Have you been wanting to wake up early, but nothing’s worked? TikToker Dani Schenone may have the answer for you. A video she posted gained 4.6 million views, with comments saying “This is possibly the best advice I’ve ever received from TikTok.”
Schenone’s secret to waking up early? Use your phone (naturally), but use it to your advantage. Set your alarm for the time you want to wake up Monday through Friday, taking the weekend to not stress as much about what time you open your eyes. After your alarm wakes you up, get on your phone immediately. That’s right, Schenone suggests being on your phone for an hour before getting ready for your day.
“I know, I know, I know, all the people say getting on your phone first thing in the morning is the worst thing that you can do, but we know that you’re doing it so why not use it to your advantage,” Schenone explained. “You want to build the habit of just waking up.”
You may want to wake up early for a number of reasons like getting in a morning workout or simply just having more time for yourself. Whatever the motivation may be, after you get into the habit of just waking up earlier this is when you start to introduce the activity you want to do. Schenone describes this process as using your phone as positive reinforcement, or a stepping stone to waking up early.
“I wanna use my bad habits to my advantage because that is the only way I can trick my brain into doing something differently,” Schenone explained in a video response to a comment. She does warn that bad habits that are detrimental to your health have a different protocol, but by using grace to build habits it creates a strong starting point.
Her comment section was flooded with positive comments of people thanking her for realistic advice and even some personal testimonies of their success using this tip.
“This is 1000% accurate. I’ve been waking up early and staring at TikTok, a few months in and I’m now going to the gym at 6am,” one person commented.
In a follow up video Schenone explained this as a different habit building routine that works for her brain. For example, instead of waking up early to go to a workout class and then rewarding yourself with a treat afterwards, the reward is coming earlier.
“When I use my phone to help myself wake up, I had no guilt or shame for those two weeks of being on my phone from 6 am to 7 am,” Schenone explained. “And as soon as I woke up earlier I started going to sleep earlier because I was so so exhausted. That hack enabled me to now wake up at 5:30 am, go to a yoga class at 6 am, and after that yoga class start my day in a better mind frame with a better mood, a better attitude.”
Tools To Help You Wake Up Earlier
- Sleep Cycle Calculator
As you begin your journey to waking up earlier, it’s important to continue getting enough sleep. One way to ensure you’re getting enough sleep is using a sleep cycle calculator where you can input the time you want to wake up and it’ll tell you when to go to sleep. This way you know you’re getting enough sleep each night without having to do the calculations yourself.
- Sunrise Alarm Clock
Waking up earlier can also mean waking up in more darkness than you might be used to. By using a sunrise alarm clock you are able to wake up in a sun-like environment. Plus this light can help keep you awake as you scroll on your phone.
While not all TikTok advice is worth trying (remember the NyQuil chicken), we think this hack could just help you become the early bird you want to be.
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