I love my sidcha to wake up, make my bed, cross the room, and turn off my alarm within sixty seconds. Loving the sidcha doesn’t mean I love every moment of it.

On the contrary, the first few moments of it feel the same as they always have. I start with the same thoughts. Over the years, my inner monologue has come to change to purposeful enthusiasm faster.

But I want to clarify: I’m the same as anyone. I don’t like the feeling of an alarm waking me up. I want to stay in bed, especially in the winter, when my apartment is cool and my comforter keeps me warm.

My thoughts go something like this:

Oh no, what is that noise? . . . Ooooh, the alarm. I don’t want to get up . . . can’t I just go back to sleep? . . . maybe I can lie in bed a few more minutes . . . now I remember I’m supposed to get up right away . . . I don’t want to, though . . . can I figure out some way to stay in bed? . . .

now that I think of it . . . every time I get up, I know I like being up . . . I know that making the bed will make me feel purposeful . . . it’s only hard to push the covers off and stand up . . . I know I won’t want to go back to sleep . . . but I don’t want to get up . . . it works every time, though . . . I guess I’ll do it . . . I can always go back to sleep after getting up.

The above thoughts take about a second or two. Once I push the covers aside and start making the bed, they change to focused intent on making the bed. That focus combined with a time limit and measure of quality results in drive, determination, focus, and purpose.

I expect that nearly everyone told this vignette to would joke how they couldn’t do it or that it sounds like torture. I would probably make those jokes if I didn’t live it.

My point is that I’m like everyone else. I have no special skill to wake up. I face the same internal resistance and motivation to stay in bed.

Practice waking up fast develops the skills—to do what I said I would, drive, determination, consistency, persistence, and so on. I wouldn’t have those skills otherwise. Having them enables the best parts of life.

In any case, once I wake up, I get back in bed maybe once or twice a year. I feel too alert and awake after making the bed.

In other words, I highly recommend the sidcha. It costs nothing. It gives you time. You can do it anywhere. It works.

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