No alarm clock
Waking without an alarm, kept only for early flights
Going to bed early enough, and at a consistent enough hour, that you wake up on your own without setting anything. Travel days are the exception. People who do it treat it as a readout: needing an alarm every morning means the bedtime is wrong. It only works when the schedule lets bedtime move, so shift work and an early commute rule it out. Nothing to buy.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Shane ParrishDoes it
Writer · Farnam Street and The Knowledge Project
Has not used an alarm clock in years, except when he has an early flight to catch. He wakes somewhere around six.
Source: My Morning Routine interview
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under sleep or energy.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Cutting out alcohol
Drinking nothing, or close to it: the most common upgrade in these stacks
Backed by 13 of 54 stacks: 5 do it, 2 recommend it, 6 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Afternoon caffeine cutoff
A cutoff in early afternoon; caffeine's half-life runs longer than most expect
Backed by 4 of 54 stacks: 1 do it, 2 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Hot water with lemon
A mug of hot water with a slice of lemon, to start the day or wind it down
Backed by 2 of 54 stacks: 2 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Nasal breathing
Breathe through the nose by default, including during easy exercise
Backed by 1 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Consistent sleep and wake times
Same bedtime and wake time every day, weekends included
Backed by 20 of 54 stacks: 11 do it, 6 recommend it, 3 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Eight hours of sleep
Protecting a full night in bed as a training input, not a leftover
Backed by 11 of 54 stacks: 8 do it, 2 recommend it, 1 have discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.