🌞 How to Wake Up Earlier

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We’re talking sleep health and habits — what affects your sleep quality most, how to assess your current sleep habits, and how to wake up earlier to get more done. Let’s explore!

💤 First, Sleep Health 101

Sleep is the backbone of everything we do — from performing your best at school or work, to decreasing stress and boosting your mood.

It fuels everything.

No matter how busy life gets, ensuring you’ve got quality rest will always pay off and help you tackle each day with more clarity and energy.

What’s even better? Sleeping well and waking up earlier to maximize your days and get ahead of your goals.

To start, here are the 3 factors that impact your sleep quality the most:

• 👧 Age: Teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep, while adults typically need 7-9 hours. Developing brains need more rest to stay sharp.

• ⛑️ Health: Your physical and mental health all affect your overall sleep quality. Diet is especially important — spicy, sugary, and caffeinated foods are major sleep killers!

• 🏠 Environment: Traffic noise, household activities, and other environmental disruptions can be especially frustrating because they’re often out of your control.

With these 3 factors in mind, how can you create a solid sleep schedule that works for your brain and body?

Scroll on for the step-by-step guide!

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Now, here’s how to audit your sleep habits and start waking up earlier!

😴 Now, Let’s Audit Your Sleep Habits

Understanding your current sleep habits — and identifying any issues or side effects — is the first step to sleeping better and waking up earlier.

Before jumping straight into your new sleep schedule, ask yourself these 3 questions:

😰 What keeps me up at night?

Be honest with yourself, and include anything and everything that might disrupt your sleep.

This includes the fun stuff, like late-night snacking and binge-watching your favorite shows.

That said, this can also be a hard question to answer for many reasons. Especially since there are always things that we can’t control. As you gently explore, try and release any judgments or negativity that might crop up.

🥵 What makes it hard to get out of bed in the morning?

You might find some similarities between your answer to this question and the previous one — that’s okay.

If something makes it hard for you to fall asleep and wake up, it just means that issue needs extra attention!

🙅‍♀️ What boundaries have I put in place to protect my sleep?

Talk to others in your household about your sleep habits, schedule, and goals so everyone’s on the same page.

A quick chat with your family members, roommate, or spouse will set clear expectations and go a long way.

You should also respect your own boundaries and be proactive about solving and preventing sleep disruptions. Example: If your cat often wakes you up at night, shut the bedroom door or confine the cat to another area.

🌞 5 Tips for Waking Up Earlier

Alrighty, now it’s time for the goods you came here for: tips for waking up earlier!

✅ Tip #1 — Address sleep issues

Now that you’ve done your sleep audit, it’s time to start resolving your sleep side effects.

Here are a few examples of how you might tackle common issues:

• Late-night snacking: I’ll brush my teeth an hour after dinner so I’m less tempted to eat before bed.

• Intrusive thoughts: I’ll start a journaling routine to ensure I’m regularly processing my thoughts and emotions throughout the day.

• Traffic noise: I’ll try to block it out with earplugs, music, or something else.

If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying, and stay on the lookout for new or creative ways to solve your sleep problems.

🌌 Tip #2 — Go to bed earlier

This tip seems obvious, but it’s super important to ensure you’re getting enough sleep — and not just waking up earlier without adjusting your bedtime.

Poor sleep is almost guaranteed to tank your productivity. Your brain and body need a full 7 hours, minimum, to recharge and prepare for a new day.

That said, there are times when less sleep can actually be a good thing — but sleeping less than 7 hours should be the exception, not the rule.

📉 Tip #3 — Adjust gradually

Trying to wake up several hours earlier than you do now? It’s best to adjust your sleep and wake-up times gradually instead of transitioning to the new times all in one go.

Over the course of 7 days, adjust your bedtime and wake-up times in increments of 10 to 30 minutes. The plan is to be fully adjusted by day 8, with minimal grogginess — but if you need more time to adjust, feel free to tweak!

🤩 Tip #4 — Make your mornings fun

Think back to all the times you jumped out of bed, excited to tackle the day.

What made you so eager to get up and at ‘em? Making a list will give you some ideas on what you look forward to most in the mornings.

Whatever you plan doesn’t have to be extravagant — a decadent breakfast is a great motivator. One of our faves is apple pie overnight oats. (Peep the vegan recipe in the Flocus Picks section below!)

🕰️ Tip #5 — Try a different alarm clock

Notorious for snoozing through your alarms? Try a different alarm altogether. Some apps make you solve puzzles before you can turn them off, while others even monitor your sleep activity to gently wake you at the optimal time.

Or, go completely analog and invest in a physical alarm clock. This retro option is great because it encourages movement first thing in the morning, which can help you wake up and feel alert faster.

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• lofi sleep (Playlist) — If you like noise while you sleep, throw this playlist on and get ready to catch some serious Zzzs

• Easy Apple Pie Overnight Oats (Recipe) — An easy breakfast that’s cheap, vegan, quick, and highly remixable. Swap the apples for berries, add some protein powder for an extra nutritional boost. Chop and change it however you like!

• Sleep Tips from Cornell University (Post) — More expert tips on sleep for all our students out there

🖥️ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Use Flocus to stay productive while also winding down for sleep.

With dreamy backgrounds, relaxing playlists, and buildable soundscapes with picks from light rain, to birds, or fireplace, you can create a soothing pre-sleep routine to ease into your evening.

And when you wake up, Flocus is ready to greet you with a fresh start — jump right into your day with a positive, focused mindset.

Waking up earlier and improving your sleep are two different challenges, but both can be a game changer for your productivity and mood.

Whether you’re working or studying, a good night’s rest and a strong start to your day make all the difference.

Try these tips this week, and let us know how your mornings go!

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team