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 Coach.me, 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: www.twitter.com/samthomasdavies
• Email: sam@samuelthomasdavies.com