How to Keep Waking up Early as the Days Are Getting Shorter

Don’t change the routine. Emphasise the good stuff.

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As someone who wakes up at 6am every weekday, I can already feel and see the days getting shorter. I used to wake up with the sunrise, stretch in the first rays of light of the morning, on the terrace. Still a few weeks ago, the sun would shine in the kitchen while making my first cup of coffee. Then I’d go to the living room, start working, and look out the window once in a while, at nature slowly waking up.

Those days are over, at least for this year. I still wake up at 6am, but much before sunrise. When I go out to stretch on the terrace, it’s cold, dark, and often humid. When I make my first cup of coffee in the kitchen, I have to turn on the light otherwise I can’t see anything.

Winters are challenging for people who like to wake up early. They make the whole thing less fun, less pleasant. Not just mentally, but also physically. The body would much rather stay in bed when there’s no natural light to wake up to, that’s a natural reaction.

In this article, I want to talk about the few ways I use to be able to keep waking up early consistently during the winter. It’s not rocket science, but it’s worth sharing.