Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning • Hacker News Board

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#11

Post by rads » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 3:48 AM UTC

I don't get much from productivity "tricks". I get excited for a little while, but the excitement wears off a week, maybe a few days later, and I'm back where I started.

The best long-term advice I know is to just do it fucking now. If you have to get up, then get out of the bed and get ready, whether you feel like it or not. It's not what you wanted to hear, but maybe you'll feel better hearing it from Paul Graham:

"But if you're trying to choose between two theories and one gives you an excuse for being lazy, the other one is probably right."

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#12

Post by gnaritas » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 4:42 AM UTC

time_management wrote: post #5

If you have a programmable thermostat, set it to drop to 64 around bedtime and rise to 72 when you want to wake up.

Why?

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#13

Post by quantumhobbit » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 5:06 AM UTC

gnaritas wrote: post #12

time_management wrote: post #5

If you have a programmable thermostat, set it to drop to 64 around bedtime and rise to 72 when you want to wake up.

Why?

This really does work. On a cold day my inclination is to stay underneath the covers. I've even gotten my laptop and read e-mail from quite often.

It may also be biological. Rising temperature indicates that the sun is coming up and the day is starting. On the same idea light helps. Turning on the lights can wake me up, but natural sunlight coming through the blinds is even better.

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#14

Post by comatose_kid » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 5:34 AM UTC

Have young children.

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#15

Post by c3o » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 5:35 AM UTC

drewcrawford wrote: post #9

Had to become a morning person this semester (early classes). My tactics are twofold: Coffee by the bed. Literally within about two feet. I'm a little crazy, so I've hacked my coffee machine together, but programmable store-bought stuff works too. iPhone by the bed. It's really bright, I hold it a few inches from my face and start going through my RSS reader. Gets my mind in gear and my pupils to contract.

For those who don't drink coffee: Taking even just a single sip of a carbonated beverage right after turning off the alarm has worked well for me.

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#16

Post by jrockway » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 5:48 AM UTC

I don't really understand the obsession with getting up in the morning. When everyone else is awake, they just distract me into not working. When everyone is asleep, it's dark out, and everything is closed, there's nothing to do but work.

I can't think of one useful thing I've ever done during the day, actually...

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#17

Post by DTrejo » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 5:51 AM UTC

These help me with early wake-ups (3:00am):

* My pre-alarm goes off 15 minutes early. After this alarm, I start thinking and worrying about what I need to do. When the real alarm sounds I'm ready to jump out of bed.

* I don't use the bathroom in the morning when I'm sleepy. A full bladder helps me stay awake.

* I nap whenever I can't work.

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#18

Post by unalone » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 5:57 AM UTC

tdavis wrote: post #10

The real trick is to never have to get out of bed in the morning.

I envy you.

On the side, 3 and 8 work incredibly well. I sleep on the top bunk and so I have to jump out of bed just to disable an alarm, or else my roommate starts kicking me through the bedsheet. It's a motivator, all right. And I wake up much faster on a day after a work-out session. I've been doing P90X for a little while now, and while it hurts like hell, the next day I wake up bursting with energy. It's great.

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#19

Post by jamii » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 6:14 AM UTC

What helped me most was having food easily available. I always have oat-shakes ready in the fridge to minimise the amount of time between the alarm going off and having enough blood sugar to think rationally.

Re: Tricks for Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

#20

Post by timcederman » Thu, Feb 26, 2009, 7:04 AM UTC

rads wrote: post #11

I don't get much from productivity "tricks". I get excited for a little while, but the excitement wears off a week, maybe a few days later, and I'm back where I started. The best long-term advice I know is to just do it fucking now. If you have to get up, then get out of the bed and get ready, whether you feel like it or not. It's not what you wanted to hear, but maybe you'll feel better hearing it from Paul Graham:…

Couldn't agree more, although some of the suggestions make sense.

The best way to get out of bed, and to make it easier, is to have something decent to get out of bed for, and to know that the night before (point 6).

Flight I need to be up at 6am for? No problem getting up at 5.

Exciting day at work? Up at 8 no worries.

Also recognize your internal body clock's desired times (which I suppose is point 1). 1am-9am is my preferred sleep time, and although I can temporarily get around it, it's easier to adapt my schedule. Who wants to feel tired all the time?