I developed what I believe to be virtually a fail-proof method of getting up when you want to the first half of this year. All it requires is for one to follow a very simple, preexisting set of rules. No pre-sleep coaching, motivational tactics, or special alarm clocks are necessary. In fact, the success of this system does not depend on what you do the moment your alarm goes off in the morning.

Unfortunately for me, I stopped using this system a couple months ago due to some depression concerning existential questions. This happened because I did not follow the four tips mentioned in my last blog post on auditing beliefs. As a result of this, I fell out of a consistent sleep schedule.

This month, I want to formally start using this system again. The challenge therefore is to simply follow the rules of the system. I will post a complete version of these soon for everyone’s benefit. Here are the highlights:

1. Set your alarm clock for when you know you will get up now. The worst thing you can do to your sleep schedule is to practice a bad habit. This is similar to practicing a musical instrument. You won’t help yourself by playing a passage wrong 5 times and then playing it right once and calling that success. Only practice perfectly. Do whatever it takes (play really slowly, only focus on one aspect, etc.) to accomplish this. So, with getting up, I want my body to develop a subconscious response to an alarm clock going off. So, let’s say I need to be somewhere 15 minutes away at 8AM. Then, I might set my alarm for 7:35. This gives me 5-10 minutes to shower, get dressed, grab something to eat on the way, and get out the door. When the alarm goes off, I know I must get up right then or be late.
2. Practice getting up during the day. Simulate bedtime conditions as much as possible, set the alarm for two minutes past the current time and attempt to doze off. When the alarm goes off, jump out of bed and complete a 3-5 minute wake-up routine. Mine mainly involves mobility stretches.
3. Plan for “failure.” Don’t look at oversleeping as a true failure. Don’t feel guilty about it. There should be a plan you have already written down about what to do if this happens. Just follow that. The goal is to “train” your subconscious response. So, if you didn’t get up, that is not your fault; it just means your subconscious is not working perfectly yet.
4. Be vigilant about bed times. Although this system does not depend upon forcing yourself to get up at a certain time, it does depend on being consistent with when you turn the lights off. There are a few guidelines on how to find the right time interval for sleeping, and this will be discussed when I post the full system.

The beauty of this system is it takes off the pressure of having to get up at a certain time and then feeling like trash when you don’t. If you are still unclear about how this translates into getting up when you want, wait for the full system details in an upcoming post.

The challenge for me this month is to follow this system, with the 4 highlights above being strictly adhered to. In my next post, I will share about my month of perfect alignment.