The Habit All Billionaires Have in Common
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(click thumbnail for full-sized cartoon)
Step 1. Accept the Challenge
Comment below with “I’m in!”
That’s it.
Step 2. Flip the Morning Person Switch
Download the new FREE comic book from Simpleology …
FREE Download: Flipping the “Morning Person” Switch
… and learn the simple science of permanently re-wiring your brain for super-productive, super high-energy mornings.
A small taste of what’s inside:
- effortlessly burn 9 pounds of fat per year with this 10 second “James Bond” morning hack
- how to become a “morning family” and boost your kid’s GPA by a full point – without studying a single minute more
- the science is in: the snooze button is downgrading your brain (it’s far worse than you think) … break this habit for good with a simple Kankyo Kaizen hack and instantly boost your all-day brain power
- instantly control the brain chemistry that makes you feel sleepy with the (literal) flick of a switch
- the two-minute “goofy dance” that boosts your supply of “feel good” chemicals for the rest of the day
- boost your metabolism by 25%, give your skin “the glow”, raise your IQ, and more with this single adjustment to your morning using a common household resource
- and so much more …
Step 3. Get Motivation and Support
Come back to your original comment each day for the next 30 days and reply with a progress report.
Bonus: Give your fellow morning people encouragement and “comment love.” (The person we deem to be the “most motivating” will get Simpleology Elite free for life!)
DavidNas Haha nice catch! Billionaires have also apparently mastered time travel. Figures.
Mark Jones You’re a beast!
WinkJones Hey Wink! On iPhone make sure you have the song in your Music collection. Then when you set the alarm, edit it and you should be able to “select song” as sound. (Doing this from memory, but something along those lines … please let me know if that doesn’t do it
artelequia Actually, I would do the Scottish Shower as early as possible to make the neural connection of the effect and wake time more pronounced, but feel free to mix it up!
RedVanderbilt Unfortunately there are definite biological disadvantages to night work (I’ve been there!). Just declare an “early” time relative to your start time, that (if possible) allows you to get up when there is still some sun so you can get sunlight on your face when you wake. If that means you have to sleep exactly when you finish work, so be it. The biggest trick is getting your sunlight requirement in *after* you wake up as the sunlight will trigger wakefulness. But getting sunlight daily, in my opinion, is a major requirement for full health.
andreasandrews Marian Gurowicz Awesome idea for you guys to buddy up. Way to take the lead with the encouragement, Andreas! Let’s see if we can get this house rocking.
artelequia Mark Joyner I would say if you’re already in the habit of working out in the morning, don’t mess with it! The real key here is to start triggering a consistent biological response, and no matter what the triggers are … it almost doesn’t matter. We left exercise out of the mix entirely because that complicates things so much, but it’s a great option, too. Do the cold shower after if that economizes time!
SergeKrasnay WinkJones Awesome option. Another fun idea: let’s all create some playlists on Pandora, Spotify, etc and share them – and share tech on how to tie them in to alarms on our phones. Some folks will respond better to different types of music in the morning.
DavidNas I’m reading every one of these comments with great pleasure
Sequence isn’t super important … Mix it up!
DavidNas But Start My Day should be last, of course … so you’re in peek mood doing Simpleology.
jillbinder Mark Joyner Hey Jill, I’d use the sun box for now … If it’s that dark outside the light is negligible, unfortunately. But throw open those drapes anyway. Get all of the above
ladypoodle5 Never!
RonBarnhart Hey Ron, I’d certainly check with your physician if you’re at all concerned.
PeterFelsmann Lounge it up!
Karismac Without getting into it too deeply … strong arguments can certainly be made for both. Do what makes you how you want to feel in any particular moment.
Karismac Mark Joyner Show us what you got!
mmpare1 Way to go! How would you rate your productivity now compared to your pre-White Belt days?
I’m in
Day 1: It was easier to get up than I thought, but I am still tired. I went through all the steps and feel pretty good, but the real test is going to be whether or not I end up exhausted half way through my work day… I guess I’ll tell y’all how that part went when I report in tomorrow.
Day 2 and 3: I forgot to check in yesterday, so I’ll report on that today. So yesterday I work up feeling great and got a lot done, but at around 3 pm I suddenly crashed. My energy left me all at once and I felt crappy the rest of the day… today I feel good so far, but I’m concerned about yesterday’s crash because I’ll be at work at 3 today…
I’m in. I have wanted to not only get out of bed early each morning but also have a solid routine each morning instead of fluffing. I am really enjoying simpleology… thanks guys xx
I’m in
I’m in
im in
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in
I am in
I’m in.
I’m in
I’m in.
I’m in!
I’m in
I am in, let’s do it!
I’m in
I am in,
Wherever I go,
There I am
I’m in!!
I’m in
I’m in.
I’m in
I’m In.
I’m in and ready to kick some butt!
