A year ago, I was on the first track to completing a project that had fast deadlines coming at me. As a night owl back then (and even sometimes now), my technique lay in staying up late and waking up late. Sometimes, I would even wake up at noon because I would not set an alarm clock. While it worked, I would be groggy for the first few hours after waking up and did not spend much time on work until dusk. I would then start feeling productive and would tap away for the rest of the hours that followed. Great method, yes?
Unfortunately, it did not work so great for me. My social life suffered, and I barely had time to do things during the day or catch up with people for drinks in the evening. I would still feel worn out for these hours. Plus, with deadlines coming fast, I did not have the option to juggle all these things. Yet, I needed a workable plan that would help me get everything done in a month! So, I decided to go to YouTube and see what people did to get up early without fail. As you may have already guessed, the alarm clock was top of their list.
As much as our bodies have in-built alarm clocks, we cannot truly rely on them at first. Instead, they adjust to our routines. So, if you are the type of person to sleep till noon, your body will start waking up around noon. Likewise, if you try to get up at dawn relying only on your biological alarm clock, it will fail you. However, if you stick to a morning routine and observe it for a week or two, you will notice that your body will also start waking up around the same time as the alarm clock. That is how you train your body. I will warn you, though, that it is not easy.
Why My Alarm Clock Method Failed
Do you sleep next to your phone? I do! So, you can imagine how I would set my alarm clock. I would input 6:00 am, smile, and promise myself that I would stick to it this time around. It worked great at first. I would wake up at 6:00, drink a glass of water, and trudge to the living room, where I would start working on my project. I worked continuously, breaking a bit for breakfast and keeping on with the work. For the next 6-7 hours, I was a machine and would finish the five or so tasks I had for the day. Finally, at around 2:00 pm, I would be so tired yet satisfied and would pass out for a nap or start watching movies. By nighttime, I was ready for yet another day of success.
However, this streak did not last. A month later, I was back to my noon routine. But instead of waking up at noon and working at night, I would start working at noon and finish my work around midnight. Why, you ask? Well, I would schedule breaks in between my sessions because of the grogginess. Plus, with my gym and chores taking up some time between the sessions, I would end up finishing my work quite late. It did not work.
Finally, I fell into a cycle of doing whatever felt right for the day. Sometimes, my work would start at 9 in the morning, and sometimes, it started at 9 in the evening. I was back to my routine, but this time, it was worse, and I could barely make heads or tails of it.
So, why had my alarm clock method failed?
A poor night routine
Instead of going to bed early to make sure I was well-rested for the next day, I watched the series back-to-back. I also played games on my phone till I nodded off. As a result, I would end up getting about 6 or fewer hours of sleep. I have come to appreciate that my body works best after at least 7 hours of sleep. It even performs better on 9 hours of sleep. So by depriving it of rest, I was setting myself up for failure.
Snoozing
I can go on and on about how the sleep rhythm works and why snoozing is not a good idea. You see, when you first get jolted up from sleep, you should not go back. I know how hard it is to stay awake and say no to the warm covers. However, if you decide to go back to sleep, you should not set another alarm. Instead, you should completely sleep. Otherwise, you will wake up feeling more tired after the next alarm because you will interrupt yet another sleep cycle. If you have been feeling exhausted after your snoozes, this is the reason.
A poor weekend routine
It is easy to get stuck in a cycle of work. After all, once you start seeing the results (likely monetary), how can you not fall deeper into it? However, it comes with a downside- you will not be rested enough to start a new week. Soon enough, the missed weekends turn into lags in your work, and you eventually have no option but to hit the snooze button. Therefore, taking a weekend off is essential to a sound alarm clock system.
Poor motivation
Knowing why you are waking up early helps you stay on track. In my case, I was working on a project with fast deadlines. When the deadlines eased, I stopped paying attention to the time and slid back into my old routine. If I had instead focused my energy on creating a better pattern, I would have stuck with it better. Whether you are waking up to hit the gym, take your kids to school, go to work, read a book, or even catch the sunrise, make this clear in your goals. Writing them down can help you remember why you need to avoid that snooze button.
Sleeping next to my phone
As much as you may not want to hit the snooze button, if it is near you, you will likely hit it. I did this so much once I started slacking on my morning routine, and of course, this led me down a very unproductive path.
The Ultimate Alarm Clock Method
Now that you know why my alarm clock method failed, let us talk about what I do now that has proven to work great! I will do it in a step-by-step guide.
- I set my alarm the week before and have a running alarm clock system on my phone. Every day at 6:00 in the morning, it rings without fail. Even if I forget to set it, the alarm will ring, including on weekends! You must be careful when setting the alarm, lest it annoys you on your rest days.
- I then set one alarm clock on my dressing table, a good two meters away from my bed. The first one is noisy and can even wake the neighbor! The other alarm clock stays with me in bed because it is on my phone.
- After brushing, showering, and catching a show, I try and sleep at least six hours before my wake-up time.
- Both alarms ring at 6:00 am. I first switch off the one with me in bed. At this point, I am barely awake and often feel like switching off the other one, snoozing, and going back to bed. However, the distance to the bed deters me, so I try and sleep amidst the noise. Given that the alarm is noisy and annoying, I eventually decide to switch it off. So, I get out of bed, walk to the table, switch it off and stare at myself in the mirror, squinting because of sleepiness.
- I walk to the bathroom, wash my face, shower, and brush. By the time I am out, it is about 6:30 am, and I am ready for the day!
Is my alarm clock method worth it?
A thousand times yes! Do you see how people often complain that they barely have time to do things? I used to do that a lot. Now, however, I realize that we have the power to create time. I will put it like this. In one day, I can cover my projects like this article, hit the gym, show up at work, watch my favorite shows and still work on my schoolwork. It is not even a trifactor because I hit many goals at work. Most importantly, I do not feel overwhelmed because I know that by 7 in the evening, I will have finished everything, paving the way for me-time. Think about what you want to create time for and why hitting that snooze button may not be a good idea. I would like to hear your thoughts on my alarm clock method after sticking to it for a week. Have a productive week ahead!