1. Set aside a full hour in the evening to unwind. Pretend you have one less hour than you actually do each night. We tend to overestimate how much we can fit into at nignt and we can end up staying up past our bedtime. BAD!
2. Don't close your blinds before bedtime. Leave 'em open then you'll get natural morning light to wake you up the next day. And for winter mornings, try one of those artificial light-emitting boxes that act as a nice bright alarm clock.
3. Reward yourself for getting up. Get up just 15 minutes early and you can ease into the new day...reading the paper, logging on to Facebook or, guys, catching up with a few minutes of "Sportcenter." Then you won't feel so out of it when you rush out the door.
And finally...
4. Exercise early. This is a tough one for those of us that get up crazy early (ie. 3am). I'm more of a 6pm than a 6am guy myself (or 3am in my case). But if you can get out for that power walk before breakfast, you're way ahead of the game.
Oh, and P.S. Listen to Dave and Teri Ann each morning on Soft Rock 98.9 if you can. It'll make you a much better person. And besides, you KNOW it's the right thing to do. (photo from smashmaterials.com)
