Hacks to wake up early every day

Most of us want to wake up early. But we find it difficult to do the same. We use different methods and techniques. Some people succeed and some do not. I have been trying to wake up on or before 5:00AM every morning for the last 1 month or so. And I have been pretty successful. No matter how my day has been, the latest I woke up has been at 5:20AM. In 90% of the days, I have been waking up at 5:00AM or earlier. Here are some of the hacks that have really helped me wake up early in the morning.

1. If you have a strong why, the how becomes easy::

Have a reason or a purpose for waking up early. Have a very clearly defined life goal. You should believe that the goal is achievable. Then, tie up the goal to your waking up by defining recurring actions that will help achieve your goals. This will give a meaning for waking up early. Your waking up early will have a purpose. You will know exactly why you are waking up early and what exactly you have to do after you wake up. This leads to the next hack.

2. Develop a Morning Ritual::

As soon as you wake up, follow a set of activities that will contribute to your long term goals. A morning routine may consist of making your bed, preparing and drinking tea, doing meditation, practicing affirmations, visualizations, reviewing your long term goals, setting up daily goals that supports the long term goals, reading some inspirational books, going for a work out, having a good breakfast, etc. Apart from the benefits that these rituals have, they help in waking up early in an interesting way. Create a checklist with each of these rituals on a daily basis. You can use an excel spreadsheet for the same. Give 1 point to each of these rituals. Add the totals to find the daily score. Keep the score for a month. This will help you invoke the competitive spirit within you and try to score more points each day trying to better your own score.

3. Leverage Social Media::

Create a social network group in whatsapp or Facebook with like-minded people who want to wake up early. Announce your goals to this group publicly. Then support and encourage others in the group to wake up early. Other group members will also encourage you when you succeed and support you whenever you fail. You can ask any questions related to waking up, sleep and post other motivational quotes and posters to the group. Read as many inspirational articles on waking up early, it's benefits, motivational videos and other hacks to keep yourself motivated. Post your daily wake up time to this group. Ask other members to do the same. 

4. Develop a Bed Time Ritual::

A typical person needs 7-8 hours sleep every night. Plan your time to sleep accordingly.  Do  not watch television or use mobile or laptop at least for an hour before bedtime. Eat a light dinner. Make the room dark and use a mildly fragrant room freshener. Then go to sleep. While sleeping, think about the ritual that you have to complete the next morning. This will help put you to sleep quickly and you wake up early, fully rested. 

5. Be Prepared::

This is difficult. This requires consistent effort and loads of patience. You can be sure that you will not be able to achieve your goals of waking up early every day. Some days you will get up late. But don't lose heart. Introspect why you slept late and attack the cause. Try again the next day. One day it will be effortless. 

6. Set Alarm ::

Last but most important, do not forget to set up the alarm. I typically set up 2 alarms, 10 minutes apart, so that, even if I snooze it once, I will wake up the second time. 

These are some of my tips to wake up early. Your life will change if you establish this habit. This is a Keystone habit as many other good habits depends upon this one. 

All the very best for your life changing journey!

The Element - Book Review

Today I finished reading ‘The Element – How finding your passion changes everything’. Before I do my first book review, let me tell you how I came to know about Sir Ken Robinson, the author of this book. I like to watch TED talks on Youtube. As one watches one talk after another, more talks are suggested by youtube. One such suggestion was ‘Do Schools Kill Creativity’. This was a TED talk given by Sir Ken Robinson in 2006. Sir Ken Robinson is a British born Educationist who is now living in the USA. His life work is in the area of public education.

In the book, ‘The Element’, Sir Ken Robinson gives persuasive stories and examples of how finding ones’ passion and pursuing the same, can catapult one to the heights of fame, or if not face, heights of satisfaction. He gives numerous real life stories of actors, dancers, writers, painters, musicians, entrepreneurs and even from his own life to show how these people found their passion and excelled in their chosen field.

Most of the book is then filled with examples like this:

XYZ was a very average child in his school. Most of his teachers in school had written him off. Somehow someone found that this child has a particular streak in him. He encouraged him to pursue that field of work. The boy found it very satisfying and slowly more and more opportunities came along the way. Finally, he turned out to be this great musician or painter or dancer that he is today. 

