10 Simple Methods to Wake Up Early and Energized — Each and Every Day
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1. Rise + hydrate.
I usually wake up at 5:00 am. Immediately upon rising, I reach over to my nightstand, grab my pill case, and take my morning vitamins with a full liter of water. Why so much water? Because sleeping for eight hours dehydrates your body.
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- Most folks are under-energized because they’re under-hydrated. Begin drinking 16-32 oz. of water immediately upon rising every morning – you’ll experience a noticeable shift in your energy.
2. Mind over mattress.
Do not rationalize with yourself when your alarm clock goes off. When that alarm wakes you up, avoid the temptation to hit snooze and force yourself to rise as soon as humanly possible.
Put mind over mattress and GO.
Every second you allow yourself to stay in bed after the alarm goes off, the easier it will be to stay in bed and put off your goals.
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- If you shrink the gap between hearing your alarm and physically getting out of bed, it’ll become easier and easier to wake up and stay up. Yes—it’ll be difficult at first. But every worthwhile endeavor is. Do this over and over again, and eventually, it’ll become less and less difficult. And if you discipline yourself to keep at it, it’ll eventually go from difficult to easy – and ultimately become a habit.
3. Keep your alarm clock a walkable distance from your bed.
Set an alarm on your smartphone and place it far enough away from your bed that you need to physically get up to shut off your alarm in the morning. You’ll be less likely to hit snooze once you’re already up and about. Motion leads to motivation.
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- Set an alarm on your phone and place it a walkable distance from your bed.
- If not having your phone within arm’s length gives you separation anxiety: first, consider calling a therapist. Second, buy an actual alarm clock and follow the directions above. (Although I haven’t tried it out myself, I’ve heard great things about those alarm clocks on wheels that jump up and roll away while making loud noises.)
4. Set a caffeine cut-off time.
There are plenty of “experts” in the self-improvement industry who’ll tell you to avoid caffeine altogether. But not me. If you’re generally healthy, caffeine is totally safe to have (within limits, of course). And if you want to wake up early, caffeine can obviously be helpful.
My caffeine cut-off is noon. If I consume caffeine after that, I’ll have a hard time falling asleep naturally. (Side note: I’m also a bit more caffeine-sensitive than most folks.)
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- If you drink coffee or have anything caffeinated on a daily basis, implement a caffeine cut-off time and stick with it. This might take some experimentation to get right, so allow yourself some trial and error until you hit your sweet spot.
5. To wake up productive, wake up with purpose.
If you’ve got a set of strong and exciting reasons to wake up, it’ll be easier to do so.
Think about it this way: when you feel like you have to do something, you likely need to push yourself to make it happen; but when you’re excited to do something, you feel pulled to take action.
Instead of trying to PUSH yourself to wake up (which is hard), you can allow something purposeful and meaningful to you to PULL you out of bed each morning (which is a heck of a lot easier).
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- Looking for compelling reasons to wake up early? Try this: At the end of each workday or before bed, write down at least one big thing you’re excited to do, work on, or complete the following day.
- To make your list even more compelling, use the 1-2-5 Method™ – write down 1 Big Thing (your most important task, project, or goal of the day), 2 Medium Things (secondary tasks to complete or work on), and 5 Little Things (the little rocks, like dropping off that Amazon return at UPS).
6. Sunlight exposure.
One of the easiest ways to wake up early is to expose yourself to some natural light. As soon as your body is exposed to sunlight, it begins releasing energizing hormones1 to wake you up and get you moving.
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- Simply go outside as soon as you wake up and let your body soak in the sun for a few minutes. You’ll feel noticeably more alert afterward.
7. Cold exposure.
Cold plunges, cryotherapy, cold showers, ice baths — I’ve done them all.
Not once or twice, either.
I’ve done 30-day experiments on each of the above (some for longer).
And although I’m not entirely convinced of all the benefits folks espouse about cold exposure, I am convinced of this:
It will wake you up, and you’ll feel energized for at least a few hours after you finish whichever form of cold exposure you go with.
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- Expose yourself to something cold first thing upon rising. If you’re not interested in cold plunges or cryotherapy, here’s a simple way to do it: splash cold water on your face right before you begin brushing your teeth. Of course, this isn’t as potent as jumping into an ice bath, but it’s a great start.
8. Move your body.
Wake up and move your body. Get the blood flowing.
It doesn’t have to be a full-on workout (although that would be ideal).
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- When you wake up in the morning, exert yourself physically—do a few push-ups or jumping jacks, or bounce on a trampoline. Just 60 seconds of physical exertion can give you a solid energy boost for hours.
9. Implement a bedtime deadline.
It helps to know the minimum amount of sleep you need in order to wake up feeling refreshed and energized. I like to get 8 hours of sleep. But I can get by on 6 as long as I don’t do it more than once or twice a week. Any less than that, and my performance suffers, physically and cognitively. Having said that, my bedtime deadline is 11:00 pm.
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- Set a bedtime deadline, and go to bed by or before that time no matter what, even if you don’t feel sleepy enough.
10. Before you go to bed at night, tell your brain, “Wake me up at __ a.m.”
This one blows more minds than any other technique on this list. I call this method the “Subconscious Command”… And although I have absolutely zero studies or sources to back this claim up, I can tell you that it works. It works for me, and it’s worked for many of my readers, listeners, and coaching clients.
So try it out and see if it works for you… Unless you got drunk the night before, you’ll likely start waking up before the alarm clock startles you awake.
Here’s how to use this method to wake up early + energized:
- Before going to bed at night, “command” your brain to wake you up at __ a.m.
Quick recap
- Rise and hydrate.
- Mind over mattress.
- Keep your alarm clock a walkable distance from your bed.
- Set a caffeine cut-off time.
- To wake up productive, wake up with purpose.
- Sunlight exposure.
- Cold exposure.
- Move your body.
- Implement a bedtime deadline.
- Before you go to bed at night, tell your brain, “Wake me up at __ a.m.”