The Trying to Go to Bed Earlier Struggle

Going to bed shouldn’t be hard but…

• You have great intentions to go to bed at a reasonable time but you never follow through
• Every morning you wake up feeling groggy and wishing you had gone to sleep sooner
• When you do get to bed early instead of sleeping you scroll on your phone for hours
• You don’t want to give up the time you get to yourself late at night
• Your problems would be solved if we could have a 28-hour clock
• No matter how motivated you are earlier in the day about going to bed, by nighttime time you have no willpower left to do it
• Weekends are when you try to catch up on sleep but it stops you from sticking to a routine
• If you go to bed too early then you just can’t sleep so you need to figure out the exact right time
• You know all of the stuff you “should” do but it feels like too much work and you’re already tired
• You are jealous of the people who make it look so easy

Does that sound like you? You’re not alone. The good news is that you CAN change this habit for good and become one of those reasonable people.

You don’t need to read all of the books on sleep or go out and buy 10 things for your bedroom (Unless you want to). Just follow these simple steps:

How to Make it Desirable to Go to Bed Earlier

You have to want to change the habit. If you just want to change this habit because you think you should or to be “good” it’s not going to work. Start by getting really clear on why you want. to make this change and how you will benefit from it.

Be honest with yourself and ask yourself what you will be giving up by going to bed earlier. There is a reason you aren’t going to bed early now, whether it’s because you’re scrolling on your phone, working too late, or just never ready in time. You are physically capable of doing it so the problem is in your thinking (or not thinking). 

How will your life be different in six months if you make the effort to change this habit? 

Are you willing to give up the enjoyment you get from your current habit of going to bed too late?

How to Keep Go to Bed Earlier Simple

Decide what time you will turn off the light and keep that one thing the priority.

While you will want to consider the best way to get yourself to do this, don’t try to add some 10 step routine part of the new habit. You want to avoid the perfectionist fantasy.

Read more: Coaching for perfectionism

How to Make the New Habit Yours

Learn what works for you and figure it out with trial and error. Don’t waste your time doing more and more research or planning. Commit, get into action, and go from there. Change is never constant or linear. Expect resistance and expect some setbacks.

You will not always be in the mood to go to bed earlier when the time comes even if you’re very motivated earlier in the day.

When you have a setback get curious about why it happened and what you can change going forward. Remember, you cannot plan a future mood, so do not try to convince yourself to be more motivated. Start small because you’re more likely to be able to figure it how to get there, and remember small changes add up over time.

Read more: Self-Discipline Coaching