Habit is a second nature [The ultimate 3 steps to make early to bed and early to rise a habit for morning activities! #QuoteNote105]

The quote I would like to introduce this time is here!

Self-introduction
Hello, my name is Nick. Although I didn't graduate from university, I have been reading and working at a foreign-affiliated company for over 10 years. As a down-to-earth salaryman, I will introduce "quotes that strike a chord" that I have encountered through reading over 200 books and in my daily work and life. I also include many quotes from subcultures such as manga, anime, and movies!

Speaker

What kind of person was Diogenes, a philosopher who lived in the ancient Greek era... To put it in one word, he was a "philosopher who pursued a free life liberated from desire."

He ignored social customs and material wealth entirely, and by living a simple life like a dog, such as living in a barrel (jar), he preached that true happiness lies in self-sufficiency and mental strength.

• Profile and Life: An ancient Greek philosopher and a representative figure of the Cynic school. He was called "Diogenes the Dog." After being exiled from his hometown of Sinope, he lived in a jar in Athens and led a self-sufficient life liberated from desire.
  

• Philosophy: He made virtue the purpose of life and valued mental and physical discipline. He is also the first person to use the term "cosmopolites" (citizen of the world).
  

• Anecdotes: He is known for numerous eccentric behaviors, such as lighting a lamp during the day to search for an "honest man" or telling Alexander the Great to "move aside because you are blocking my sunlight."
  

• Influence on posterity: He raised many disciples, and his philosophy also influenced the Stoics. He is the origin of the name for the "Diogenes Club" for people who dislike human relationships, and "Diogenes syndrome."

The ultimate 3 steps to make early to bed and early to rise a habit!

This time, based on the quote left by Diogenes,"Habit is a second nature", I will introduce "The ultimate 3 steps to make early to bed and early to rise a habit!".

*Since this content is based on my personal experience, please enjoy it as entertainment.

Summary

Let's start with the conclusion!

1. Try going to bed early and waking up early just once

2. Decide on a period and see it through

3. Sustain the habit of going to bed early and waking up early

You should definitely go to bed early and wake up early!

However, even if you understand it in your head, it's hard to put into practice, isn't it?

I understand! I used to be a complete night owl myself.

But a night-owl lifestyle is a style that inevitably lowers your performance during the day.

If you have even the slightest interest in an early-to-bed, early-to-rise lifestyle, this content is worth reading!

Step 1: Try it just once

There is only one reason why you can't do it even if you know that early to bed and early to rise is good!

That is because you haven't 'experienced' the benefits of early to bed and early to rise.

People are often thought to be creatures of 'logic,' but that's not actually true. Humans are creatures of 'emotion.'

Rather than thinking endlessly about the benefits of early to bed and early to rise in your head, let's actually experience it and realize that 'early to bed and early to rise is indeed wonderful.'

Even if it's just once, the 'achievement' of having been able to go to bed early and wake up early will give you confidence.

By the way, it's okay if you don't decide what to do when you wake up early.

Since it's morning, you obviously can't drink alcohol, and there is a time limit because you have to leave when it's time for work.

Moreover, in the early morning hours, you won't receive work or personal emails or phone calls.

These factors provide the trigger to carry out meaningful activities.

Step 2: Set a deadline and see it through

Early to bed and early to rise is painful if you aren't used to it.

Without a deadline, the first thing you'll think about is how long you have to keep doing such a painful thing.

I recommend setting a deadline of two weeks.

Whether it's a digital calendar on your smartphone or a physical calendar, mark the goal achievement date two weeks from now.

The reason for choosing two weeks is that it is the minimum amount of time required to form a habit.

One week feels a bit too short, while three weeks feels too long and unrealistic.

However, I believe the time required to form a habit varies from person to person.

You might want to try various things in your own way.

The important thing here is to keep the habit of going to bed early and waking up early from being interrupted by being conscious of a clear goal, which is the deadline.

If you can manage to go to bed early and wake up early for two weeks and continue to 'experience' the benefits, by that time, you should start feeling stressed about staying up late.

Once you have habituated going to bed early and waking up early to the point where staying up late feels stressful, you should be able to continue naturally without setting a deadline.

Step 3: Sustain the habit of going to bed early and waking up early

Once you have acquired the habit of going to bed early and waking up early, prioritize making it last as long as possible.

What you do when you wake up in the morning is, of course, important, but the most important thing is to continue the habit of going to bed early and waking up early.

◆ Improve sleep quality

First, let's improve the quality of your sleep.

Improving sleep quality is directly linked to your performance in activities the next morning.

In the first place, going to sleep at night is not the 'end' of the day, but the 'beginning' of the next day.

To improve sleep quality, specifically, finish your meal two hours before bed, soak in a bathtub instead of just taking a shower whenever possible, and avoid looking at TV, smartphone, or computer screens right before going to sleep.

Doing just this should significantly improve your sleep quality.

If your sleep quality is poor, you won't be able to recover from fatigue even if you go to bed early.

When fatigue accumulates, even if you are in a state where you could engage in meaningful activities, you will inevitably drift toward the easier path.

You end up starting things you could do at any time. For example, watching entertainment videos on your smartphone or reading gossip articles about celebrities.

Even though you could be doing meaningful activities, drifting toward the easier path is not a problem of your willpower.

It is simply a matter of physical stamina.

