Getting up is a drag without a plan. Anticipate your day by outmaneuvering your first impulses to stay under the covers.

You Will Need

Discipline

Objectives

Food

Steps

STEP 1 Set a daily routine

Make a long-term plan to discipline yourself to get up early. Set the alarm to wake up earlier than needed at first. Then set the clock across the room with a new rule: once up, no going back.

STEP 2 Get to bed earlier than normal

Get to bed earlier than normal, even if only to read for an hour before dozing off.

Use a fan for "white noise" so that sleep will be uninterrupted and deeper.

STEP 3 Train yourself with water

Train bodily habits to accommodate sleep and quick waking by reducing water intake at night. Keep a tall glass by the bed for morning and drink it when you wake up -- this will help wake you up and get you out of bed more quickly.

STEP 4 Reward yourself

Reward yourself for getting up with your favorite breakfast foods. Sitting quietly to reflect or to read before starting the day may be reward enough.

Create a life with purpose and daily goals that excite you.

STEP 5 Create objectives

Create tasks that must be done right away in the morning before the actual work day starts, whether exercise, cleaning, or fixing something around the house.

STEP 6 Eat sensibly

Eat for waking up by ingesting the greatest amount of your daily calories in the morning and during the day and eating a smaller meal at night, so that instead of digesting a heavy meal, the body can repair and rejuvenate while you sleep. Wake rested -- and a little hungry --which will give you the added oomph you need to get up.

A 2007 University of Pittsburgh study found over 72 percent of children with depressive disorders had histories of sleep disturbances.