The
Evening
Routine
How to Wake Up Early (When You’ve Tried Everything)
Course
Prerequisites
• An analogue alarm clock.
• A willingness to try something new.
• Some ideas and concepts may sound familiar.
• You have a sleep journal to complete every day.
Introduction
1. Start With Why.
2. Get Accountable.
3. Create a Wind Down Routine.
4. Set a Reminder.
5. Redesign Your Environment.
6. Wake Up Immediately.
7. Build Momentum.
Why
is
sleep
so
important?
The
Importance
of
Sleep
• Sleep is a cornerstone of our health.
• Without it, we are out of sync.
• Americans’ sleep time over the last century has
decreased by 20%.
• An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep
disorders.
The
Solution?
Create an evening routine.
Why
Evening
Routines?
• Bookend your day and help your body shift into
sleep mode.
• Separate your sleep time from activities that cause
excitement, stress or anxiety.
• You make it easy for yourself.
How
do
we
wake
up
early?
Day
1
Start With Why
Why
did
you
wake
up
this
morning?
Every
time
you
hit
the
snooze
button,
you’re
in
a
state
of
resistance
to
your
day,
to
your
life,
and
to
waking
up
and
creating
the
life
you
say
you
want.
-‐
Hal
Elrod.
A
Change
In
Mindset
Waking up isn’t something you have to do; it’s something
you get to do.
Instead
of
thinking
of
sleep
as
a
necessary
evil,
think
of
it
as
a
valued
commodity
you
invest
in
-‐
Robert
Rosenberg.
Exercises
1. Why do you want to wake up early? What will you
be able to do that you cannot currently do?
2. If you were able to do that, how would it make you
(and others) feel?
3. What is the worst thing that could happen if things
don’t change?
4. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to have it?
To
be
successful,
you
must
decide
exactly
what
you
want
to
accomplish,
then
resolve
to
pay
the
price
to
get
it
-‐
Nelson
Bunker
Hunt.
Day
2
Get Accountable
Anyone
who
has
enjoyed
success
in
life
and
work
has
done
so
because
they
were
accountable
for
their
actions.
What
Is
Accountability?
Accountability is acknowledging and assuming the
responsibility for your actions.
The
Problem?
As children, we didn’t ask for it; we simple abided by it.
Why
Accountability?
Doesn’t let you off the hook.
Exercises
• Hire a coach on [Link], or signup for Stickk or
Beeminder.
• Or, ask a co-worker, family member or friend to hold
you accountable for the next five days and beyond.
• Optional. Introduce stakes.
Day
3
Create a Wind Down Routine
Your
body
needs
time
to
shift
into
sleep
mode.
You
want
to
separate
your
daily
routine
from
your
evening
routine
by
creating
a
wind
down
routine.
You
begin
your
wind
down
routine
by
doing
your
ONE
Habit.
Your
ONE
Habit
is
the
one
behaviour
you
can
do,
such
that
by
doing
it,
everything
else
is
easier
or
unnecessary.
Exercises
• Brainstorm ONE activity you would love to do in
your last hour before bed that (a) doesn’t relate to
work and (b) isn’t on an electronic device.
• Ask yourself, “If I only had one hour a day and no
commitments, what would you do?”
Day
4
Have an Alarm to Trigger Your Evening Routine
Exercises
1. Decide how many hours of sleep you need.
2. Subtract your chosen number from what time you
want to wake up.
3. Subtract one more hour.
4. Set an alarm to trigger your wind down routine.
5. Choose one activity you wrote down yesterday and
commit to it for the next seven days.
Day
5
Redesign Your Environment
Decision
makers
do
not
make
choices
in
a
vacuum.
They
make
them
in
an
environment
where
many
features,
noticed
and
unnoticed,
can
inHluence
their
decisions
-‐
Richard
Thaler.
We
can
be
greatly
inRluenced
by
small
changes
in
the
environment.
Exercises
1. Write down all the activities that are causing you to
stay up past your bedtime.
2. Which 20% of your evening activities is causing
80% of your sleep problems?
3. Redesign your environment so your evening
routine is easier to complete.
4. Leave your mobile phone outside your bedroom.
Day
6
How to Wake Up As Soon As Your Alarm Clock Goes Off
What
does
a
typical
morning
look
like
for
you?
Snoozing
derails
our
day
and
permits
us
to
yield
to
the
easy
thing
instead
of
the
right
thing.
The
Irony
with
Snoozing?
It makes waking up harder.
Exercises
• Write down an activity you’re going to do
immediately after waking up.
• Redesign your environment so the activity is SUPER
SIMPLE to do.
Day
7
How to Build Momentum
Recap
1. You’ve identified your why.
2. You’ve engineered an accountability mechanism.
3. You’ve created a wind down routine.
4. You’ve created a trigger to remind you.
5. You’ve redesigned your environment.
6. You’ve identified one activity to do instead of
snoozing.
Exercises
1. Consider any obstacles that might prevent you
from committing to your new evening routine in the
long-term.
2. Write “implementation intentions”.
3. “If [OBSTACLE], then I will [SOLUTION]”.
Where
Do
We
Go
From
Here?
• Practice. Practice Practice.
• Process. Not product.
• Remember why you’re doing this.
Want
to
Contact
Me?
• Twitter: [Link]/samthomasdavies
• Email: sam@[Link]