How can I make myself wake up every day at 6 AM?

Originally Answered: How do I consistently wake up at 6 AM every day?

Credit Author : Nela Canovic

This is what I’ve been practicing for a while now and while not easy in the beginning, it’s given me what I consider a luxury of extra time. 

Well worth the effort. And really, it’s not that painful to do. The new habit starts with an extra 30 minutes you need to adjust to, nothing more.

• Adjust your alarm to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual. Do this for at least one week. The benefit? You won’t feel a drastic change, and maybe the only switch will be to go to bed 30 minutes earlier as well. How will you know what is the best amount of sleep time so you can adjust your schedule? 
• After the first week, set the alarm for one full hour earlier. You’ll feel like hitting the snooze button when you implement this, but try to avoid snoozing. If it happens, it happens. I’ve hit snooze three times in a row one morning and got up later than usual, but I needed some extra sleep. Just go with the flow. Repeat for a few weeks until you get to the desired wake-up time.
• Keep your hands off devices as soon as you wake up. Instead of reaching for the phone to check Instagram as soon as you open your eyes, use the first few minutes to gently ease into the day. Stretch your arms, take a few deep breaths, wiggle your toes, think about what you want to accomplish on that day, play some music that gets you in a good mood.
• Start the day with one simple question. Ask yourself, What is the one thing I am committed to completing today? Of course, you may have ten or twenty things on your to-do list, but if you had to pare down that number to the top priority thing, what would it be? Give an answer out loud and make a commitment to reach that goal.
• Simplify your breakfast. There’s no need to overdo it with meal preparation. Depending on what you like to eat, keep a short list of breakfast options top of mind (2–3), and rotate them around throughout the week. Some ideas to consider: oatmeal with banana and nuts, Greek yogurt with fruit and granola, or eggs with toast and fruit on the side.
• Go outside for a brisk walk. Being outside first thing in the morning will feel like a burst of energy and you’ll get a good dose of vitamin D from the sun. Keep it short and don’t go far. Set the timer on your phone for 15 minutes and walk around the neighborhood or at a nearby park, then another 15 to get back home. If you think 30 minutes is too long to walk, reduce to 15 until you get into the habit.
• Use a timer to divide tasks into short blocks. You can use the Pomodoro method (25 minute blocks) or go for 50 minutes then take a 10 minute break. Turn on your timer and begin working. Take breaks between sessions and when you’re done with three sessions, take a longer break. Have tea or coffee, listen to a podcast, eat lunch or a snack, and take your mind off the work for a bit.  The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It uses a timer to break work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Source : Wikipedia