Day 1 results: I have not used the snooze button for years and have been waking up to music for about 6 months, so I had part one down pat. The thing I noticed the most after day 1 was how alive I felt after turning the water temperature to cold at the end of my shower.
Day 2: Was up about an hour later than normal last night, so the morning ritual came in handy. Was able to wake up fine, but felt a bit lethargic. The bounce and shake routine did it’s job and had me ready to take on the day!
Day 3: So far I am loving this morning ritual. It is not too long and most of it can be done while you are getting ready to start your day. That is what I love about this. Short and to the point!
Day 4: On the weekdays I wake up at 5:30, but usually sleep in till about 8:00 on the weekends. I decided to wake at 6:00 today. It is a Saturday. I thought I would give this early morning ritual a try on the weekend as well. I am able to get so much more done while everyone else is asleep in the house.
Day 5: Set my alarm for 7:00. Thought I would give myself a break since it is Father’s Day today
This helped me realize the importance of getting up early. I usually wake up before the rest of my family. Which is great because it allows me to finish my morning routine without interruption. Today I had multiple interruptions because everyone else was awake as well. Waking up early allows me to get more done!
Day 6: Back to my 5:30 wake up time for the weekdays. I love how much I’m getting done before 8:00!
Day 7: When I first started this routine, I thought that the cold shower thing would be painful. But I am finding it to be one of my favorite parts. I am now up to 20 seconds of cold at the end of my shower.
Day 8: I have a dentist appointment today. I hate going to the dentist. The morning ritual helped me to relax and relieve some of my anxiety about this.
Day 8: I have noticed in the last couple of days I am hearing the song in my head that starts as my alarm. The cool thing is that it is actually about 30 seconds before my alarm goes off. My mind is waking me up at 5:29 and the alarm is set for 5:30. It’s awesome how the subconscious mind works!
Day 10: Still loving the morning ritual. I am definitely going to keep using it every morning!
Day 11: I am finding that my focus is increasing. It is only 7:20 AM and I have already completed my most important task for the day!
Day 12: The breathing exercises are great! Love the quick infusion of energy I receive from them.
Day 13: I love the shake and bounce, but I need to add more exercise to my morning routine. I’m looking to add about 20 minutes of exercise to the ritual. If anyone knows of a good plan I can use at home, please let me know.
Day 14: It’s now been two weeks. There is no turning back. I love the morning ritual and the accountability of writing on this blog everyday. For those of you who said you were in, start writing on this blog. Tell your story. It will keep you focused and motivated.
Day 15: I started adding a few exercise reps to the morning ritual. I also do a few minutes of meditation.
Day 16: My mind and body seems to be ready to take on the day at 5:30 everyday. I went to bed a bit later than normal last night (went to bed at 11:30 usually go at about 10:30 ) but because of the morning ritual, I had no problem waking up at my normal time.
Day 17: Only 17 days in and this morning ritual has already become a habit. I could not image starting the day without it!
Day 18: I love to use music as a motivator. I always pick an upbeat motivational song to wake up to. Then I play some new age music while meditating and some good classic rock while do my exercise routines.
Day 19: Today is Sunday, and it seems like I require the most motivation to get going with my day on Sundays. I have no issues with weekdays. I guess it’s because Sundays always seem to be a “take it easy day of the week”. I am grateful for the morning ritual because it does get me going on these slower days of the week.
Day 20: Morning routine had to start a bit early today due to an early appointment. Had no issues getting up. It seems like my mind and body instantly get motivated by the first few notes of my morning wake up songs.
Day 21: This is the 4th of July week in the U.S. so everything is moving a bit slower this week. I am grateful for the morning ritual. Throughout the years this has been an unproductive time for me, but this year I am actually getting stuff done!
Day 22: Having a great 4th of July today. Completed the morning ritual and am just going to enjoy the holiday for the rest of the day.
Day 23: I have noticed that the morning ritual has helped me to stay focused throughout the day. It is now easy for me to regularly create content to post to social media and my blog.
Day 24: I was just thinking about how much better this morning ritual is than any of the others I have tried throughout my life. Most of the morning routines that I have tried were just way too long and involved. They were so long that it took two hours to complete some of them. I was just using these routines as a procrastination crutch. With this one I can quickly complete the ritual then get started on completing my most important task of the day!
Day 25: At the end of this morning ritual, I find myself much more focused. I am focused on the most important things as well. I have started a streak tracker. I am tracking if I completed my most important task for the day. Since starting this I have only missed one day in the last 26. That is 25 days out of 26 that I have completed the most important thing in my life that will bring me closer to my goal.
Day 26: One key lesson that I learned in doing this morning ritual, was the importance of completing my most important task of the day. And completing it everyday. By doing this, I have made more progress towards my goal in the last 26 days than I have in the last year!
Day 27: Because of this morning ritual, I have started back on a morning exercise routine that is working great for me. I now have the energy and the time to complete it.