In this book, he defines something called as ‘The Element’. The Element, according to him is the meeting point of aptitude and passion. When a person is in his element, he loves what he is doing and in doing it, he feels he is in his authentic self. Then, he feels that time passes differently, he feels more alive, centered and vibrant!

I think this is very similar to What Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described as The Flow.

Sir Ken Robinson says that the Element is different for everyone and each one has to find it for himself. The Element has 2 main features and 2 main conditions.  The features are aptitude and passion. The conditions are attitude and opportunity. Only when the 4 meet together, then one can identify his element. Further, he defines a sequence that goes like this - I get it (Aptitude) ; I love it (Passion) ; I want it (Attitude) ; Where is it (Opportunity)? When all these are met in a particular field of work or activity, one finds his element. He says to be in the Zone is to be in the deep heart of the element.

One of the biggest impediment to the Element is ‘What will people think’.  This is what stops people from going forward and pursuing their passion. He talks about finding the tribe, or the people with similar interests is of paramount importance to sustain and nurture the element. He goes on to describe an important and very common factor among all people who have found their element – Everyone had a mentor. A mentor can have any of the 4 roles – Mentor brings recognition. Mentor brings encouragement. Mentor facilitates growth by giving advice/tips. Mentor stretches and pushes the mentee beyond his limits. Again, the author has substantiated each of these with examples and stories.

In the rest of the book, he discusses if someone does it for money (as a professional) or for the love of it (as an amateur). Again, he says, many people who have found their element have taken it as their vocation. But he gives some examples of people who found their element in their hobbies. They do not pursue it for their livelihood. He states that such people are quite satisfied and also perform well in their day jobs because they have an overall sense of fulfillment. And in some case, a transformation happens, wherein an amateur becomes a professional.

Towards the end of the book, he becomes quite pedantic as he describe what ails our education system and various models. He discusses a Reggio School model which is interesting. His main case is that the current education system which tries to compartmentalize and standardize everything does not nurture creativity. It rather stifles the same. At the end, he exhorts the readers to discover their own element.

I liked the book very much. Apart from the concepts that I have mentioned earlier, some new learning for me which standout are 1) one can try to find one’s element by checking which activity or field of work are the 2 features and 2 conditions satisfied, 2) find a tribe in that field and 3) get oneself a mentor in that field.  The numerous stories and anecdotes in the book can keep you engaged and motivated. Overall it is a good read. I would recommend it to you!

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

Kayaking at Hussain Sagar – My adventures in the water

Face your Fears. And what could be more fearsome than some adventurous water sports for a person who does not know how to swim. 

The planning started the night before. I had seen a post in meetup from GHAC regarding a kayaking opportunity some time back. I wanted to experience it and the next day being a Saturday, I thought it could be the perfect way to spend my morning. I registered for the same, tossed a pair of shorts and T shirt into my backpack, set the alarm at 5:00AM and went to sleep early. In the morning, when the alarm rang, I woke up and finished my morning routine. I had planned to start around 7:30 to reach the place by 8:00. But since there was an early morning errand that I had to do, I started around 7:00. Finished the errand and was on my way to Hussain Sagar.

Driving in a Saturday winter morning in the long Christmas weekend at Hyderabad is sheer pleasure. The population in this city comprises of many IT migrants. Thus, you can be sure that on a long weekend, half of the city has gone out somewhere. This in fact is a boon to those who stay back. On such a day, one can finally see how wide the roads in Hyderabad are. There is no encroachment of roads by any vendors or pedestrians or stationary vehicles. You can drive in peace in the top gear, without any noise or smoke in your face. The cool weather is an added bonus. For someone who is used to drive at 20kmph maximum speed in the city traffic, a traffic free road is like sheer heaven.

The Hussain Sagar lake, an artificial lake in the centre of Hyderabad was built in 1562. It is spread across an area of 5.7 square kilometers and is fed by River Musi. There is a beautiful boulevard called the necklace road that which connects NTR Gardens to Sanjeevaiah Park. There are many public green spaces, beautiful lawns, parks, restaurants  and recreation facilities and good views of the city of Hyderabad that line up along this boulevard. These are some of the pride of Hyderabad.

