You’ve heard it a million times: the early bird catches the worm.  I’m here to reiterate that it’s true.  For all of you that relish sleeping in at any chance you get, you’re going to have to change your routine if you’re serious about increasing your overall productivity.  It is going to take a while to get accustomed to rising early, but that’s only half the battle.  The next step is making use of these waking hours.  Here are five steps you need to take to becoming a morning person:

1. Eliminate late-night distractions.  If you’re someone that stays up and watches meaningless television shows then you’re going to have to learn to cut this out.  Even if you must watch this late-night garbage then you’re going to have to get TiVo.  Staying up late for no good reason will keep you from ever getting into the routine you need to becoming a morning person.
2. Pick a bedtime and stick to it.  Select a time every night that you’re going to turn in and make that your permanent bedtime.  If you start varying your sleep pattern you’re never going to get comfortable with waking up early.  If seven hours is what you need then plan accordingly.
3. Reward yourself in the morning.  Chances are that, if you were a late riser, you were always in a rush to get out the door and on your way to work.  Now that you’re going to be getting up earlier you’ll have time to fit in a personal reward.  Listen to your favorite radio show while you’re getting ready.  Take an extra long shower.  Here’s the ultimate reward: go for a jog or do your other exercises.  This last idea will take a long time to get acclimated to, but will become your obsession.
4. Ease into your routine.  Nobody is expecting you to change overnight; no pun intended.  Seriously, ease into this experiment by waking up 20 minutes earlier everyday for a week.  Keep it up on the weekends and wake up at the same time.  On the following Monday, wake up 20 minutes earlier and so on.
5. Think positively and you’ll act positively.  If you’ve never been a morning person, you’re going to have a hard time getting on board with this whole idea.  You can’t bash the idea to your friends and family by acting like it’s impossible.  Keep the previous tip in mind and, as with anything, doing it in moderation will contribute to your success.

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This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of Citi Reward Programs. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

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