I Set My Alarm Clock for Success

Waking up well starts at bedtime

I enjoy being a morning person, but I’d never be a successful one without my alarm clock. In fact, the way I get out of bed determines my success as a human being each day. There’s definitely a science to waking up well. For me, it starts at bedtime. That’s when I plan my wake up process and set my alarm clock.

Because I tend to putter in the morning, I set a firm deadline for leaving my house. Then I work backward. Calculate the time needed for showering, dressing and making myself presentable. Factor in whether it’s my turn to take the dogs out. The cats are always my responsibility, as is emptying the dishwasher (because no one else in the house seems to know where anything goes). Allow time for those chores.

Add in breakfasting time. Do I need to brew a fresh pot of coffee or can I warm up yesterday’s? (Sorry if that makes all you java purists cringe.) Did I make my lunch the night before or do I need time to pack it before I leave? Then I add 20 extra minutes as a cushion against procrastination and set my alarm clock accordingly.

My first alarm clock was cutting edge

Alarm clock technology has come a long way since I was a kid. My first alarm clock was a cutting edge Westclox with a digital display. It had one alarm setting and buzzed like a busy signal on the telephone when it went off. I was quite proud of being a grown up, responsible seventh grader with my own alarm clock.

But it wasn’t a clock radio.

Clock radios were for rich people. My best friend had one, and made sure to let me know what a luxury it was to wake up to music instead of a buzzing alarm. And maybe it was petty of me to point out the downside – not all radio stations broadcast at 5:00 AM when we needed to get up for school. She insisted she loved waking up to the oldies on the 1940s AM channel. More power to her.

Roommates, bunk beds and old fashioned alarm clocks

By the time I went to college, clock radios were apparently more affordable because I had one by then. And it had a snooze alarm. The snooze alarm was the best invention of that era. Now it ranks third, behind flavored coffee creamer and self-scooping litter boxes.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to enjoy my ability to snooze.

My college roommate had the top bunk and was a sound sleeper. She had an old fashioned wind up alarm clock with the two bells on the top of it, which she placed on the dresser across the room, requiring her to get out of bed (did I mention she had the top bunk?) to turn it off. I thought we were having a fire drill every time her alarm rang. And I ended up being the one to turn it off, because, as I said, she had the top bunk.

The luxury of snoozing

Nowadays I do enjoy the luxury of a snooze alarm. In fact, my current clock radio has two separate alarms, both with snooze capability. So I set both. The first is a false alarm – and I snooze that one once before the real alarm goes off. That one has a snooze factored in too.

For those of you playing at home, that’s two alarms and two sets of snoozes.

Essentially, it takes four attempts to coax myself into consciousness. But slowly building to wakefulness helps me to rise with purpose. By the time I swing my feet onto the floor, I’m alert and primed to be productive. It’s a little ritual I enjoy every morning to ease into my day.

Unless the dog is vomiting. Then I’m instantly awake and out of bed like I was shot from a cannon.

In that case, I don’t need an alarm clock at all.

What are your secrets for waking up well? Share your comments below. And if you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to my website. I’ll email you whenever I post a new blog.