My destination was Sanjeevaiah park, which is one such parks dedicated to Damodaram Sanjivayya, a former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. I cruised along the necklace road and reached my destination. After buying a morning walker ticket for Rs 5, I went inside the park. Built on 92 acres (37 ha) along the banks of Hussain Sagar lake, Sanjeevaiah park won the Best Open Landscape Award during the 2010 Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage award presentations.

At 8:00 in the morning, there was an unusually sharp chillness in the air. There were few people going in and coming out of the park. They were morning walkers and those who wanted to do some exercise in the fresh air. The chirping of the birds could be heard all over.

There is something serene and peaceful about Old parks, that I love. I think parks are like wine. The older they are, the more curated they are, the better they are. New parks somehow do not have the grace and serenity of the old, well maintained ones. Sanjeevaiah park is one such park that has a grace and charm of its own.

The first thing that strikes you when you enter the park is the greenery. There are tall trees which line up the walk way. Then there is a smooth coating of clean and uncluttered green grass towards your side and beds of colorful flowers arranged neatly in the distance. The morning sun was spreading its golden light all over the park and one could feel the warming effect of the dappled light between trees against the chill air. The early morning sun light rendered a bright yellow hue on the green grass and the trees.

My thoughts went back to the parks that I have seen in Australia and Europe. I felt really good that we have such a beautiful park here in Hyderabad. And I was also ashamed that after having spent almost 10 winters in Hyderabad, I had never visited this place earlier.

I walked further down crossing morning walkers and joggers who were doing their constitutionals. I saw a tall bearded young man who was doing head stands on the lawn. Some places in the lawn, I could see white egrets, moving solo or in groups. They seemed to be feasting on the insects in the grass. On my left, I could see the waters of the lake. In fact, Sanjeevaiah park is like a small peninsula, a small land mass protruding into the water body. I had to cross the park completely to come to the end where my destination for the morning was.

Finally I came to a place where there was a very broad iron gate. Behind the gate, was a large shipping container painted green, with some posters and pictures pasted on its wall. It announced – ‘The Yacht Club of Hyderabad’.  

I went inside the gate and to the front of the container and then discovered that the container was in fact a make shift locker room. A narrow strip of land extended in front of it, all the way till a small concrete watch tower. There were yachts and boats of various shapes that were stacked on the strip. I could get a great view of the Hussain Sagar lake from there. Many water birds were peacefully floating in the water. There was a strong breeze and the atmosphere was very serene. There were some folks kayaking and some other milling around. I was anticipating a good experience!

Further down the strip, there were 2 men who were seated on white plastic chairs. They had a white plastic table in front of them with some papers on it. I checked in with them. They already had my details from the payment gateway where I had made the advance payment. I paid the rest of the amount. They gave me an instruction and disclaimer sheet to read and sign. They asked me if I was a swimmer or non-swimmer and gave me a red hand band as a non-swimmer to put on and a food token.

They told the locker room is behind and asked me to change into shorts and remove my shoes. Back in the locker room, I stashed my phone, wallet, car keys, bag, changed into shorts and walked back near the jetty.

There was an instructor who helped me put on the safety life jacket. You have to wear it as a normal jacket and zip it in front. There is a thigh and a chest strap which has to be fastened. It was very tight initially, but then he helped me loosen it and make it a comfortable fit. I learnt that the jacket can support weight up to 130 Kg. It seemed to be filled with some light material like foam which increased the volume. I felt bulked up. This I guess works on the Archimedes principle displacing more weight of water than its own weight, thus keeping it floating.

Having worn the jacket, we were instructed on the various parts of the paddle and the kayak. I do not remember all the names. But the critical thing was that there is a mark in the paddle which you have to have in your right hand. They told us how to hold it and how to paddle, how to maneuver, etc.

Then, we were told how to sit in the kayak. They were long triyaks, meaning it could hold 3 people. Each of them had a coach and 2 other learners. The coach sat in the back. I was supposed to sit in the middle. It was a bit of an experience getting into the Kayak. The kayak was bit unstable in the water and once you put your feet, it felt as if it would topple.  So, one has to be a bit careful while going in. The instructor help people get in. Since I sat in the front in my next round, I felt that sitting in the front is a bit more comfortable than in the back. There is more leg space in front. In the back, you have to keep the legs raised high on the sides of the front rower. This makes it an uncomfortable position for the uninitiated.

