Ask HN: What gets you out of bed?
40 comments
I don't use an alarm clock, I just go to bed early and wake up in time...
But in periods when I've really had trouble with getting up, the core problem hasn't been physically awakening my brain, it's been that as soon as I woke up I knew there was just boring miserable shit all day to look forward to, so I was likely to just snooze.
In those periods, I discovered that the only effective way to get my brain going enough to understand the rational course of action (getting up & showered), was to have something fun within reach -- my computer, usually.
So I'd wake up at the first ring of my phone alarm, then flip up my laptop and read some Reddit or whatever.
If I really needed an exceptionally effective alarm clock, I'd want something that maybe starts talking for five minutes about something interesting, or prompts me with some captivating question, or shows me a gallery of cool pictures, or something.
But in periods when I've really had trouble with getting up, the core problem hasn't been physically awakening my brain, it's been that as soon as I woke up I knew there was just boring miserable shit all day to look forward to, so I was likely to just snooze.
In those periods, I discovered that the only effective way to get my brain going enough to understand the rational course of action (getting up & showered), was to have something fun within reach -- my computer, usually.
So I'd wake up at the first ring of my phone alarm, then flip up my laptop and read some Reddit or whatever.
If I really needed an exceptionally effective alarm clock, I'd want something that maybe starts talking for five minutes about something interesting, or prompts me with some captivating question, or shows me a gallery of cool pictures, or something.
The neighborhood squirrel serenades the sunrise each morning as a sort of mammalian metronome for about an hour, filling me with questions about rhythmic chanting and the mammal brain. It's like a 60 decibel woodblock, only three octaves higher. That wakes me up. I don't recommend it for your alarm clock app.
Money, glory, and fun actually get me out of bed.
Money, glory, and fun actually get me out of bed.
That squirrel sounds incredibly motivated. Would love to hear what that sounds like.
then maybe the app should pay you, complement you, then tell you a joke? :)
Getting to the office before everyone else, for two reasons:
- It is quiet. Most of my coworkers get in between 9:30 and 10:00, so if I'm here at 8:30, I get a solid hour to handle the administrivia part of my job - emails, daily task sorting, etc.
- I get to leave earlier. I like to have my afternoons, so if I'm in early, I get to take off early. This is not set in stone solid, and I can always take off if I absolutely have to (or work from home), but for the day to day, if I'm in at 8:30, I'm out at 4:30, and that lets me have time to handle my personal stuff, beat traffic, run errands, anything.
- It is quiet. Most of my coworkers get in between 9:30 and 10:00, so if I'm here at 8:30, I get a solid hour to handle the administrivia part of my job - emails, daily task sorting, etc.
- I get to leave earlier. I like to have my afternoons, so if I'm in early, I get to take off early. This is not set in stone solid, and I can always take off if I absolutely have to (or work from home), but for the day to day, if I'm in at 8:30, I'm out at 4:30, and that lets me have time to handle my personal stuff, beat traffic, run errands, anything.
My secret to getting out of bed: I sleep with socks on!
I find it's also much easier to get out of bed when you know what you need to accomplish and what's on your agenda for the day. A sense of urgency is a great motivator.
I find it's also much easier to get out of bed when you know what you need to accomplish and what's on your agenda for the day. A sense of urgency is a great motivator.
Having something on my agenda rather makes me not go to bed :P. But yes, that is indeed a good one that I hadn't thought of. In hindsight I notice I've often woken up more easily because of something cool on my agenda rather than the daily routine, so it might be something to practice.
I've found a similar effect when needing to wake up super early to catch a flight. By laying out what I'm going to wear the night before it's much easier to get started when I'm still half-asleep.
I'll have to try socks next time :)
I'll have to try socks next time :)
Fwiw, sleeping with socks on also helps you get a better nights sleep.
Usually my wife.
She uses some sort of fitness wrist-thing to wake up - maybe a Jawbone? I love it, because there's no more harsh alarm noise - no noise at all, usually, although sometimes I can hear it buzz a wee bit.
She uses some sort of fitness wrist-thing to wake up - maybe a Jawbone? I love it, because there's no more harsh alarm noise - no noise at all, usually, although sometimes I can hear it buzz a wee bit.
The Fitbit Flex does that too. I just got mine today and I'm counting the hours till tomorrow morning to test it. I want to try being more of a morning person but I don't want to disturb the wife getting up too early.
Early Morning Meetings. If I know I HAVE to get out of bed I will get up. If not I will snooze for longer than I would like.
Additional motivators:
1. Light - Before bed I open all the curtains
2. Tasks - I lay out all my tasks the night before. Less stress thinking about all the things I have to do. Wunderlist everything and then stop stressing.