Day 28: I love what the challenge of writing on this board everyday had done for me. When you know that you are being held accountable, you get stuff done! The morning ritual has now become a habit that will stick with me for the rest of my life!
Day 29: It is a great feeling to start the day off right. I use start my day in Simpleology. Figure out what my most important task for the day is. Then I get to work. Some days It’s composing a blog post, other days it is working on my email list sequence or creating content. The important thing is that I know what needs to get done and most days, it gets done.
Day 30: It feels so awesome to have made it to the end and posted on all 30 days! But it is really not the end because I will continue to use the morning ritual for the rest of my life! Great stuff. Thank you Mark Joyner.
Day 31: Since some months have 31 days, I thought I would add one more. This message is for everyone on the board who said that they were in, but did not leave a message afterwards. I think that leaving a message was the most important part of the challenge. It makes you accountable. I wanted to continue with the morning ritual because I knew that I was leaving a progress report everyday on this board. If you said you were in a month ago, but did nothing, why not start today? There is no rule stating that you can’t start over. Now is the time to make a difference and go kick some butt!!
I’m In.
Yes – I’m in!
I’m in
I’m in and ready to kick MY butt (first thing in the morning :-0)!
I posted elsewhere but I’m in.
I’m definitely in!
I’m in
See you at the top
I’m in day 1 of Morning 30. Done see you tomorrow
I’m in!!
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in
I’m in!
It’s day 1 for me and getting up tomorrow before 7 is probably going to be a challenge because I’m probably not in bed before 3:30 A. M. tonight. Accountability should help, though.
Day 2. I got up around 6 this morning after barely drifting off to sleep. At least I got up without snoozing, but later in the day took a long nap. Obviously going to bed earlier would help, I’m set to go to bed late again, tomorrow I’m probably just going to have to be low on sleep.
Day 3. I got up again when the alarm clock rang. But I was struggling with not getting enough sleep and spent much of the day resting. Burning the candle at both ends isn’t going to work, of course. I think I need to start turning in at 9:30 if I’m realistically going to get up around 6:00. I’m going to try going to bed at 1:00 tonight and get up before 7:00 next morning.
Day 4. Last night I went to bed around 1:30. At 2:30 I still wasn’t asleep so I had a snack and read a little. Then I was asleep around 3:00, waking up around 6. Still, I was resting till 11 or so as I was low on sleep. Tonight I am going to try to get to bed by 11:30. That will give me 7 hours of rest if I get up at 6:30.
Day 5. I went to bed at 10:15 last night. I woke up naturally without an alarm at 5:30. But then I went back to sleep and turned off the 5 or so alarm clocks I set for 6:30 one by one as they rang, later waking up around 11 A. M. Even then, I didn’t get out of bed right away. This switch to going to bed early and getting up early is going to be a struggle, probably. Tonight it looks like I will turn in a 12:15 and try to get up at 7:30.
Day 7. Last night I turned in at 12:02. Still not asleep at 2:45, I got up for a snack. Back in bed by 3:00 A. M. At 6:47 I got up and started my day, without resting more. I did morning ritual things all morning, writing, Start My Day, and exercise. Then I did 5 hours of self-employment work in the afternoon. Promising. Tonight it looks like I will go to bed around midnight again and try to get up at 6:30 or so.
Day 8. Last night I went to bed at 12:12. When the alarms rang at around 6:00- 6:30, I went back to bed, not to really get going until about 12:38 P. M. I regularly set 5 or so alarm clocks and often turn them all off and go back to sleep. Sometimes I must think another one is going to ring. Today I knowingly went back to sleep after the 6:30 clock rang, knowing it was the last one set to ring. I had a job scheduled to get to, but it was outside work and it was raining, so it was probably to be postponed, at least until it stopped raining. Tomorrow is there is going to be a morning party, so I almost have to get up tomorrow morning. I plan to go to bed at 11:15 or so and to try to get up at 4:30.
Day 9. I stayed up reading a little last night, going to bed at 2:22. I did not get to sleep, so I got up when the first alarm clock rang at 4:17 A. M. I went to a morning party, there was work, afternoon reading, and an art guild, and I was missing the sleep a little all day. I got home around 11:00 and fell asleep on the couch after a glass of wine and making green tea I did not even get to.
Another thing is that I moved a clock from my office room, where I couldn’t hear it ringing from the bedroom, to the bathroom where I should be able to hear it to wake up. So, now I have four alarm clocks in my bedroom, one red LED, one LCD, one talking clock, and one analog, and two in the bathroom, one analog and one LCD which automatically sets its own time (that’s the one I moved). If things are urgent, I can set several more alarms on a cell phone even further away from the bedroom where I can still hear it to wake up.
