I always classed myself as morning person but recently I’ve been struggling to get out of bed and that has left me feeling a bit ‘meh’. I assumed that this is a hangover from the long, dark Scottish winter but then spring, and then summer arrived, and I still couldn’t get up and on with my day the way I used to do.
There are plenty of articles and books about how to sleep well and how to best start your day which are full of great advice, however, when trying to change a behaviour I know that I need to do what is right for me.
Everyone is unique and so how you change a behaviour needs to be unique to you too.
So, it is time to use Behaviour Works tried and tested process to work out how to change my own behaviour.
Step 1: Clarify
The first step is to clarify why I can’t get out of bed and why I want that to change.
I have plenty reasons to get up early in the morning – the dogs need walked, I need to get the kids up for school, I usually need to put on the washing machine and I have work to do (I usually work from home).
No problem there – I have plenty of reasons to get up early.
Next, I thought about my bedtime and morning routine and I am sure it will come as no surprise that it is not optimal. I take my tablet to bed with me and stay up too late watching boxsets.
I have my phone next to my bed (on silent) to use as a clock and alarm and it’s in my hand before I am even out of bed. I know I am not alone as research suggests that 8/10 people check their phones within 15 mins of getting up.
Why I want this to change is because I want to feel better, less sluggish, more rested and ready to start my day.
Step 2: Wish
Wishes are like goals and need to be realistic and achievable.
My wish is that I want to get out of bed in the morning refreshed and ready to start my day.
Step 3: Focus
Now I need to think about what behaviours will help me achieve that wish.
What are the things I want to do, need to do and what are the desired behaviours that will get me out of bed feeling refreshed and ready to start my day?
At this point I won’t choose behaviours and just simply list all the potential desirable things I could do to help me achieve my wish. It is best to write these down as positive statements using phrases like ‘I will’, ‘I have’ or ‘I am’ and to think about ‘if someone else was watching me what would they say I was doing’?
Here are some of the desirable behaviours I listed for myself:
I will have a hot drink before bed
I will leave my phone and tablet in another room
I will read a book instead of watching boxsets or scrolling through social media
I will exercise or stretch every morning before I use my phone
I will have a cup of tea before I use my phone
I will make my bed as soon as I am up
Step 4: Impact
Like many people I am really tempted to try to do all those behaviours, but I know that I should go for quality and not quantity.
I’ve chosen the one that will have the biggest impact on my life and is the least amount of effort….
I will leave my phone and tablet in another room.
Step 5: Commit
When we own a change, it builds our commitment to it and we feel accountable for making it happen.
I have written out my commitment statement, my public statement to my family of what I am going to do, and I will print it out and will keep it next to my bed.
Now I need to get specific and get my plan started so I asked myself these questions:
Who can help me commit to this? My family, especially my husband.
What do I need to do differently? Leave my phone and tablet in another room when I am in bed.
Where do I need to do it? Plug them in to charge in my office (or somewhere far enough away from my bed that I won’t be tempted to look at them).
When do I need to do it? Every evening before I go to bed.
How often do I need to do it? Every day.
How can I monitor progress? Keep a diary about how I sleep and how I feel in the morning.
Step 6: Understand
I need to think about and understand what needs to change for me to leave my phone and tablet away from the bedroom. I know that I need to have 3 things in place to change my behaviour: Capability, Opportunity and Motivation. I think of this as being a 3-legged stool and if any one leg is weak or missing then my behaviour is less likely to change.
Capability: I know what I need to do and why I need to do it.
Motivation: I believe I can do it and feel motivated to do it.
Opportunity: This is the weak leg of my stool as I don’t have the resources that I need in place to make this change happen.
Rather than reading more articles or books about good sleep hygiene to increase my capability to do this or motivating myself to have better sleep hygiene I know that I need to strengthen the opportunity to make this happen. I can therefore put all my energy into changing this aspect.
Step 7: Action
Finally, I can work out what are the right actions for me to strengthen the opportunity for me to leave my phone and tablet elsewhere when I am in bed.
When planning to change a behaviour it is more powerful if you use a multi-action approach.
I could just take the action to leave my phone and tablet in another room. However, there are 5 actions that I could choose from to strengthen the opportunity and I have chosen 3 to focus on to create my personalised multi-action plan:
Enablement:
I am going to put some ‘if-then’ plans in place
If want to watch boxset then I will watch it in the living room.
I am going to monitor my progress by keeping a diary about how I sleep and how I feel in the morning.
Rules:
I will not open my phone until I am out of bed, the bed is made, I have showered and had a cup of tea.
I am going to read on my ‘kindle’, but I will also visit the library and get some real books.
I am going to put my phone and tablet on charge in my office (and on silent).
Redesign:
I will replace the batteries in my clock and work out how to use the alarm mode.
I will set up landline phone in hall (in case of emergencies).
For those moments of inspiration or to do list items that tend to pop into my head just before I fall asleep I will use a note pad and pen rather than using the notes app on my phone.
This may all seem like common sense, but research shows that using a process, rather than choosing actions to take because it seemed like a good idea at the time, is key to making change happen in the long-term. Working through this practical process that is built on psychological science makes it more likely that I will get the long-term change I need.
Now I am all set to be able to jump out of bed ready to start my day. Check back here in a couple of weeks to find out how I am getting on.
To discover how to create your own tailored action plan take a look at our Making Change Happen programme.
Sweet dreams!
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Behaviour Works aim is simple. To help make change happen in your personal, family or working life. Every week we help people across the world with their own change journey with our ‘Making Change Happen’ online training. Check us out at Behaviour Works.
Feet Photo by Tracey Hocking on Unsplash
Phone Photo by Doğukan Şahin on Unsplash
Journal Photo by Plush Design Studio on Unsplash