3. Fun First - I try to put a fun task at the top of the list each morning. Makes it fun to get up.
4. Alarm not near bed - Having the alarm away from the bed I have to get up to turn it off. Once I'm up and moving I rarely feel the need to get back into bed.
Additional motivators:
1. Light - Before bed I open all the curtains
2. Tasks - I lay out all my tasks the night before. Less stress thinking about all the things I have to do. Wunderlist everything and then stop stressing.
3. Fun First - I try to put a fun task at the top of the list each morning. Makes it fun to get up.
4. Alarm not near bed - Having the alarm away from the bed I have to get up to turn it off. Once I'm up and moving I rarely feel the need to get back into bed.
great tactics. thanks!
I park my car on a parking spot that isn't free. If I don't get up before 9 I usually get fined.
I think it's interesting that so many comments on here are about setting up a scenario where you'll be embarrassed or fined if you don't get up.
I guess it comes down to trying to plan logically the day before vs. being too tired to care when the alarm goes off. Reminds me of the extreme where your alarm starts sending money to a political party you don't like if you hit snooze. :)
I guess it comes down to trying to plan logically the day before vs. being too tired to care when the alarm goes off. Reminds me of the extreme where your alarm starts sending money to a political party you don't like if you hit snooze. :)
My son (nearly three), usually around 6am. If I don't bounce out of need the instant he opens our bedroom door, he'll wake the baby and her mother, and both will be grumpy for the rest of the day! I love it because then we get to build something with Lego's for an hour before we have to get ready for kindergarten.
My eldest (4) woke me at about 6am this morning poking one of my iPads in my face, he'd started YouTube and was asking how he could watch Spiderman on it.
What got me out of bed was the thought of what he'd watch after the first video.
What got me out of bed was the thought of what he'd watch after the first video.
I've been doing web businesses since I was about 16, circa 1996. I didn't particularly like computers growing up, but when I got introduced to the web, it struck me like a bolt of lightning. I saw the web as an unlimited global canvas that I could build anything on. Webchat Broadcasting! AltaVista and HotBot! Netscape! Yahoo! Geocities! Quake online! Porn! It was all so exciting to a teenager. If I had an idea, I could immediately go to work on it. That's what I still love about the web today, and that's what gets me out of bed in the morning (so to speak). I usually have a lot of things I want to work on when I go to sleep, and so inevitably I wake up with my brain on fire, eager to build.
Body clock. I am up at 6 everyday and go to bed at around 10pm or so. I then proceed to my favorite activity - bug the wife till she wakes up :p.
It's interesting now that I think about it because I used to be totally a night person not too long ago.
It's interesting now that I think about it because I used to be totally a night person not too long ago.
The more I have to do, the more motivated I am. If I know I have a few tasks to do, but no actual appointments or deadlines, it's pretty hard to get out of the bed. I need stress to be productive.
I love the mornings and embracing the day. I try to imagine Rafael Nadal's bull run from the net to the baseline at the beginning of his matches, and try to match that energy and excitement for the day. Usually springing out of bed.
I like challenges, like workouts, in the morning as well. If I overcome stuff in the morning, before I start my day, chances are I will have a productive day.
I like challenges, like workouts, in the morning as well. If I overcome stuff in the morning, before I start my day, chances are I will have a productive day.
A few things that get me out of bed in the morning:
* Looking forward to spending time with my children ( post work, or all day on weekends )
* Known exactly what I have to accomplish that day ( task breakdown )
* Exercise, I really enjoy known that I'll have time to workout, this goes with having a schedule.
* Interesting problems to solve at work ( related to task breakdown I suppose )
* Looking forward to spending time with my children ( post work, or all day on weekends )
* Known exactly what I have to accomplish that day ( task breakdown )
* Exercise, I really enjoy known that I'll have time to workout, this goes with having a schedule.
* Interesting problems to solve at work ( related to task breakdown I suppose )
I'm using Sleep Cycle on my iPhone and it works like a charm actually. Downside is that you should keep it in bed so it can measure your sleep, but the vibration of my phone and alarm sounds are always on the right time. It's my only alarm, in stead of the 7 alarms I used before (at the same time!)
Girlfriend and child - wakes me right up.
Just curious, does that motivate you and put you in a good mood?
If not, are there other ways you wake up that put you in a productive mindset?
If not, are there other ways you wake up that put you in a productive mindset?
My answer is "a toddler", which, before having one, would have sounded like a nightmare to me (not a morning person). It turns out having a little person who is so ridiculously happy to see me puts me in a pretty good mood.
Throughout winter, a light+radio alarm clock, something like: Philips-Hf3470
Since recently, a recorded motivational message: http://blog.wojt.eu/post/51792538207/get-your-custom-motivat...