Day 11. I stayed up late last night baking bread and checking email. I did not actually turn in until about 5:00. I was up so late one of my wake-up clocks rang before I even went to bed. I tried to get up at 6:30 but I must have been sleepy because I did not get up until somewhat later than that. I missed a bus in the morning I was planning on catching with a friend. So it’s regrettable that I either didn’t just stay up or put the rising bread loaf in the fridge and let it rise later.
I’m going to have to give up saying up late in order to get up early, at least most of the time. I’m thinking it’s worth it because I’m going on the idea that a morning ritual prepares the way for productivity in the day later. And mine if I do the full set of things I currently want to do may take a good 5 hours or so. 5 hours to prepare for self-directed work later, maybe about the same amount of time later applying myself, maybe more.
Tonight I am going to try to go to bed at a reasonable time, maybe around 10:30, and try to get up around 6:00.
Day 12. I went to bed last night at 11:30. This morning I got out of bed at 12:46 P. M. Obviously I turned off all the clocks when they rang, staggered in time between 5:30 and 6:50.
I am close to the 20 days or so people say it takes to break a habit or start a new one. So, I’m hoping to shape up now ad do better for the remaining 30 days.
Tonight I am planning on again going to bed at 11:30 and repeat the alarms as they were set last night and this time really get up.
Day 13. Last night I went to bed at 1:10. I was planning on getting to bed a little earlier, but I stayed up to fuss with a few things. Also, I was on the computer until almost 11:30 and I am going by trying to do an an hour power down where you stay off the screens and only read a book or relax for the last hour of the day.
This morning I got up 10:26. I set the clocks for between 5:30 and 6:55. This included setting a cell phone to go off as the last alarm furthest away from my bed. However, I don’t even remember turning that one off.
Two of my clocks went off today 12 hours after intended. So it’s possible one of them was set wrong and I just didn’t hear one in the bathroom or it didn’t go off either.
This morning I did my morning page writing, but not the Start My Day exercise or the 5 Tibetan Rites yoga exercises and other exercises I add to those. I think I would have gotten more done than running an errand to the Post Office and shopping for groceries today if I’d gotten an earlier start and done a fuller morning ritual.
Tonight I am planning on turning in around 10:30, and set the bedroom clocks all for 6:00 and the bathroom clocks both for 6:30. Sometimes I stagger them for between 15 or 5 minutes apart. But the problem with that is that I can think that there is going to be one more alarm going off when there isn’t. So this time I’m giving myself only one chance to snooze and I hope I don’t take that and just get up at 6.
Day 14. Last night I went to bed at 11:31. I woke up at 6 when the first alarm went off, turned off the 6 o’clock alarms and snoozed until an alarm rang at 6:30. Then I got up.
So far so good. But as I got to my Morning Pages writing I was sleepy and put my head down a few times. I was not finished until early afternoon. That usually takes not much more than an hour, going a little faster with a fountain pen than a ballpoint. And also it usually goes fairly easily, except when I’m low on sleep. Then it seems hard even to come up with what needs to be just anything to write. I spent several more hours on Start My Day, finishing up around dinner time and then did the series of exercises I usually do, only I altered the pushups of the routine to include standing up in between and clapping my hands over my head. This was something I adapted from a video I saw on variations of an exercise called burpees. Altogether, my morning ritual was barely done by 9 P. M. I followed this with 2 52 minute work sessions with a 17 minute break in between- about 2 hours on my own clock.
Part of the reason that I was so slow to get going is just that I am not in the swing of the new pattern yet. And it probably didn’t help that I had coffee late last night. That might have had me sleeping lighter.
Well, tomorrow is another day. I am on track to be going to bed an hour and a half or so later than last night, and still intending to get up at about the same time. At least I didn’t have coffee or tea in the last few hours. I’m hoping I can wrap up my morning ritual before 12 tomorrow and do better with the proportion of work to morning ritual.
Day 15. Last night I went to bed at 2:00. The clocks were set for 6:00 (4) and 6:30 (2). However, I got up at 2:12 P. M. Obviously, 4:00 is not enough sleep, at least not at times.
It looks like I need to go to bed around 9:30 or 10:00 to get up at 6:00 or 6:30 in order to get 8 or 9 hours of rest.
Day 16. I went to bed last night at 10:58. Yesterday I did my morning pages and Start My Day, but not the exercises I try to do when I can. Those are easier to work in early. Willpower goes down a bit later in the day. Not to mention that the tasks of the day can turn up and have me skipping them. I often have ended up skipping the Start My Day routine for the same reason. It is nice, however, to sift through everything I have been thinking of doing. I would like to work it in closer to daily if possible. I started adding some systems during my Simpleology session also, and look forward to adding some more.
This morning, I got up at 6:30 after turning off my 6:00 clocks. I’m not sure the extra little bit of rest was really worth it. Morning Pages and Start My Day again today, and also skipping the exercises. I dozed off in the morning a little after the cat camped out on the writing and I moved to the couch rather than to boot him off. Not as badly as the other day, though.
