[Music] I've been waking up at 4:30 a. m. every day since the spring of 2020 for the last 4 years before that all my attempts to be a morning person had failed but this time it worked it really felt like finding Hidden Treasures while the rest of the world was still sleeping it's so soothing and peaceful if you keep pressing the snooze button and falling back into your cozy bed it's not because you're lazy the real reason it's so hard to get out of bed is that you don't have a clear compelling reason to do so without this clear reason to wake up early your mind will try to trick you into thinking upon waking up why do I have to go through this is it really worth it let's go back to sleep hi my name is Liz today I want to share how and why I started waking up at 4:30 a.
m. and why all my previous attempts had failed yet in 2020 it was somehow different throughout this video I'll provide four of the most effective tips to help you consistently wake up early in the morning over the long term the first tip have a clear and specific reason to wake up the most effective way to get out of bed early is to have a clear and compelling reason why you have to wake up early to be honest I had tried waking up early a few times before this but I failed repeatedly I told myself in disappointment that I could never be a morning person but this time in the spring of 2020 it finally worked why because I had a convincing reason to do so I needed this undistracted morning time to learn and practice something I wanted to learn so badly if you can answer yourself why you need to wake up in the morning and why you need this time so desperately it will immensely help you to resist the urge to go back to sleep and make you even feel excited to get up and start the day without this reason even if you force yourself out of bed for a day or two you will soon feel bored and extra tired likely returning to your default way of living when I began my early morning Journey 4 years ago I wasn't in a good place working full-time with two young boys I struggled with mild depression uncertainty about the future doubts about whether I was doing a good job as a mom and constant worry and fear repeating those same days felt especially painful leaving me overwhelmed and tired with a sense of directionless in my life at the time I often ended up on a couch holding my favorite haug anda's coffee ice cream and watching Netflix after a long day during that time I always wanted to learn calligraphy but I kept telling myself that there was no time for it so I decided to wake up early and use that quiet morning time to learn and practice calligraphy where I could focus without any distractions I remember going to bed with genuine excitement the night before thinking about the calligraphy practice I was going to do which pen to use and what Strokes to focus on having my own time without any distractions give me the space to look inward slow down and focus on the present rather than being dragged by The Rush of daytime responsibilities this is how I spend my precious morning time after waking up about 10 minutes waking up routine such as drinking water and stretching for about 30 minutes I spend quiet time for Bible scripture reading and prayer in about 20 minutes I handle my social media uploads and quick admin tasks like checking comments and emails so usually between 5:30 to 7:00 a. m.
I have calligraphy practice time which has also become my content creation time as the process of practice itself becomes the content and I try to wrap things up by 700 a. m. I wake up the kids and help them get ready for school okay we understand that we need compelling reasons to wake up early but what kinds of reasons could they be it could be something you've always wanted to learn like my passion for calligraphy or it could be a business goal that you've always wanted to achieve or improving yourself to become the best version of yourself through exercise journaling or reading your favorite books whatever the reason for getting up early or the goals you want to achieve there are two crucial aspects that you need to ensure number one your reason must be broken down into specific tasks that you will be doing the next morning and it must be prepared the night before for example if your goal is to lose weight it's more effective to write down the specific exercises and how long you'll be doing each exercise the night before not in the morning if this process of setting up specific task is not prepared the night before you will most likely convince yourself to go back to sleep while trying to figure out what to do in the morning upon waking up I usually write in my journal every evening before getting into bed while doing so I visualize every step of the task I want to complete the next morning like a rehearsal number two your reason for waking up must be compelling enough to excite and motivate you for the next morning let's say you're going on a family trip tomorrow no matter how early the flight is in most cases you won't have a problem waking up the last thought you have before going to bed often plays a significant role in your ability to to wake up the next morning another example is this if you plan to run every morning it's more effective to visualize the positive benefits of running rather than focusing on the activity itself this is because when you wake up and realize it's still a bit dark outside chilly and uncomfortable it's difficult to force yourself to take on another obligation in that condition to make running in the morning something you desire to do rather than something you're obligated to do it's better to focus focus on its benefits rather than seeing it as some responsibility visualize the version of yourself who has already lost some weight or become healthier and imagine how you will feel when you successfully run every morning to make this process most effective you must have a clear answer to why you want to do this in other words you have to enjoy the benefits of the result by manifesting it as much detail as you have already achieved it second tip go to bed early one of the concerns most people have is that waking up early will make them tired throughout the day and they worry that they won't have enough energy to do the things they need to do effectively this is true if you continue waking up early but still keep the habit of going to bed late at night waking up early in the morning should not mean cutting down your sleep hours this is so important that I can't stress enough having less sleep to wake up early is like not eating to lose weight it's crucial to get enough sleep daily to replenish your body and soul this means if you want to utilize morning time for your future and benefits make sure to go to bed early the night before in essence waking up early it's not about decreasing your sleep hours it's actually about shifting your daily schedule to be more effective and productive by cutting down what you do at night and adding something in the morning for example I wake W up at 4:30 in the morning so I try to sleep at least by 1:00 p.
