Pretty crazy, huh?
I didn’t do a magical anti-snooze-button dance. I didn’t pray. I didn't write down all of the reasons why hitting the snooze button was bad for me. I didn’t even consult 3,075 of my closest Facebook friends and post “I’m thinking about trying to stop snoozing in the mornings - what do you think? LOL!” (because we all know that every good Facebook status update needs an LOL to ease tension and promote the right tone).
Nope, I didn’t do any of that. I just decided to change my mindset, and I stopped doing it.
And it feels awesome.
Don’t get me wrong, it still sucks when my body is saying things like, “Yo, Ben. It’s 5:00AM. Why are you awake right now? Slide back into bed and no one will notice. You don’t have to be awake for another 3 hours.”
But instead of snoozing for three hours, I get up.
I tell that little voice in my head to shut up, and I get moving. Each step away from the bed is another step closer to starting my day exactly how I want to start it - on my own terms.
Now if you haven’t known me for awhile, you might be thinking to yourself, “Ben gets up at 5:00AM?! He must be such a morning person!”
False. I am not a morning person.
Before really getting into this 5:00AM groove, I used to take pride in being a night owl. I was the kind of guy who needed to set seven different alarms just to get my butt out of bed before 10AM. And yes, I would snooze-button almost every single one of those suckers.
But now, I’ve changed my mindset. I don’t hit the snooze button anymore.
What made me take control of my mindset?
Well, after reading some really thought provoking books I started to notice a trend.
The highest achievers in the world tend to focus heavily on the things that they can control. Conversely, they don’t care about things that they cannot control. Also, here’s where the highest achievers really get things right:
They focus on things that they can control AND things that matter.
Here’s a great diagram to show you what I mean:
I realized that I tend to have really unproductive days when I get up late. There was always that feeling that I was ‘behind the ball’, living my life on other people's schedules, trying to catch up to the day that I let slip away.
I used to frequently complain and say things like “I’m too busy”, or “I don’t have time for that”, or my favorite: “There just aren’t enough hours in the day!”
I’d say all of those things, portraying myself as a victim. “Woe is me”.
Yet at the same time, I was wasting hours of my life hitting the snooze button - drifting in and out of a sort-of-awake stupor (that isn’t even quality sleep, by the way) before finally getting my ass out of bed.
Oh, and what kept me awake the night before? Netflix. Facebook. Instagram. Obviously…
What does this story have to do with your CrossFit Mindset?
You might be wondering what the heck any of this has to do with your training, or your mindset. Fair enough, hear me out:
There are many aspects of your fitness that you can control. There are also some things that are way more important than others. The most effective athletes are able to figure out the "sweet spot" in the middle - controlling what matters most.
Whether it’s with your alarm clock, or with your training - you must set deadlines and strict requirements with yourself in order to see change.
You cannot declare that you are going to learn double unders and then just sit there thinking about double unders. You need to actually have a plan, set aside the time to work on them, and stick to a program.
Just like saying “I should probably stop hitting the snooze button…” won’t get you anywhere. You must take action, and actively work on your CrossFit mindset.
Set yourself up for success.
If you’re interested, below is exactly how I chose to set myself up for success in order to stop hitting the snooze button:
WODprep’s rules for waking up and taking control of your mindset:
- Set your alarm clock for 5:00AM (note: alarm clock should NOT be on your phone - phone alarms are the reason you keep snoozing! Get a real alarm clock).
- Place the alarm on the other side of the room (or in the hallway, which is what I do).
- Turn off your wifi and cell service on your phone (AKA notification free).
- Plug your phone into the outlet farthest away from your bed.
- Go to sleep - aiming for a full 8 hours.
- When the alarm wakes you up, get out of bed, walk across the room, and turn it off.
- You’re already up. Get out of your bedroom immediately. Start your day. You’ll thank yourself later.
- Begin your morning routine.
So - what do you think? Are you willing to try the #NoSnooze challenge, and stop hitting snooze?
Let’s do it.
Starting TODAY, for the next 30 days, try doing a #NoSnooze challenge. Comment below and let us know how it goes!
You might be surprised how much it changes your life, as well as your training mindset.
It’s time to take control - and make snoozing a thing of the past. 🙂
P.S. - It’s totally up to you, but most weekends I don’t set an alarm clock, which means I get up whenever I want to. But Monday through Friday is always bright and early, 5:00AM.
Ben, question, why 05:00am, and not 06:00am?
I leave for the gym at 5:55am each morning (with my workout buddy). I’ve started to develop the habit of getting up about 1-1.5 hours earlier than I need to so that I can focus on reading, peacefully drinking my morning coffee, and doing some morning stretches 🙂
I am in! I set my alarm for 5.30 every morning and never get out of bed until about 6.40 due to snoozing! Will try to resist the urge to turn it off and go back to sleep!
Sounds like this challenge will be perfect for you. How about setting for 5:30 and getting up at 5:30? It takes about 10 minutes for the suckiness of actually waking up to go away, but I promise it’s worth it!
I failed miserably this morning – forgot to put my phone outside the room last night and snoozed for over an hour. Still managed to get up and get a workout in but finding it so difficult!
I think the rest of my family would kill me in my sleep if I made the alarm a distance from my bed and it wakes them up
Ha! Yes, my wife isn’t a fan. But guess what? I get up REALLY quickly now!
I am in! Is the idea that we would post a picture every morning we get up without hitting snooze?