I baked three loaves of bread and made several containers of soup, and did a little work. And shopped for a few things.
It looks like I’m set to go to bed around 12:30 or 1:00 today. It’s pressing things a little to get up by 6:30 tomorrow, but I plan to set the clocks for the same 6:00 and 6:30 times, and to try not to snooze next morning.
Day 17. I got up at 6:04 today as my fourth 6 o’clock alarm rang, and turned off the rest of the alarms set. The clocks rang at about 1 minute apart. So, I got up without snoozing.
However, I was sleepy in the morning and dozed off a little sitting on the couch and rushed off to an appointment.
Tonight I am going to try to go to bed around 10, allowing myself 8 hours of rest. I think it was 2:12 when I went to bed last night, so I wouldn’t even have gotten 4 hours of sleep when the clocks rang.
Day 18. Last night I went to bed at 10:08. This morning I got up at 6:34, turning the first slew of clocks off but getting up as the second slew rang. However, I was a bit groggy in the morning and didn’t really get going until around 11. So, I didn’t really snooze more than once, but after breakfast and coffee and showering and getting dressed, a little out of the usual order, my day had a slow start. At least I did my morning writing before getting ready to go to a festival.
Now it’s after 2 A. M. and I’m planning on trying to get up around 6 or 6:30 again, although this leaves me around 4 hours of sleep.
Day 19. I turned in just after 3 last night. Today I got out of bed at 12:25. The alarms were set for 6 and 6:30 again, but I must have turned them off and gotten back to bed. 3 hours of rest is not reasonable.
Now it is a challenge not to stay up late doing an email newsletter late into the night, or other things I meant to do today but didn’t get to yet. I’m on a sleep schedule where I may not get sleepy until 4 A. M., possibly, since I didn’t wake up until around noon. But I’m more likely to get up tomorrow early if I go to bed soon. So, I’m planning on hitting the sack around 12:30 and trying to get up by 6:30.
Day 21. Last night I went to bed at 2:40 A. M. My alarm clocks rang from between 6 and 6:59 and I got up at 7:04 by the clock I’m going by for my reports. I staggered them this time, with a 0:15 snooze period for the first break from the alarms, down to only one minute apart towards the end. I set 6 real alarm clocks and 4 alarms on a cell phone several rooms away from my bed (these were the last four). So, I got up even though the rest period was a little short. Good thing, too, because someone came by to fix the stove unexpectedly at 9:30.
Tonight I am planning on going to bed by 11:00 and getting up before 7 again. I should have a little more rest this time.
Day 23. Last night I went to bed at 1:43. Today, although I set alarms for 5:30-6:29, I didn’t wake up until around noon, getting out of bed at 12:47. I assume I turned all the clocks off and went back to sleep.
I am going to try to go to bed before midnight this time. And try to get up between 5:30 and 6:29 again, setting increasingly close together alarms again. That should have worked this morning, but I was probably barely asleep by the time the clocks rang, and tireder than usual.
I got little else done today besides running an errand to the bank and shopping for groceries, and practicing the guitar and singing.
Tomorrow I’m hoping to be done with morning ritual things by noon, to prepare for a day of working on an art project.
Day 25. Last night I went to bed just after 1 A. M. I got up at 6:30, actually getting up as my first set analog clock rang in my bedroom. I don’t seem to remember my talking clock ringing. I set that one to ring first, turning up the volume and setting it to rooster call instead of beeps for in between the announcement of the time. Perhaps it works tomorrow and I don’t even snooze. But for now I am counting it as a success that the first wave of clocks worked to get me up at a reasonable time, and I was awake to turn the last two off and not go back to bed.
However, I was sleepy enough to not accomplish my morning writing, which I usually work in. 1-6:30 is 5 1/2 hours of rest, almost but not quite enough. At least I was on time to catch the retry bus with my friend that I missed about a week ago due to not getting an early enough start then. Today I am going to try to go to bed one hour earlier. And still try to get up between 6 and 6:30.
Ideally, I should be getting to bed at 9:30 or 10 to get up at 6 or 6:30. That’s a bit of a stretch for me. At least I can aim for midnight tonight and at least be in bed 6 hours if not asleep for the whole time.
Day 26. Last night I went to bed around 12:24 or so. I got up today at 9:51. I woke up a few minutes before 6 without an alarm. I heard my first alarm go off at 6:00, but chose to shut if off and the rest of them in turn.
I think it was just willpower and habit that had me getting up later than I wanted to, although I did get less than 6 hours of rest before the clock went off. I still did my writing, but not my exercises, and I didn’t do Start My Day today.
I went to a talk this afternoon and played the guitar and sang for a while after I got home.