Once you sit comfortably, they will hand you the paddles. The coach sitting at the back will shout commands, left, left, left, right, left, right. This means you have to paddle on that side. It is very important to synchronize between the three. So basically, the first rower has to be followed. Again, if you sit in the front, it is easier as you don’t have to follow anyone but others follow you. While sitting in the middle, I was time and again told by my coach that I was not following the first. Since we had to paddle hard, I did not have time to look at the expanse of the lake. I was focusing on the paddles. Though I had some fear before going into it, I didn’t actually felt nervous.

Anyways, we went to a blue mark in the lake about 125 meters from the jetty. There he told us how to turn around. If you have to turn right, you have to paddle on the left only and vice versa. Again, we paddled hard and came back towards the jetty. My thighs started becoming sore by being in the uncomfortable position. My partner was very enthused and wanted to go for another round. I also agreed and we went for the second round. By the time we returned back to the jetty, I was tired! More than that, I was feeling very thirsty. I must have been in water for a maximum of 20 minutes by then.

So, I alighted and took rest.

Suddenly, I saw another person coming towards me fully drenched. Upon inquiring, I found that their kayak capsized and he was rescued.

I took some rest, had water and again went in to another kayak. This time I choose to sit in front. It was quite comfortable. In fact, while sitting in middle I thought the person at front will have to see the entire lake and that would be scary. But it was actually not so. We kayaked for some distance and then I felt my partner who was perched in the middle not paddling. I asked him what happened. He said back pain and he gave up. So, I and the coach, both of us paddled back to the jetty.

I enjoyed while paddling this time. I had learnt the trick. I knew that you have to put the whole paddle inside the water and pull it with all your strength, left side and then right side. It was great to move in the water like this. The water was splashing and wet my legs and some on my face. But that was ok.

Back at the jetty, the breakfast was ready. Hot idli, chutney and sambhar were served to all. After all the hard work, it was delicious. It was around 9:30 and being hungry since morning, I could have had much more than the 4 pieces that were served. That followed by a cup of tea.

I met Suheim Sheikh, the founder of the Yacht club. He explained all the activities that they do there including supporting under privileged children learn sailing. There were many sailing and kayaking course that they offered. He said that this was an expensive sport but it is a rewarding one. And as per him, Hyderabad yacht club is one of the best in the country.

Post the breakfast and chitchat, there was to be a kayak race. I was hesitating to take part. But the in the last moment, I joined. There were 16 participants and we made teams of 4. Our team was led by Gautam, a boy of about 11 or 12 who was one of the coach. The first pair from our team went in. They came back first. Then I and another guy went in. Again I was in the middle as he went in first. We started strong. Gautam was prodding us to go faster and faster. Somewhere something happened and in the next moment, the kayak capsized. I could not understand what went wrong. Suddenly, I found myself in the cold water. I went face down. But the life jacket helped me stay afloat. I did not panic. That was the first instruction that was given to us earlier. Then I tried to roll myself up to face upwards. I saw all the 3 of us in water. The coach asked me to hold the kayak that was toppled over. By that time, the rescue guys had spotted us and within minutes they arrived near us. First they lifted up my partner. Then someone asked my specs and I gave it to him. They asked me to move to the side of the rescue boat. Then they held me by the jacket and pulled me out of the water on to the boat. It was over in matter of minutes.  I was shivering in the cold. They asked me if I had drank any water and I replied in negative. The rescue boat took us safely to the jetty where we alighted. Having fallen down from the kayak and being rescued from the water, I completed the full experience of kayaking!

That was the end of my adventure! Wow, what a day it was!

Then there was a sailing offer using sail boats. Though I wanted to try that, I was not carrying enough money. Anyways, it had already been a marvelous experience and I did not want an overload of adventure for one day. It was great fun and exercise. This will remain as a good memory with me. I would recommend you all to spend at least one of your weekend morning trying this out. You will feel refreshed, energetic and earn some bragging rights!

And the sailing will be done some other day, for sure!

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’