life

—

For the next 5 years…

I woke up for me -- and I (naively) thought it would always be that way.

Then a certain someone popped into my life…

I was no longer waking up for me!

When I got Maisy at 10 weeks old, we were CLEARLY going to be on Maisy time.

She would wake me up early in the morning by putting her little, wet nose on my arm, or if she couldn't reach me due to being puppy size at that time, do a very respectable bark to let me know it was time to start the day.

Trust me - that little wet nose was a lot cuter in the daylight vs. a dark 4am…

After getting through some tough weeks, we found our groove…

Instead of forcing the mornings to be a certain way, I let go and realized that it was best to wake up and take care of her, and then take care of me.

But I surprisingly didn't mind that.

Once I got passed the hard, sleepless, and stressful first weeks, I found myself happy to wake up for her and thankful to have this puppy I dreamt of for such a long time.

I was leaping out of bed each morning -- whether that was at 4am Maisy time, or 6am on my time…the time was really a logistical piece.

The important question was: who am I waking up for?

For you - that could be…

Work
Kids
Spouse
Dogs
Side hustle

Whatever it may be, I hope you can find something worth leaping out of bed for -- something to be thankful and proud of.

And there is no wrong answer because it's YOUR LIFE.

Stop feeling the pressure to wake up at 4am or 5am because that's what the world sees as a "good" morning routine, and start asking…

Who am I waking up for?

Maybe that does lead you to a 5am wake up, but make sure there is purpose behind it.

Identifying who you're waking up for is what is going to get you out of bed on the hardest days and make that once dreadful, early wake up a whole lot easier.

BONUS TAKEAWAYS:

A few other things if waking up earlier is 1 of your goals:

Set your alarm across the room, eliminates a lot of the snoozing habits
Wake up 10 minutes earlier than you do right now, prove to yourself that you can do it, then add 10 more. Each new time won't feel as drastic because you've worked your way up
Plan your morning routine and then plan your evening. Having the morning planned gives you a REASON to go to bed earlier, ensures enough sleep, and makes it easier to wakeup.

If morning definitely isn't a time for you - my friends who are parents of little ones often share these 2 tips:

Use evenings after kids go to bed as me time - taking 20 minutes immediately after they go down to get on the Peloton or read the book club book
Use "fringe hours" to make time for you - journal or read while waiting for the kids to get out of soccer or gymnastics practice, those 15 minute windows add up