I wish I would have just gotten up at the first alarm for the sake of the challenge and I was awake anyway when the first clock rang. So maybe I really did get enough rest. Well, tonight I can get to bed even another hour earlier than last night. And resolve to get up between 6 and 6:30 tomorrow morning, setting 6 alarms the same way as last night, 4 clocks for 6-6:30 starting with the talking one and ending with an analog clock, and the second two a little further away, 6:35 for the digital one that sets itself and 6:45 for the last analog clock to ring.
Day 27. Last night I went to bed at 11:49. At 6:45 I turned off the last ringing clock and got into the shower. So far so good.
However, after I got dressed I fell asleep on the chair in my bedroom and did not make it out of the bedroom until 2:15 in the afternoon.
I missed a phone call I should have been up for. I didn’t do the daily exercises I wanted to do. And I didn’t do Start My Day. I didn’t even do my writing practice.
What I did do was play with a music making program on a computer. I ran an errand for groceries. And I shopped for books on Amazon. And little else. No real time on my own clock. If I would have avoided dozing off I might have done my morning practices and maybe spent a few hours working on an art project and made a little more money.
Tomorrow I have a morning appointment, so I really can’t afford to slip tomorrow.
Tonight it looks like I’m set to go to bed around 12:30. So I may get somewhere around 6 hours of rest. I plan to leave the clocks set the same way, 6:00-6:45.
Day 28. Last night I went to bed at 1:33. I got up this morning at 10:42. I must have turned off all 6 clocks.
Part of the reason I’m finding this harder than it should be is that I am not getting to bed early enough to get up what for me is unusually early. I’m going to have to go to bed shortly after 9 if I want to get up before 6. And I’m used to staying up late. So it seems odd if I have to start wrapping things up at 8:30 in the evening to get to bed at 9:30.
At least I can probably turn in around 11:30 tonight, two hours before I did last night. There’s some work to go and do tomorrow. I’m hoping to leave 1 1/2 hours early and wait somewhere and then show up on time.
I’m going to try the same two waves of clocks going off, bedroom ones for 6-6:30 and the bathroom ones for 6:35 and 6:45. I should have 6 1/2 hours of rest by the time the first alarm goes off. I may also set a cell phone for 6:50-6:54 with 5 alarms going off one minute apart.
Day 29. I went to bed at 12:28 last night. This morning I got up at 6:15 as my second set clock rang. The first clock, a talking one set to alternate announcing the time and playing a rooster call sound, I turned off and waited for the next one to ring. At least I did not go through all the set clocks, but I could have done just a little better by just getting up.
I was a little sleepy and didn’t do my usual writing practice, but I got out of my apartment and bicycled to work, arriving over an hour early and had lunch and read a little first.
I also participated in an art guild board meeting today.
Tonight I am going to bed a little too late to realistically get enough rest. I have to be up early because I probably have to go out to a job, not to mention it being the last day of the challenge for me. It looks like I get to bed around 2:45. That only leaves a little more than 3 hours of sleep before my first clock rings at 6. I am just going to have to remember to get up and just get going this time.
Day 30. Last night I went to bed at 3:01. This morning I was slow to get up, turning off the clocks. I went to a job today, though, and worked a little. I didn’t go early and camp out nearby this time, instead running errands, having lunch at home, and leaving on my bicycle. At least the work got done.
I wish I could report that at the end of this challenge, I had firmly established a new habit of going to bed early and getting up early enough to do an intensive enough morning ritual to prepare me for hours of work, especially self-directed work, which I may have more enthusiasm though less self-discipline for than day job work. One of the 30 days was especially promising, though. That day I spent all morning on writing practice, Start My Day, and exercises in place, and much of the afternoon I applied myself to my own artwork and marketing. I’m looking forward to more days like that, maybe with a more intensive morning ritual, though not necessarily one taking longer, and maybe work time that does take longer.
Another bit of progress was with the pattern to set the clocks in. One thing that helped for a while was setting them to ring closer and closer together until they were one minute apart. Another thing that was helpful was impressing on my mind that there were two waves of clocks ringing, each ending in an analog clock. The idea was that if the first wave didn’t work, I’d get up as the second rang. Of course, a habit of getting up when the first alarm clock rings is better, and it’s my goal that the other clocks than the first one just be backups and not to snooze in the morning.
But, for this to be realistic, I’ve got to go to bed earlier. Even now, I’m writing this at 12:30 A. M. and after I leave the computer, after a power down hour or so, I’m looking at 2 A. M. for bedtime. Ideally this gives way to 10 P. M. or something like that. Or at least midnight.
Still, I plan to leave the 6:00-6:45 window to get up in place. If I sleep in, I am less likely to do my morning ritual things because the day starts to crowd in. And without exerting myself early, I get less done later.
You may enjoy knowing there was a study that found sleeping between 10pm – 2pm gives just shy of double the amount of rest we retain while outside those hours. It had something to do with like the moon and gravity and our internal bodies having a 26 hour a day system. I have been learning about some health benefits and dieting things lately.
