What do you think it is?
Smoking cigarettes?
Eating junk food?
Binge-watching Netflix?
All are damaging, yes, but there's one bad habit that is worst than the rest.
Snoozing Your Alarm Clock
"What?!" I hear you scoff. "There's no way that's the worst."
Let me explain.
When you snooze your alarm in the morning, you don't just delay the start of your day.
You set the tone for it.
Because you gave in to that first temptation - to sleep in longer - you're FAR more likely to give in to other bad habits as the day progresses ("I'll just have one more slice of chocolate cake...").
Success breeds success, and momentum is vital in doing so.
If you get up straightaway, you're more likely to exercise, then eat healthily, then make it to work on time, feeling fresh and ready.
If you snooze your alarm, you'll likely rush around haphazardly, upending things, dashing in and out of the shower, forgetting stuff, etc, etc.
And not only that, but snoozing quickly becomes a repeated action.
The longer you do it, the more you condition your brain that it's a normal habit, and the harder it becomes to break.
I'd know; I used to be the WORST at it.
"Just five more minutes, what's the harm in that?"
Then, all of a sudden, forty-five minutes would fly by, and I'd have to rush around to avoid being late.
But snoozing doesn't just ruin your punctuality.
It leaves you feeling sluggish and lethargic, far from an ideal frame of mind for unleashing creativity.
We all know - and hate - that feeling.
And it starts with that almighty battle between you and your alarm clock.
Those who roll out of bed STRAIGHTAWAY feel fresher, more awake, and more productive; it's a fact.
Why?
Because snoozing your alarm clock disrupts healthy sleeping patterns.
Healthy sleeping patterns are essential if you want to improve your physical, mental and spiritual health.
Physically, proper sleep allows our muscle fibres to repair and grow.
Mentally, proper sleep reduces our stress levels.
Spiritually, proper sleep makes us feel sharper, happier, and more grateful.
Firstly, healthy sleeping patterns must be clarified.
They have VERY LITTLE to do with the length of time you spend sleeping, or the period of time you spend sleeping.
With sleep, quantity matters, but not as much as quality; the amount of time you spend in deep sleep determines how beneficial it will be for you.
On average, we get around 1-2 hours of deep sleep per 8 hours, but there are ways to improve that (see Something Extra).
If you can increase the amount of time spent in deep sleep, it's entirely possible to sleep for fewer hours, and still rise feeling rested and raring to go.
It's well known that many successful people (such as Dwayne Johnson, Barack Obama, Rihanna etc) all sleep very little.
Test your own limits, and find out how many hours of high quality, uninterrupted sleep you really need to function.
(And, in case you hadn't already realised, 'snoozing sleep' is neither high quality nor uninterrupted).
Now, about the period of time; you do not HAVE to get up early.
Many successful people choose to, because it makes them feel as though they're outworking everyone else still sleeping, which in turn breeds confidence.
But many will wake up relatively late, and still thrive; take Mark Zuckerburg, who rises around 8am, but is undoubtedly a high-level performing entrepreneur.
Whatever suits your personality, and your lifestyle, is likely the best choice.
This doesn't mean you should sleep for twelve hours every day and lie in until 11am.
That's a lazy, uncommitted choice that will result in dreams dying.
Promise yourself that you will defeat your snoozing habit.
It is hard, and it takes practice, but the more you force yourself out of bed each morning, the easier it becomes.
Don't be an 'alarm clock-sufferer', like so many people in modern society.
So many people are using the current coronavirus situation as an excuse to limp out of doing the work.
If they're working from home, there's no urgency to get up go, so they're snoozing their alarm every morning, then spending all day sat on the sofa, eating shit and watching Netflix.
Fuck that.
Make the most out of this opportunity.
That's right, I said opportunity.
So many people are suffering terribly worldwide, but if you're able to read this, chances are that you aren't one of them.
If the worst of your inconveniences is that you have to stay home, you have nothing to complain about.
When this quarantine ends, they'll be two groups of people who emerge.
There will be those who used their time productively to read, work out, learn a new skill, start a side hustle, and cherish time with their family.
And then there will be those who lazed around and did fuck all.
Which group do you want to be a part of?
ASPIRE FOR MORE.
And remember that You'll Never Walk Alone.
Until the next time...
Alex (N.Y.A.)
Something Extra
How do we improve the quality of our sleep?
How do we stop snoozing our alarms?
If we're going to be rising earlier, or sleeping less, we want to ensure that the hours we do spend resting are as beneficial as possible.
Here's five ways to deal with these everyday problems:
1) Set a Consistent Wake Up Time
No exceptions, INCLUDING weekends or days off (every day feels like that at the moment).
Pick a time you can maintain, and stick to it.
Ideally, you'd go to the bed at the same time every night too, to further establish a regular, healthy sleeping pattern, but that might be more difficult for some, given varying schedules or commitments.
Make sure you turn off all electronics an hour before sleep, and read instead.
Regardless of what you get up to the night before, wake up at that same time the following morning, even if it means only sleeping a few hours (you can always make this up with an afternoon nap, if really needed).
All of this helps to anchor your circadian rhythm, which relies on a consistent routine, and this boosts sleep quality, and makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning.
2) Put Your Alarm Clock Out Of Reach
You might have heard this tip before, but by ensuring that you can't reach your phone (or actual alarm clock, for some of you), you won't be able to quickly press the snooze button and drift back into your lazy slumber.
Give it a try; the piercing noise of your alarm might just bother you out of bed.
3) Vary Your Alarm Clock's Sound
Have you ever slept completely through your alarm clock?
It's a common problem, with a simple cause and a simple solution.
Waking up to the same sound every morning, you eventually become accustomed to the sound, and you can even build up a slight immunity to it.
If that's happened to you, try changing the type of sound on your phone alarm, or buying a new alarm clock.
4) Mel Robbins' 5 Second Rule
Those of you who've been with me from the start of this journey will have heard me mention this before, and it has worked for many people.
It's simple: when your alarm goes off, and you're lying there in bed, count down "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" and then just GO.
The idea is that it stops you from putting off getting up and settling in for another fifteen minutes of useless snooze sleep, and instead creates urgency to force you into action.
Try it for yourself.
5) Get a HUGE FUCKING DREAM
We all know the importance of living with massive dreams.
The biggest ones will drive you out of bed, even when it's cold and rainy outside, but warm and toasty under the covers,
When you having something bigger than just you to Aspire for, you'll notice a change.
You'll become more intense, more urgent, more inspired.
Life takes on a different meaning.
So whether it's buying your parents a house completely outright, or taking a trip around the world to help thousands of people in poorer communities, or living in New York City, find your why.
Forget the alarm clock tricks and sleeping patterns; your Big Dream will drive you out of bed, even when you'd rather do ANYTHING but get up.
Find yours.
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