Since recently, a recorded motivational message: http://blog.wojt.eu/post/51792538207/get-your-custom-motivat...
reminds me of this guy who uses two alarms; one set to go off quietly a few minutes before the loud alarm.
http://veenix.blogspot.com/2005/10/alarm-clocks-are-bad-how-...
http://veenix.blogspot.com/2005/10/alarm-clocks-are-bad-how-...
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Yeah I'm planning to create one long alarm mp3. It'd start with ambient sounds of slowly increasing volume, then some motivational recording reminding me of my resolutions. Finally plain old annoying alarm.
That I will return from work eventually back to my personal projects, reading and writing.
For the past couple months I've made it a point to read the news when I get up to get the gears turning.
On one level it's great, but at the same time it's often distracting relative to sitting down and being productive.
On one level it's great, but at the same time it's often distracting relative to sitting down and being productive.
I wish my project management system (currently getblimp.com) had a way for you to sync the alarm clock with it. So I would get daily alarms on important things. Why don't you give your app an api?
Wake up
Glass of luke warm water with a splash of lemon juice in it. 20 slow pushups
Shower.
Coffee.
Wake up daughter and chat to her about the dreams she had last night :)
Working on a product for developers that they love to use.
Does that literally wake you up? Or is that more of a motivator once you're up and moving?
Not the OP, but once I was promoted to lead developer for the flagship app of the company I worked for and that was quite efficient in making me wanting to get to the office before everyone.
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I have to work 9 hours/day. So if I get out of the bed late I will have to come from office late in the night which I definitely not want.
100mg of caffeine (half a nodoz) taken 30 minutes before I need to get up. I set alarms for both events, but rarely need the second one.
sleep as android + qr code in kitchen ( Not affiliated, I am just a happy user, now having two hours more in the morning to do something I want to/need to.)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid...
1 kids. 2 dog. If you can make your alarm clock jump up and down on my bed and/or lick my face, it's a winner.
I lay in bed thinking about the day's tasks until I feel motivated to get up & start on one of them.
Usually a stretch and a phone check followed by another stretch does the job.
Alarm --> email and google reader check. GR soon to be Feedly =/
Coffee & cigarettes
(Mistakenly) thinking that I've overslept.
The fire alarm in my dorm, today...
BLACK METAL
My stomach ...
a quote of jim rohn
I had serious trouble getting up in college. Someone had given me a bizarre stereo that had an alarm clock that would set off the turntable. I would put Back in Black on vinyl set very loud as the alarm. Once I heard the crackle and high hat count in I knew if I did not get up before the first bar chord I would aggravate quite a few people. Needless to say it never got to the bar chord. :)
That's awesome. Playing a card from the psychology deck and making it embarrassing if you don't get up in time. :)
+1 for having Back in Black on vinyl.
+1 for having Back in Black on vinyl.
5-hour energy.
I'm not joking. Slam one of those right after you wake up and you'll have a really productive first few hours of your day and over time will start to look forward to getting out of bed because of the near-instant high it gives you.
I'm not joking. Slam one of those right after you wake up and you'll have a really productive first few hours of your day and over time will start to look forward to getting out of bed because of the near-instant high it gives you.
Do you slam it while still in bed? or after you're up an moving.
I find that the small gap between in-bed and out-of-bed is the crux of getting up.
I find that the small gap between in-bed and out-of-bed is the crux of getting up.
Easy now, even the manufacturer doesn't recommend a full bottle for regular use.
It contains the same caffeine as a cup of coffee, but costs $3USD instead of $0.10.
It contains the same caffeine as a cup of coffee, but costs $3USD instead of $0.10.
Coffee or another stimulant would have a similar result. No argument there. 5-hour energy just has the advantage of being so concentrated and so fast acting. It's very different from drinking a cup of coffee (unless you can mainline your coffee somehow, which I've never tried).
If I have too much money in the bank, I will not get out of bed. So being poor would help.
Once I hit a certain savings threshold, I quit my job because I know the whole (my bank account) is greater than the sum of its parts (putting up with horrible software shops)
Then...I do it all over again.
Once I hit a certain savings threshold, I quit my job because I know the whole (my bank account) is greater than the sum of its parts (putting up with horrible software shops)
Then...I do it all over again.
> I know the whole (my bank account) is greater than the sum of its parts (putting up with horrible software shops)
I think the saying you're looking for is actually "the ends don't justify the means".
I think the saying you're looking for is actually "the ends don't justify the means".
What do HN readers do to get motivated and start the day awesomely when working on a startup?
Full disclosure: I'm asking because we want to make our startup's alarm clock app better. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chaoscollective.warmly