It Only Takes 5 Minutes to Become a Morning Person

This article originally appeared on Entrepreneur.com.

How you start your day sets the context and your mindset for the rest of the day.

Yet, most people start the day with procrastination by hitting the snooze button, telling their subconscious that they don’t even have the self-discipline to get out of bed in the morning, let alone do what’s necessary to be happy, healthy and successful.

Stand-up comedian Demetri Martin’s humorous take on the subject sums it up well: Hitting the snooze button in the morning doesn’t even make sense. It’s like saying, “I hate getting up in the morning so I do it over and over and over again.”

When the alarm clocks starts beeping in the morning, consider it to be akin to life’s first gift to us. It’s the gift of time to dedicate to creating the life you want and working toward your goals and dreams while the rest of the world is asleep.

If it weren’t for the following strategy, I’d still be snoozing through my alarm clock every morning and clinging to my old limiting belief, claiming that I was not a morning person.

How do you give yourself the motivation to rise up early and create an extraordinary day, when your wakeup motivation level is only a 1 or 2 on a scale of 1 to 10?

Follow this five-step strategy, which is so incredibly simple and easy to do, you’ll have no excuse to forgo being an early bird and win the day.

Related: How to Become More of a Morning Person (Infographic)

Step #1: Set intentions before bed.

Your first thought in the morning might be the same as the last one you had before you went to bed. Many people have nights, whether it’s Christmas Eve or the prelude to a vacation, when they can hardly fall asleep because they’re so excited about waking up the next morning. Then as soon as the alarm clock sounds, they open theigr eyes with enthusiasm to skip out of bed and embrace the day.

On the other hand, if your last thought before bed is something like “Oh man, I can’t believe I have to get up in six hours; I’m going to be exhausted,” then your first thought when the alarm sounds is likely, “Oh my gosh, has it already been six hours? I just want to keep sleeping!”

So the key is to consciously decide the next-day’s intentions every night to actively and mindfully create a positive expectation for the next morn.

Related: Take Back Your Mornings (Infographic)

Step #2: Move the alarm clock across the room.

If you haven’t done so already, move the alarm clock as far away from the bed as possible. This forces you to rise from bed and engage in movement. I find that movement can energize me. But if you keep your alarm within arm’s reach, you’re likely to hit the snooze button every time.

Step #3: Brush your teeth.

Give your body time to wake up. After turning off your alarm clock, go directly to the bathroom sink to brush your teeth and maybe splash some warm (or cold) water on your face. Simple activities like these can increase your wakeup motivation level from a 1 or a 2 to a 3 or 4.

Step #4: Drink a full glass of water.

This is crucial. After six or eight hours without water, you may be mildly dehydrated, which can cause fatigue. Often when people feel tired what they really need is more water, not more sleep.

When you drink a glass of water and hydrate yourself, your wakeup motivation level goes from a 3 or a 4 to a 5 or 6.

Step #5: Get dressed in your workout clothes.

Dress in your exercise clothes, so you’re ready to leave your bedroom. Some people prefer to start their day by jumping into the shower. But I believe people should earn a morning shower by first breaking a sweat.

In my experience, morning exercise helps me maximize my potential by putting me in a peak mental, physical and emotional state to win the day.

Related: Take Back Your Mornings (Infographic)