The real secret to waking up early.

Think of it like a physical alarm clock.

Ooh, that sub-headline sounds a little dangerous. I envision some kind of Fred Flintstone club coming down (again and again) onto my sleeping body until I wake up and turn it off. It would, of course, not have a snooze system. To continue on the Flintstone’s theme, it’s powered by some dinosaur dragon who sits by my bed the whole night until the first bird chirps, which wakes him up and he, in turn, starts banging on my bed until I’m up. I’m startled, then awake, then annoyed, then Wilma makes dino-bacon and my day has begun.

OK, obviously, I’m up early and my imagination is on fire.

But that’s the point, right? That’s why I like getting up early. The first words on the page are completely unexpected. That, right there, is exactly why it’s worth it. I think differently, I write differently, I am different when I’m up early–and so are you. I know, I know, I hear you:

1. Dude, it’s dark out.
2. My bed is soooooo cozy!
3. I was in the middle of the BEST dream! There was a three-headed squirrel who sang like Norah Jones and …
4. But I like sleeping.

Remember, I didn’t say you had to wake up early. This is for people who want to wake up early. This is only for people who want to release a creativity that slumbers through most of the rest of the day. This is for those who don’t care about competition with others, but want to improve themselves and get a start on each day so they learn (and create and produce) more than they knew the day before. This is only for those who, by an hour on the clock when most people are waking up, you have achieved something worth waking up for and the rest of your day is icing, is frosting, is yours like a gift. It’s for you.

OK, but that’s not it. No dragons with Fred clubs. Guess again.

I could really drag this out, of course, but at some point, you’re just going to scroll and find the answer. Maybe I should hide it in a paragraph to make you work a little. To discourage those looking for a quick fix, maybe for those who think they can get ahead without waking up through a magic little trick that they can try to accomplish without actually waking up early. Maybe I’ll just sneak it in right here: drink lots of water before you go to bed. Then I’ll put this sentence over here in case people are scanning for answers as summations at ends of paragraphs. There, done.

There are several related techniques. In fact, I’m working on a poster called “What I Learned at a 10-Day Meditation Retreat that has Nothing to do with Meditation” that delves deeper into waking up early, sleeping better and losing weight. Mind-boggling, I know.

Speaking of knowing, now you know. Unless you’re reading this and you’re 4-years old and still occasionally pee in your bed, your body will wake you up in the early morning and, although you’ll fight it once and fall back asleep, fight it a second time and lay there awake debating if you can fall back asleep, eventually you’ll give in and get out of bed and go to the bathroom. This is key. Now you’re awake enough to make a decision.

I’m already out of bed, I can now:

1. Go back to bed and sleep more.
2. Get a jump on the planet and get rolling.

94.3% of the population goes for #1. If that’s you, it’s OK. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Our bodies need sleep. But if you’re that 5.7% who’s ready to get a jump, you now have an extra weapon in your arsenal to help you get up just a little bit earlier and … mention Fred Flintstone at 6:12 AM.

P.S. I’m filing this under Priorities first and Productivity second because if you have your Priorities in line, your Productivity will follow.

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