m. I also usually take a nap for about half an hour during the day since I stopped working full-time even now it's still challenging for me to stick to my bedtime we try to put the kids to bed no later than 9:30 but I'm always tempted to talk more with my husband since we only have 30 minutes to talk about our day I used to watch Netflix with my husband before going to bed but I had to give that up to follow an early morning lifestyle with that being said some people say to me you wake up at 4:30 a. m.
you must have a very strong willpower but I think for many people it takes more willpower to say to no to the things that they do at night then to wake up early in the morning then you might be asking why can't I do those tasks to achieve my goals at night instead of in the morning without going through all the pain and struggle of waking up early if you're more productive at night and don't feel the need to change your current schedule then I don't think utilizing the morning time is the only way however for most people morning time usually offers higher energy levels and better focus to improve yourself furthermore I find that at night it's more likely to get distracted by many Temptations than in the morning the third tip have a helpful morning routine what do you think is the best way to form a habit such as waking up early having strong willpower helps but it's much more effective when you have a system that works for you there are many morning routines and strategies that you can use to help you wake up early such as brushing your teeth doing morning stretches using wake up Mission apps or setting up an automatic light system this is what I do when I wake up as soon as I get out of bed I drink a cup of water and take a probiotic pill then I head down to my studio room and do some light stretching after that I start doing the things that I wake up early for a morning wake up routine doesn't have to be complicated or overwhelming I think it should be something simple enough with no friction and something that helps you gradually transition from your comfy bed about a year after I began my morning journey I started using an Apple Watch for alarm vibration it has been incredibly helpful because I wanted an alarm that wouldn't disrupt my husband's sleep this gentle mental vibration is enough to wake me up if you sleep alone I recommend putting your phone across the room so that you have to get up to turn it off or you could use a morning Mission alarm app that can help you fully wake up sometimes when it was challenging for me to wake up I would intentionally pick on my phone and go on Instagram almost instantly and every time help my brain to shift into a wakeup mode this is exactly why it's not recommended to look at your phone when you go to bed as it wakes your brain up instead of helping you fall asleep I use this tactic of looking at the phone intentionally when I need an extra push to wake up among my morning routines one of the most helpful way that I recommend to fully wake up is to move from where you sleep which is your bedroom to another room or any other space this is why having your own designated space to do what you plan to do in the morning can be incredibly helpful As you move to that space your body and mind become ready to do the things you set out to do this is my Haven I practice calligraphy make YouTube videos create social media content and do all the things I love to do here before we move to our current house there was no extra room that I could use so I organized our old storage den and made a little space to put my small desk where I could practice calligraphy it doesn't have to be a separate room you can't even set up your desk in the corner of the living room any designated space you could focus will do the last tip harness your desperation when I ask my students or aspiring calligraphers about the biggest reason they skip practice the number one answer is that they don't have time to do it for most of us life is already full and adding something more can seem impossible I felt the same way in year 2020 it seemed seems that the only possible way for me to practice calligraphy and initiate change in my life was to wake up early sometimes it's easier to make the hard decision when there's no other choices when I started waking up early at the time it was because the pain of not making significant change became greater than the pain of waking up early yes waking up early is hard but if it's the only way to initiate much needed change in your life it becomes bearable but after starting to utilize my morning time many things have changed I improved my calligraphy skills and built a small business around them I became more confident realizing I was more capable than I had thought this boost and self-esteem empowered me to tackle new challenges and Adventures I grew spiritually through consistent quiet time and reading scripture I became a happier mom and wife by giving myself me time for selfcare I believe believe that waking up early itself is not a goal but rather an incredibly effective and proven method that can help you grow and mature as a person lastly let me explain why 4:30 does it have to be 4:30 I tried 4:30 5 5:30 but strangely when I wake up at 4:30 I feel most energetic I did some research and the reason why waking up at 4:30 a. m. worked best for me had to do with what's called my body circadian rhythms also known as my internal body clock circadian rhythms are natural internal processes that regulate the sleep wake cycle and repeat roughly every 24 hours as it turns out 4:30 a.
m.