Have you ever noticed that most successful people are early risers? It can't just be a coincidence. Like they say "The early bird gets the worm". The great thing is that to become an early riser is a habit that anyone can learn.

I'm traditionally not a morning person myself but I know that when I had a job that required me to get up much earlier than most sane people would choose to, I still got up. It was either get up or be unemployed. Our circadian rhythms eventually adapt to our employer's requirement.

For instance prospective trainee monks looking to devote themselves to a monastic order are generally required to adapt to the monastic routine also. Whether we are talking about Buddhist or Catholic monastic orders they generally have daily routines that begin around 3am. Most monks who stay the course and commit themselves to a monastic life are able to adapt to this routine even if some find it difficult at the beginning. To become a morning person doesn't involve the sacrifices that a monk has to make but a few simple lifestyle adjustments can get you waking up earlier before you know it.

As a creature of the night here are some ideas I used to help me become a morning person:

1. There's no need to overhaul your life.

Rome wasn't built in one day so there is no need to do anything drastic. If you have previously tried to become an early riser and had set your alarm at an ungodly hour hoping that your body will respond in kind, you will have no doubt realised it's not as easy as it sounds. Instead of going from an 8am start for instance to a 5am start, make it much less drastic and this will give you a better chance of succeeding over the long period.

Consider trying to get up 15mins earlier than usual. The impact it will have on you will be far more nominal and over time you can keep cutting your sleep patterns by 15mins each time until you get to your desired wake up time. You can decide to cut your wake up time by 15mins every second day or once a week, it's up to you and how fast you want to reach your desired wake up goal.

2. Make a commitment to yourself with this habit.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -Jim Ryun

The question you need to ask yourself is do you really want to get up early? You can tell yourself why you want to get up early, convince yourself about all the wonderful benefits getting up early is going to entail and how much more productive you are going to be but if you are going to make this a success you need to be certain why you want to get up early and that you are going to do it without hesitation.

You don't want to get into a position when the alarm goes off about giving yourself another five minutes, pressing the snooze or snuggling back under the covers. Because you know as well as I do the chance of creating your new morning habit is all but over. You're defeated before it even begun.

For this to work you need to be definite in your purpose, when the alarm goes off you get out of bed without hesitation. It needs to become automatic like putting your clothes on or brushing your teeth. You don't think about it, you just do it. You need to make a commitment to yourself with this new habit. They say that if you commit to a task repeatedly over a period of time like 30 days then chances are high that it will become a habit in your life. Make this next 30 days your new habit of getting up when the alarm tells you to get up.

3. Use your alarm more effectively.

Your alarm is going to be a central tool to making this new habit work. If you have a habit of pressing the snooze button because the alarm is conveniently located an arms length from your bed then maybe you need to put your alarm at the end of the room or even in another room that requires you to get out of bed in order to turn it off lest you wake everyone up.

Maybe you have gotten used to the sound your alarm makes and your able to zone it out of your mind, then consider getting a new alarm or even waking to music. You are the person in the best position to know what you need to do with your alarm to make it work for you more effectively.

4. Schedule Naps.

When you begin this new routine of waking up early you are going to feel sleep deprived during the day. Be sensitive to the needs of your body. If you need to schedule time during the late afternoon to nap then go right ahead.

This natural adjustment is natural as your body starts to get used to the new habit and expectation of waking up earlier in the morning. Over time as your body starts to adjust your naps and duration will begin to subside and you will be able to function on much less sleep than you realised.

5. Allow yourself to get earlier nights.

In the long run, going to bed an hour or so earlier will benefit your overall well being greatly. Imagine yourself staying in a remote village in Africa where there is no modern comforts or electricity. What would you do when the sun goes down? Most likely you will go to bed soon after as there is nothing to keep you up.

You don't have the distractions like television, computers or even electricity to enable you to read. So if you are spending several hours in the evening watching mindless television or surfing the net why not allow yourself to get a good night sleep by going to bed earlier. Not only will you give yourself a better chance of getting your required 6-8 hours sleep but it will make getting up early less of a chore.