Do you want to make more of your mornings but just can’t stop hitting the snooze button? 

The right tip really can make a difference.

I recently rediscovered early mornings after being given one simple suggestion, and I’m so on fire with how great it feels to be getting up early again that I had to share it with you.

So today you’re getting this magic tip that worked for me, plus some of my long standing tricks that had me getting up early most of my life. 

Waking up even a few minutes earlier can give you a great jumpstart to an organized day – and be a magic bullet for an organized life. So even if you’ve never been an early riser, something you hear today might finally be the tipping point that changes all of that. 

 

Benefits of waking up early

Research shows that waking up early boosts focus and productivity and helps us align us with daily priorities. Research backs this up by showing that early risers tend to maintain healthier habits—like sticking to regular workouts and enjoying wholesome breakfasts. Starting your day earlier can open the door to all sorts of ways to living an organized life. 

So here are some tips to try:

 

     1. It all starts with getting to bed on time.

Waking up early isn’t just about setting alarms—it’s also about getting good sleep the night before. Ever noticed how caffeine affects your sleep, even hours after your last sip? Being mindful of what I drink and eat later in the day, especially avoiding heavy evening meals and late screen times, is the first step to being able to get up a little earlier in the morning. You may also notice that lighting matters. I get tired sooner during winter months, and stay awake later when the sun sets around 9 PM in summer. So adjusting your lighting or dimming the screens strategically could ease you into better sleep and prime you for an earlier wake-up.

 

     2. The Alarm Trick

Here’s the magic tip that has started doing the trick for me recently. You might hate it, but if you want to get up, I promise it works!  To get out of the habit of hitting snooze, charge your phone (with alarm set) in the bathroom instead of near the bed. Plugged into the bathroom means that when the alarm goes off, you have to get out of bed to turn it off. And once you’re standing beside your sink, drinking a glass of water or brushing your teeth can continue to wake you up. From there, change into workout clothes or hop into the shower immediately. You may hate it when you have to get up, but you will love it when you are fitting in that workout or finally finding time to meditate or even just getting in a shower before your day officially starts. 

 

     3. Start Small 

One thing you can expect from Happy Gal coaching is the principle of marginal gains. By getting up earlier I’m not necessarily talking about setting the alarm for 5 am. Good habits that last long term are all about taking baby steps.  Ask yourself, “Could I wake up just 10 minutes earlier tomorrow?” You might be surprised how manageable—and rewarding—it is to start small. Personally, I began gradually, picking just one or two days a week to start getting up earlier, as it aligned with my family’s morning schedule. Ease yourself into whatever you’d like early mornings to look like for you, and you’ll find that getting up early will be a more sustainable habit.

 

     4. Get enough sleep

Tip 1 was all about setting yourself up to get to bed on time. But in this tip I specifically suggest you calculate how many hours of sleep your body needs at night, and do a little reverse engineering to decide what time you need to start the bedtime routine. Maybe it’s my age, or maybe I’m just getting wiser, but I’ve reached a point in life where sleep is non-negotiable. Decide how many hours of sleep you need, and choose to believe you have more control over getting to bed on time than you think you do. 

 

So what?

You’ve just heard all these great tips…so what are you going to do about it? 

What about starting with my magic charge-your-phone-in-the-bathroom trick? For just this week, set your wake-up time just 10 minutes earlier for at least two days and see what you think. Notice the energy and confidence you gain from that head start, and see if being an early riser is just a little easier than you thought it would be. 

Then try it again next week? 

 

You’ve got this! Earlier mornings are not out of reach. Add the tool of getting up early to your tool belt that helps you live an organized life. So many amazing results will start showing up for you!