If you start entertainment in a condition where fatigue has accumulated, whether it is morning or night, you will continue to lounge around because you lack the energy to 'interrupt' the easy activity.

What is truly important is not what you start, but where you stop. In short, it is about whether you can exercise 'interruption power'.

There is no point in going to bed late and waking up early by cutting back on sleep time.

That is why both 'going to bed early' and 'waking up early' are necessary.

The essence of the purpose of waking up early is not to wake up early in the morning, but to engage in productive activities while your energy is at its maximum.

The only thing given equally to all humans is time. The fact that a day has 24 hours is equal for everyone.

It does not matter if you are a morning person or a night person. The only issue is at what point within those 24 hours you concentrate your energy.

Also, unless you are a natural short sleeper, it is better to make it a habit to sleep soundly for 7 to 8 hours every day.

Although there are various theories, it is said that if a human continues to sleep for 6 hours for a week, their judgment while awake becomes the same as when they are heavily intoxicated.

There are indeed people known as 'short sleepers' who claim that 5 hours or less of sleep per day is sufficient, but they only make up a few percent of the population.

Whether or not you are a short sleeper is determined congenitally. It is an established theory that it is impossible to become a short sleeper later through training.

◆Share with someone

Let's share the content of your morning activities with someone.

I take an online English conversation lesson every morning at 7:00.

I try to wake up at 5:30, and the English conversation lesson is the final item on my morning activity menu.

If I can finish meditation, muscle training, and reading before the online English conversation, my morning activity is complete in my own way.

It makes me feel like I must finish my other morning activities before the online English conversation that starts at 7:00! Naturally, my muscle training and reading also progress well.

People break promises to themselves very easily. Even if you decide, 'Today I will not buy snacks at the convenience store!', you might find yourself wandering into the convenience store on your usual way home and realize you are eating potato chips before you know it.

However, people do not break promises to others as easily as that.

This is because humans have lived in groups since ancient times and are wired at an instinctual level to fear losing trust.

You don't necessarily have to sign up for online English conversation lessons; you can make commitments to others regarding your morning activities.

For example, if you are a reader, you could promise a morning activity partner to read the same book, and periodically provide feedback on how far you have read and what you have gained from it.

◆ Utilize a cheat day

Do you know what a cheat day is?

Since 'cheat' means to act dishonestly, a literal translation would be 'a dishonest day'.

This is a term used in the bodybuilding community.

Bodybuilders impose quite strict dietary restrictions on themselves with the goal of achieving their ideal physique.

However, since they are human, it is difficult to maintain a perfectly stoic lifestyle like a heartless cyborg at all times.

That is when a 'cheat day' comes in.

On a cheat day, you are released from dietary restrictions and are allowed to eat whatever you like.

However, a cheat day is strictly a 'rest point' to help you maintain a stoic lifestyle.

It is like a water station in a marathon.

The goal of a marathon is to run to the finish line. No matter how comfortable the water station is, if you stay there, you will never reach the goal.

If you realize that you are feeling stressed by an early-to-bed, early-to-rise lifestyle, let's set aside days (cheat days) where you don't have to wake up early once in a while.

Even on a cheat day, it is better not to push your bedtime back too far if possible.

As much as possible, a cheat day where you get more sleep without staying up late is preferable to one where you just wake up late.

Like a marathon water station, cheat days should be planned.

You might decide to make a specific day of the week a cheat day, or have clear rules such as only allowing a cheat day when the next day is a holiday.

In my case, I usually try not to drink alcohol, but I have a personal rule that I am allowed to drink only when the next day is a holiday.

That said, it is best to limit your cheat days to at most one day per week.

In my experience, if you break your early-to-bed and early-to-rise routine for two or more days a week, the risk of your habit being fundamentally shaken increases significantly.

Naturally, it is easier to stay up late, drink, or watch entertainment videos than it is to wake up early and stoically engage in productive activities.

The most important thing to do until your early-to-bed and early-to-rise lifestyle becomes fully habitual—to the point where staying up late or failing to wake up early feels stressful—is to never stop the practice of living that lifestyle.

Why not try to continue your early-to-bed and early-to-rise habit for as long as possible by 1) improving your sleep quality, 2) actively engaging in meaningful activities by sharing them with others, and 3) taking breaks with occasional cheat days?

Extra Edition: Improving the Quality of Morning Activities (Working on things that are not urgent but important)

Once your early-to-bed and early-to-rise habit has become second nature, let's turn our attention to improving the quality of your morning activities.

Specifically, what should you do?

Do the things you think you would like to do if you had the time.

This can also be rephrased as doing things that are not urgent but important.

Do not, under any circumstances, do your 'usual chores' like washing dishes, doing laundry, or cleaning.

It is a waste to use your 'personal golden time,' which can only be gained by going to bed early and waking up early, to do things you can do 'at any time'.

Please, by all means, do the things you think you would like to do if you had the time.

'Things you would like to do if you had the time' can also be rephrased as 'things that are meaningful to your life'.

However, what is meaningful to life is different for everyone.

In my case, meditation, muscle training, reading, and English study are my morning routines, but for some people, these activities might not be meaningful at all.

What working adults need is not time, but deadlines! You will never get around to doing the things you want to do someday! Please make morning activities a habit and seize the chance to become the person you want to be.

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