A lot of people have no problems with setting an alarm, waking up bright and early, and taking the day head-on. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the alarm is our morning nemesis. I’ve never been a morning person (think sleeping at 8am during the college years), so waking up to that dreadful sound is a constant reminder that I am alive and drawing closer to death every single day. Just kidding, it’s not that bad. But I have learned quite a few things about waking up over the years.
For me, waking frequently ends up being one of two things. Getting so much sleep that you just have get out of bed, or what I like to call the “holy crap, I’m late” feeling.
Following a recent discovery (of waking up late), I realized that the key to setting your alarm is to have 3 settings:
- The time you would like to wake up. Example: If you start work at 9am, you might set this one to 7:30am.
- The 2nd alarm that stirs you finally, now that you’ve snoozed the first one. This one should be early enough to give you ample time, but late enough where you really can’t snooze anymore. 8:00am is a good choice.
- The 3rd alarm is actually the most important, and most oft forgotten one. I like to call this one the “holy crap, I’m late” alarm. You’d set this one at a time that already makes you late, but not so late where you’re life is at stake. 8:40am is about right, if you assume it takes you about 20 minutes to drive to work. It’s important that you set this one very late, because you really need to induce that “holy crap, I’m late” feeling. It’s the strongest motivator.
Once you’ve included the “holy crap, I’m late” setting into your morning alarm array, you’ll discover that you’ll virtually never be VERY late again. Perhaps just slightly late on some days. Sleep tight!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Just a quick question on your last “holy crap, I’m late” setting. You said 20 minutes, enough to drive to work. What about the time to change and brush your teeth?
Hahah. That is included in the first 5 minutes
. I also like to put my clothing for the following day ready by the bed so I don’t have to spend morning time to pick it out, but that can be saved for my “Methods to save time in the morning” article.