Troy, can I say, you do have Greatness in you. Hey, let’s face it, you kept with the whole 30 days!! :-).
I too wish to be a morning person. Are you willing to do it again?
Hit me back
Awesomeness Troy. Way to stick with it.
Day 24. Last night I set 6 alarm clocks for between 5:30 and 6:05 or so, and 5 alarms on a cell phone for 6:20-6:29, going to bed around 12:58.
This morning I turned the clocks off and don’t remember the cell phone going off.
I woke up around noon and got a slow start. I did my writing and Start My Day today, and an hour session in on an art project, and filled out an application form for a festival.
Today I am going to try to be in bed around 11:30, to get up between 6:00 and 6:30. I am planning on setting all 6 alarm clocks. It would be better if I just got up right away at the first clock and didn’t try to snooze, both because snoozing really isn’t that good for you and because I can think there is going to be one more clock going off when there isn’t. But I’d be doing well just to get up sometime tomorrow before the 6th clock rings. It would also help if I allowed myself 6 hours of sleep and a some time to fall asleep. Sometimes I am not asleep for several hours. Even last night I was only allowing 4 1/2 hours of rest and it might have taken me a while last night to fall asleep. So I hardly got 6 hours of sleep by the time the first clock rang.
I am going to reverse the order of the last two clocks I have going off in the morning in the bathroom because I’m not sure I hear the digital one that sets itself, while I’m sure the other one, an analog clock, I remember hearing in the mornings. So that one should be the last one. And for the earlier set bedroom clocks, I could make my talking clock be the first one and my other analog clock be the last one (with two digital clocks in between). Maybe I will not try to set the cell phone, because that didn’t work the last two mornings.
Day 22. Last night I turned in at 12:44. I kept the same 6:00, 6:07, and 6:15 alarms, set several more and then set five alarms on a cell phone a minute or so apart, with the last one set for 6:58.
I got up this morning after several alarm clocks rang and turned the last few off before they rang and got started with my day. It was 7:02 when I went to look at the clock to note what time I was getting up.
There was some yard work to do, which I rode public transportation to and back from. I played the guitar and sang a little after getting home. And walked to a bar to meet some family members and go to the fireworks at the beach.
Tonight it looks like I will be turning in around 1:30 and this time I may try to get up a half hour earlier. I plan to set the clocks for for 5:30, 5:37, 5:45, set a few more later ones for around 6, and then set the further away cell phone alarms for 6:20, 6:25, 6:27, 6:28, and 6:29.
Day 20. Last night I went to bed at 1:18. I still wasn’t asleep at 2:56, so I had some bread and wine, going back to bed at 3:06. I meant to get up at 6 or 6:30, but did not actually get up until 12:30.
I did morning pages writing, ran errands, sorted my inbox and made an email newsletter post.
Now I am on track to be in bed around 2:00 A. M. A little late to get up before 7, but I’m planning to try. Today I might have worked more into the day if I got up earlier, including more exercise and Start My Day. Maybe it will help to set some extra alarms away from my bed.
I am struggling with getting to bed early enough to get up early. If I don’t get enough sleep, I can turn off the alarms and fall back asleep again before even remembering what to get up for.
Maybe I will try staggering the clocks in time instead of setting multiple clocks for the same time.
Day 10. I fell asleep on the couch last night sometime around 11:30. This morning, one of my clocks rang at 4:30. I turned the clocks off though, and didn’t really get going until around noon. Tonight I hope to turn in by around 1:00 and get up by 6:30.
Day 5. Last night I turned in around 1:45. I set alarms for 8:45, 9:00 and 10:00, turning them all off in turn, falling back asleep for a little while and not even getting out of bed until 1. I am struggling with both getting enough sleep and the self-discipline not to go back to bed after the alarm clock rings. Tonight I am going to set the alarm clocks for before 7 again. And make it a goal to go be in bed by 12:00, 6:30 or 7:00 of rest if not necessarily sleep.
I’m in!!!
Well this is a whole lot more challenging than I thought it would be. I didn’t realize how just getting up when first awake could be so challenging.
I wake up 4-6 times a night to go to the bathroom. Might be a bit more difficult to do!
I’m in!
Count me in. Looking forward to the challenge!
in
I’m doing this.
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in!!!
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m In!
I’m in…. I often wake up very early, and can not get back to sleep for the full sleep I need because of anxiety over what I need to get done. So I get up for a little while, maybe a couple of hours, get things done, then go back to bed for an hour or two nap, then I feel much better able to attack the day without dragging. I believe this extra sleep habit is a big protection against colds and flus. Done right, I need no caffeine. Also, as we age, the processes that keep us asleep are weaker, and it is not uncommon to need to use a nap to get the right amount of sleep. Many great people, Winston Churchill, George Bush (not sure which one), and others were great believers in naps to boost productivity…. Quick hint: if you need to use an alarm clock in the morning, you likely have a lot of sleep debt, and are not getting enough sleep. If you snore and have day time sleepiness, you should be evaluated for sleep apnea.
