3.) Mornings are YOUR TIME.
Be selfish with this time. You can use the rest of the day to pour into other people, but use this time to fill yourself.
Waking up early in the morning is about being selfish. This is your time.
4.) You MUST go to bed earlier.
Waking up at 5:00 or 5:30 or 6:00 is not about getting less sleep … it is about re-orienting your sleep schedule (BTW, try the Sleep Cycle app. It is amazing. It tracks your sleep and wakes you up at the moment when you are sleeping the lightest). Yes, this means you must go to sleep earlier. Do not go to sleep at midnight, wake up at 5, and expect to have a productive day.
5.) This is a CHALLENGE. It is not easy.
There will be many days when you will not want to get up. Remember this is a challenge. Either you can control your morning or your morning can control you. Meet the challenge head on, and decide you are going to win.
6.) NO SNOOZE.
When the alarm starts, do not hit SNOOZE. You will almost always go back to sleep if you do not get out of bed immediately.
7.) Be FLEXIBLE.
Stuff is going to come up. Your kids will wake up early. You will be sick. Some function or event the previous night will force you to be awake later, thus preventing you from waking up earlier. These will be the exception, not the norm. Do not allow a few days of not getting much done to deter you from the big picture. Remember, this is not a legalistic, I am better than you because I get up, challenge. This is a challenge to maximize the life you have.
