Heading into the third week of my getting up at 5:30 AM Experiment. Bravo!!!

The first week of this experiment was absolutely sleepy-head every single day. I felt super sleepy by 8 p.m. Last week was better—I could hang in there until 9 p.m., and had no problem getting up at 5:30 AM.

I’ve been thinking about getting up early for a long while. I did some experiments while I was traveling in February. But staying in a hotel room made getting up early impossible. I had my food covered, people made my bed and cleaned my room every day. I didn’t know how to use all that spare time other than to sleep my beauty sleep until like 9 a.m. every morning. Plus, I didn’t have any social life while I was in another city. That first phase of my getting-up experiment failed. I think the main reason behind that failure was I didn’t have a reason to wake up at 5:30 AM. I mean, I was traveling at that time.

I’ve been back from my long trip for about a month now. Went through some hard times trying to get my heart and soul back from the trip. Finally, getting into the 2nd week of April, I realized I had to start getting up early to feel better—to change my biology routine and live a better life.

The first morning I got up at 5:30 AM was three weeks ago, on a Monday. I planned to bike to a place where I could watch the sunrise. I remember going to sleep early the night before, so it didn’t feel too torturous to get up when my alarm went off. The sunrise was okay, but the fact that I woke up early to do something stupid and amazing made me feel very good.

That whole week started with me rising early and going to bed super early every day. An early-rising week went by—not without some lack of sleep—but I assumed that’s because my body needed time to adjust.

Why Do You Want To Get Up Early?

To find a reason to get up before sunrise, I set a workout plan for myself, mostly at home. I started cooking breakfast for myself and even delivering some to my best friend who lives nearby. Doing something for someone else gives great fulfillment. And I think that’s one thing you can take credit for when you wake up at 5:30 AM. You just have plenty of time before everyone starts rushing to work.

While trying to form this habit of early rising, I’m reading The 5 AM Club. I read a few pages each day. Honestly, the story in that book is too stupid—it feels like a complete scam. If it happened in real life, I don’t think anyone would actually go on that “trip to the happiest place.” But anyway, I did learn something useful, like rewarding yourself with a nap during the day if you wake up early. So, I started rewarding myself in week two.

There were days when I didn’t want to get up from my nap because I was simply too tired. But on most days, I got up and restarted the day with no problem. Since I work from home, I don’t have a strict routine. I tend to work on weekends too. But now that I want to get up early, I need to fill my day with clear plans in case I just want to sleep in.

Willpower isn’t a reliable friend when your body doesn’t want to wake up. But a clear to-do list really helps. I decided to set a working schedule, like office ladies do, and try not to work on weekends. On Saturdays, I allow myself to sleep in. But even then, I don’t sleep too late. Waking up naturally once a week feels amazing.

What Works Best for You?

I think we don’t have to rigidly follow every rule 100%. We should revise every method based on what we think works best for us. Value your feelings while striving for better performance. That’s super important.

With no work on weekends, my nervous system gets to relax. I read or just watch TV for as long as I like. Being in control of my own life feels amazing. People need rest to restart—I believe in that theory.

Now it’s only the third week. I almost didn’t get up this morning because I didn’t sleep well last night. I allowed myself to sleep in a bit and still got up like 10 minutes after the alarm. Good enough to start the day. I didn’t blame myself for not jumping out of bed. I accepted that sometimes it takes longer to ease into a new day—especially that early.

One thing that really helped me get into the 5:30 wake-up habit is telling my friends about my plan. That way, they understand why I shut off my phone early and only want to hang out on weekends.

Of course, my friends ask me: “What do you even do that early every morning?” I say, “I start my day early and end it early. Just a different kind of schedule.” They made fun of me: “We live in the same city but it feels like we’re in different time zones.” Do I think that matters? Nope. I don’t think my friends actually care about those two hours.

Some Personal Thoughts

If you’re trying to get up early too, don’t force yourself. Take your time. Push yourself little by little. Don’t try to force a habit all at once.

I think I’ve had this early rising routine before. I’ve usually been an early bird. So it’s not that hard for me to bounce back into this schedule. But if you’ve always been a night owl, then the most important question is: Why do you want to get up early?

Is it because you feel more refreshed in the morning? Or want to achieve more things?

People just have different schedules. Someone can be very productive at night. You don’t have to force yourself to become a morning person.

For me, if I stay up late, I tend to use my phone too much and overthink. Getting emo at night. That’s part of the reason I wanted to get up early. If you feel okay sleeping late, then just do you. Find your own way of getting your day started. That’s it. Don’t force it!

Thanks for reading, hope you have a great one!