⏱️ The Best Minute: 2 things that make getting up EASY
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💡 1 IDEA FROM ME
Last week I shared 3 things you can do every night to fall asleep more quickly. Today, I’ll give you 2 practical things you can do to wake up more peacefully.
Have you ever watched a movie or show where someone wakes up to an alarm that sounds the same as yours? Even if it was the sound of an alarm clock you used decades ago, you still feel this sense of dread come over you as soon as you hear it.
Today, many people use their phones to wake up, so you can be at a restaurant and be triggered by the table next to you if their alarm or timer goes off.
No one likes alarm clocks.
In fact, according to Matthew Walker’s book Why We Sleep (which I highly recommend), he shares data that shows waking up to an alarm is bad for your brain.
So how can we wake up more peacefully and effectively? Below is what I do and recommend.
1. Use a smart bulb/device
With a smart bulb, you can set it to turn on at any given time so you are not waking up in a dark room. I set mine to turn on to a very dim setting 10 minutes before my alarm goes off. Once it is on, it slowly gets brighter and brighter. This way, when my alarm goes off, my room isn’t dark. Many times, the light itself will wake me up before my alarm does.
When that happens, it’s like a built-in snooze button, because I know I have a few more minutes before I need to get up.
Even when it doesn't, I’m waking up to a room that isn’t dark which makes it a little easier to get out of bed.
2. Use an Apple Watch/wrist device
I use my Apple Watch, though there are several devices you can sleep with on your wrist to accomplish this. Instead of waking up to an alarm, the watch vibrates at the time I set it to wake me up. Again, no harsh sounds. No abrupt wake-up from sleep. Instead, it is a soundless and small vibration that wakes you up.
After a couple of minutes, the Apple Watch will start to ding if you haven’t turned it off, but it always wakes me up by the vibration alone.
And good news! Even though I don’t enjoy getting up in the morning, because my room is already lit, I’m not waking up in the dark! From there, I turn off my alarm, put my watch on the charger, and head to the shower.
3. (If needed) Use a real alarm clock out of arm’s reach
Finally, if you are tempted to hit snooze repeatedly and not get out of bed, I recommend setting a real alarm clock on your dresser (or somewhere you can reach from your bed) to go off at least 5 minutes after your wrist wake-up alarm. This way, you must get out of bed to turn off your alarm. Once you are up, you’ve accomplished the hardest thing about getting out of bed (actually getting out of bed).
I am not promising that doing any of these things will make getting up fun (they won’t). But it will make getting up easier and less abrasive.
Next week in The Best Minute I’ll share 4 highly practical strategies to reduce distractions from your phone, so be sure to check back next Tuesday.
💬 2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS
I. Naval Ravikant on things money can’t buy:
“A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought — they must be earned.”
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II. Albert Einstein on the importance of perseverance:
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
📖 1 BRIEF BOOK REVIEW
Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renee Maubornge
A really intriguing book on how to create a product or service that is not different than your competitors based on price point or quality, but creating an entirely new “blue ocean” where there is no competition.
Lots of real-world examples in this book, and it does a good job of getting you to think about how it could apply to your market, whatever that may be. It is a lot of information overall, which is a drawback of the book.
However, in an effort to be thorough, I’m not sure how the authors get around that. But that does lower its score somewhat for me. Still, I’d recommend this book.
7/10
💯 1 THING I RECOMMEND
Not looking to buy an Apple Watch or Fitbit only to use as a wrist alarm in the morning? Here is a $20 vibrating watch you can wear to bed. (Note, I have not used this, but would give it a try if I wanted a low-cost way to try waking up with a wrist device)
🤔 1 QUESTION TO LEAVE YOU WITH
Is there one thing I can add to my morning routine that would make me excited to get up in the morning?