Bingo! We just want to add a social element to help hold everyone accountable. 🙂
Thanks for the article Ben – I love getting up early as you get so much done at that time of day.
My little tip – rather than put my iPhone into aeroplane mode, I set the “Do Not Disturb” feature (8.30pm to 7am everyday). This way no notifications/calls come through during that time except calls from the few people in my favourites list – these will break through (in case of emergency or whatever).
Android phones have the same feature.
Never in a million years did I think I’d be a “morning person” one day, but I love it.
I remember reading about this last year when you started. I did the same and it was awesome but the last month I’ve gotten lazy so this couldn’t have come at a better time for me!
Glad to hear it, Tanya! Get back on that #NoSnooze train and you’ll start feeling a whole lot less lazy 🙂
Totally agree. The “I can’t wake up” app changed my life so I can’t hit the snooze and make it to the gym by 5:30… https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kog.alarmclock&hl=en_US
[…] Each night write down the exact time you’re finally laying in bed with electronics completely off. If you haven’t already, read my article about how I stopped hitting the snooze button, forever […]
[…] No TV, No Phone, No Reading Chairs, No Night Light. Just a bed. When you walk into your bedroom, your body should be conditioned to think: “Finally, Sleep Time!” […]
[…] also used to be a serial snoozer but after taking tips from Ben, I plugged my phone in across the room so that when my alarm when off I had no choice but to get […]
Ben, I am a morning person and don’t ever hardly worry about not getting up. For me, it is all a mindset. Decide ahead of time you will be getting up, and your are right: Get 8 hours of sleep before your “early” get-up. By the way, I signed up for your Muscle Up course because I wanted (desperately) to learn how to get my first MU after trying on my own for a few months. After about 60 days I got my first one! (I put the video up on your MU site). Two weeks later I strung together a continuous five (5) in a row! I put the video up for all of you to see! I got some good on-line coaching along the way, but the videos were “golden”, especially when I played them in slow motion. I will be 71 years old in 3 months. So, I got my first Muscle Up and my string of 5 unbroken MU’s at the age of 70 years. Nothing is impossible. I signed up for the Shoulder ROM because my shoulders ached a bit while doing the MU practice. I have previewed the Shoulder ROM course, but not actually followed it rigorously as yet. Soon! However, I have been doing the shoulder flexibility exercises I saw in the preview and already my “aching” is much better. Some of this is age-related with my shoulder aches, but I want to avoid any mobility loss by rigorously doing the course. Finally, I did sign up for the Walking on my Hands course. How cool will that be when I can walk 20 paces on my hands and show off to my grandkids!! If I have learned to Muscle Up, I know I can conquer walking on my hands. Thanks for your great training. Who’d have thought a 70-year old great-grandfather could learn to do the very first muscle up of his life, then 2 weeks later get 5 muscle up’s in a row without stopping! You guys are dynamite with your teaching instruction, on-line coaching, and those good-quality videos where a person can just click the STOP button every split-second if you want to, and really see the fine detail of where you need to have your body in order to be successful in this training.
Ben, I agree that getting up early is a mindset! I would just emphasize that getting my 8 hours of sleep every night makes the getting up easier. I signed up for your Muscle Up course after trying for a few months to get my first one on my own with no success. After about 60 days I got my first Bar Muscle Up. Then, 2 weeks later after some good on-line coaching, and really watching the videos you made in slow-motion I was able to put together an unbroken string of 5 BMU’s in a row. I posted the video of my first-ever-in-my-life BMU on the WOD website. Then, after I got the string of 5 unbroken Bar Muscle Up’s in a row, I also posted it on-line for the coaches comments. I will be 71 years old in 3 months. So, I got my first BMU as well as an unbroken string of 5 BMU’s at the age of 70 years. I have signed up for the Shoulder ROM course because my shoulders ached a bit from the BMU work. Part of that ache is no doubt age-related. But I will finish the Shoulder ROM course because I do not want to lose shoulder mobility. Also, I signed up for the Walking on Hands course. If I can do the Muscle Up’s there is no doubt in my mind I can learn to do hand walking. How cool will it be when I can show my grandchildren I can walk 20 paces on my hands??!!! (Actually, I am a great-grandfather). Thanks, Ben, for the great videos, on-line coaching, and training. You guys are “Golden”!
LOVE it Gary – thanks so much for sharing! Glad to hear you’re still making progress and getting after it! Let us know if you need anything at all.
I get it…I do…it’s funny to me. I’ve never hit a snooze button. I’m up every day between 4:30 a.m. 5 a.m. It becomes a habit after years of routine. I don’t use an alarm. Now…my wife…thats another story…LOL
I think you wrote this for me. I have gotten into hitting the snooze way too frequently. Then you added the statement about double unders. Well no snooze this am at 4 and I am wanting to purchase the double under course today also.
Hey Kevin – glad you enjoyed the ready! Here is the link to our WODprep courses:
https://wodprep.com/courses/
I’m in! I snoozed for 2 hrs today 🙁 I just spent 4 days in the Boundary Waters and I could get up early without any alarm, but one day back in civilization and I’m snoozing again. Maybe I should live in a tent :). I’ll get the alarm clock set up and move my phone charger and report back in September.
Let us know how it goes!
My alarm is set for 6:10 am to try getting 6hrs off sleep! That’s also because, our box first work out is at 5:30am and no way I’m making that one!!!!!!