How to Wake Up at 5 am Every Day

Have you been admiring people who get up at 5 am or 6 am every day and start working while everyone else is still asleep? Do you wish you could get more done each day? Are you constantly disturbed by other people when you’re trying to work? In that case, this article is for you. Waking up early is a life-changer if you do it right and that’s why this post is all about how to wake up at 5 am every day.

You might have tried to start going to bed earlier and waking up before sunrise in the past, but failed and got back to your old habits in a couple of days. I don’t blame you, this isn’t the easiest change to make in your life. The good thing is, that when you get the hang of it, your life will definitely be much better and you’ll get more done.

Why you should wake up early

As said, starting to wake up earlier will definitely have a positive effect on your life. Are you someone who struggles with a full-time job and a side hustle? Or does taking care of your kids take most of your day? Or are you a student who struggles with procrastination?

Waking up at 5 am can give those much-needed extra hours when you can focus on your projects and to-do lists and get the important things done without distractions. There are many reasons why you should start getting up earlier:

1. The early hours are more productive

The first hours of the day are much better and much more productive than a couple of extra hours in the evening. When you’ve just woken up, your mind is still empty and it’s easy to focus on what you’re supposed to do. Your family members and friends won’t be bothering you when you’re the only one awake.

2. To balance your job and your side hustle

If you juggle a day job and a side hustle or you’re starting your own business on the side, chances are you don’t have much energy when you return home from work. All day at work you wish you were at home working on what matters to you the most, but then when you get there, the whole idea of sitting down and starting to work is daunting.

That’s where the early hours come to the rescue. It’s empowering to go to your work having already worked on your own projects for a couple of hours.

3. It’s easier not to procrastinate

When you wake up early, you’re less likely to succumb to procrastination or distractions, like checking your phone or taking unnecessary breaks. There’s just you and your work. You won’t find a better time to get things done.

4. It’s easier to stay productive all day

If you start your day by being productive, it’s much easier to keep going and stay productive. If you instead wake up tired after going to bed too late and try to start working at 9 am, you’ve already lost precious hours and it will be much harder to be efficient and get everything you want done.

Going to bed and waking up earlier is not only good for your productivity, it’s also good for your health. Studies show that night owls consume more calories per day and have more trouble maintaining a healthy weight than those who go to bed early. In other words, there is literally no reason not to adjust your sleeping schedule.

You have to create a routine

For most people, getting up when the sun is barely up, sounds downright awful. All you can think about is how tired you are early in the morning and how hard it is to concentrate on anything or to even brush your teeth when your eyes are still half-closed. And I’m not going to lie, the first days might be a bit difficult for you.

Don’t let that stop you though. Starting to get up earlier is all about the routine. If you go to sleep at a reasonable time every evening and get up at the same time every morning, it starts to be really easy. Your body will naturally get used to getting ready to sleep at an earlier time and you won’t be tired in the morning when you’ve had a good night’s sleep.

Trust me, it will happen. And it won’t take weeks or months to make the change.

Additionally, I don’t know if this is true for everyone, but I have noticed that the earlier bedtime I have, the easier it is for my mind to start getting sleepy at the right time. Back when I would stay up till midnight, I never really got tired. I forced myself to go to bed at some point, but I could easily have stayed up longer.

When I get used to going to sleep early and getting up early, everything becomes easier. I start to naturally get tired around 9 pm, it’s easy to fall asleep and I almost always wake up before the alarm goes off, because I have already gotten enough sleep by that point.

How to start waking up at 5 am

Let’s get to the main point. How to start waking up at 5 am (or any other time that you find good)? First of all, it’s important to realize that waking up at a certain time has much more to do with going to sleep at the right time in the evening, than forcing yourself out of bed at the time of your choosing in the morning.

When you keep going to bed at the same time every evening, it will become very easy to wake up at the right time.

So, what do you have to do to a) start going to bed early and b) fall asleep early?

1. Start to go to bed early

For this, you have to be consistent and strict with yourself. If you want to wake up at 5 am and you need about 8 hours of sleep, you should aim to go to bed around 8.30. This allows you to take your time to fall asleep, get some extra sleep if you happen to need it, and for example read a little before actually going to sleep.

It helps to try to make your bedtime as relaxed as possible. If you have to rush to bed every evening because all of a sudden it’s 9 pm and now you’re worried you won’t get enough sleep, it’s just going to be harder for you to actually fall asleep.

2. Fall asleep early

In case you intend to make big changes in your sleeping schedule, it’s best to take things slowly. If you normally go to bed around 1 am and you want to start going to bed at 9 pm, try to change your schedule 30 minutes at a time. For the first week, make sure to be in bed by 12.30 pm, next week by 12 am, and so on.

It really helps to be active and productive in the daytime too – if you work hard or otherwise keep yourself busy till the evening hours, you might be able to change your schedule very fast, since you’ve worn yourself out early. You can also try melatonin for a few days to adjust your body’s inner clock.

Also, make sure to not check your phone or do anything else that easily keeps you up when you’re in bed. It messes up your routine and in all seriousness, scrolling through Instagram isn’t that much fun anyway. Be strict with yourself, even if it feels difficult at first. You will thank yourself in the morning.

Don’t make this mistake when changing your sleep schedule

The mistake that most people make when they try to start waking up early every day, is that they aren’t consistent with the time they go to sleep. If you want to wake up at 5 am every day, you have to go to bed by 9 pm every night. There’s no way around it.

The most important thing is that you get enough sleep. Otherwise it’s pointless to get up early because you won’t be at your best. And to get enough sleep you have to give yourself enough time for it.

When making this change in your life, remember that it can take time for your body to get used to the new rhythm. If it’s still impossible for you to fall asleep as early as you’d like, set your bedtime a bit later and then change it again after a few days. Slow, but consistent progress is much more valuable than making sudden changes that won’t last.

Things to do when you wake up at 5 am

Do you want to change your life and become more productive, but you’re not quite sure what you should spend the early hours on? Here are some suggestions:

1. Meditate
2. Workout
3. Write morning pages
4. Prepare a great breakfast
5. Learn a language
6. Get simple tasks on your to-do list done
7. Read the news in another language
8. Meal prep

If you have any projects to work on or for example a side hustle, the first hours of the day are great to get busy with those. It’s especially good to try to do difficult or boring things at this time of the day because you still have so much energy.

Conclusion

Do you feel like it’s impossible to wake up at 5 am? Or do you like to go to bed way before everyone else and get up early? Let me know in the comments and remember to pin this post if you liked it (it helps me a lot)!

Additionally, if you have big goals and you are serious about reaching them, go follow me on Instagram. I post a lot of motivational posts and productivity advice for people who want to take themselves to the next level.