I am in!
I’m In!
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in.. actually kind of started this when I came back from trip recently.. Have been going to be a LOT earlier too. been waking up between 4 and 515. Have the alarm set to 530 just in case.
I’m in
I’m in.
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in!
Day 1 Done!
Just saw this on Day 2. I’m in! Done!
I’m in
I’m In
I’m in!
Challenge accepted.
I’m in!
I’m In!!!
I’m in
I’m in.
I’m in!
I’m in.
I’m in
I’m in:)
I’m in.
I’ve always been a morning person but for those that are not this is the solution,
I’m in!
I’m in
I am in
I’m in!
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in.
I’m in
I’m in
I am in…
Just seeing this, I’m in.
I am in! for the Simpleology 30 Days Morning Person Challenge!
Good Morning. I just done with all the morning Rituals. Day 2 of waking up at 5.15am without alarm.
Report in! Day n of waking up at 5.00am without alarm. But report in for the 3rd time. but seeing my comment here, will drive me and motivate myself further.
Report in Day 1 after rebooting myself due to all the excuses that I had given to myself.
Am back.
today recorded my wake up without alarm at 4:45am. Done with morning Rituals, did my Meditation and now ready to start my simpleology training.
Already been doing this naturally for awhile. Tried to force myself to sleep, but doesn’t work. NOw awake at 4:30-5am and get alot done…I’ll try the bounce, which looks great..so I’m i already and refining like the fire sign I am!
I have never been a morning person in my life. I am a night person, I give myself a treat of getting up at whatever time I feel like it because I believe my body needs the sleep and rest. I went through a talk the other day and the doctor who gave the talk on the importance of sleep showed that lack of sleep correlates to the origin of common diseases which most of us are familiar with. Anyway, I want to change my perspective and wish to wake up before 5AM, I want to join the 5AM club and to take up this challenge wholeheartedly because I am in for growth and grit. I love you and your work Mark!. I’m in for this 30 day challenge…let’s see how it goes for me…I wish I had a accountability coach.
I am In! Much Love to All the Early Risers!
Day 1. Woke up at 5.45am. Much Love to all the early Risers!
I’m in!
I AM IN! DAY 21 & still feeling awesomely Amazing as Spontaneous Natural Miracles happen With & Around me DAILY!
https://media0.giphy.com/media/geYwtodB9AiI0/giphy-downsized-medium.gif
I’m in
I am IN
I’m in!
I am IN!
Day 1. Woke up at 6.30am. Do the ultimate morning person ritual. Feeling awesome!!
I’m in!
I’m In
I’ve been in for a month. It really is a lifechanging experience, the only downturn is the “tired” afternoon and late evening attack, but learning hot to get past it.
I’m in!
I’m In
im In
i’m in
I’m in
I’m in.
I’m in!
funny, I got up at 6:30am this morning which is earlier than I typically get up and I’m just seeing this. Inspiring!
I’m in (pretty much already do this)
Ok. I’m game. I have to admit, I fell off my bike (Simpleology) with that dreaded morning snooze button. It’s time to fly again. And yes my bike does fly!
I’m in
I AM IN!!
I am in
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in
I’M IN !!!
I’m IN!!
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in. Day 1 – starting by getting up when my body wants me to around 6:00 am, rather than my routine which is around 7:45.
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in!
I am in. My day as a baker HAS to be early. I wake up at 1:20 am to be out the door at 2. So I consider the afternoon as the start of my real day.
Play the piano, not to wake up the neighbors. Remember, playing music keeps dementia out. Then read the Holy Bible, My birth year is under Apostle Matthew: 19:26. It’s my connectivity to God. Nobody can delete that. I’m a survivor of ww2. We survived it because we knew how to speak the Honorific Japanese. The Nippons thought we were their relatives, thus they respected us. That was God’s Blessing on my family. Thank you, our Great Lord!!!
I’m in
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in!
I’m in.
I’m in!
I’m in
i’m in
I’m in! (2/9/2024 start)
I’m in!
Im in!
I’m going to try. I have a long way to go since I usually stay up late and don’t get up before 10 am. This will be a major upheaval for me. I’ve been planning on getting up by 6 but I don’t…I always stay up until 2 am. I have no self control. I have to figure out how to force myself to do the right things.
Today is the best day ever!! Go move mountains and be the best person you can be to yourself, to your family, to your community. You are a magnet for good things, wealth and abundance. Smile and keep that smile going and growing so that everyone around you smiles too. Be grateful for your blessings. You have been given a gift of today. Go make every minute count!! I Love You!!
Lynell Marie
I'm in!