The slower you build up energy in the morning, the more painful waking up will be. What's better, spending thirty minutes wrestling with the snooze button followed by an hour ramp up to normal mental functioning or quickly starting the day with energy?

Here are a few things to reduce the transition period from being asleep to becoming fully alert. Not only does speeding up this wake-up process save time, it makes waking up less of a struggle.

1. Light

Your body's natural clock is tuned to the amount of light. Turn on all the lights in your room right after waking up. Getting bright lights can help trick your body into thinking it is time to get out of bed.

2. Exercise

Put something physical right at the start of your morning. In the summer, I did a quick morning run and found it helpful in shaking off any sleepiness. Considering the outside temperature hovers around -30 C, I've stuck to doing a few pushups in my room. The exercise gets your heart pumping and snaps you out of a groggy state.

3. The 10-Minute Rule

If you want to stick with a consistent wake-up time, practice the ten-minute rule. This means you commit to staying awake for at least the next ten minutes. Once you get over that initial period, the temptation to go back to bed is usually gone.

4. Active Work

Start your day with work that actively uses your mind. Creative activities like writing, drawing, programming or designing work better than passive activities like reading. By focusing your mind early you can stay focused and brush off any unwanted drowsiness.

5. Don't Skip Breakfast

Wake up early enough to get something to eat. Skipping meals throw your metabolism out of balance, causing you to gain fat and lose energy. Skipping breakfast also means your blood sugar will be low in the morning and energy levels down.

6. Commit to a Sleep Schedule

The obvious solution to combat sleepiness is to get more rest at night. Carrying a sleep debt throughout the week with the hopes of paying it off on the weekend is a bad strategy. Instead, compress your work into the morning hours so you can get the 6-8 hours you need each night.

7. Turn Up the Volume

I've found listening to music or audio books helpful in keeping myself awake during the morning. Best of all, if you put on an audio book from your favorite speaker, you can get some encouragement to start your day.

早晨起床越慢，你就越会觉得痛苦。床上挣扎三十分钟，然后花上一个小时才能清醒过来，或者精神百倍地迅速开始新的一天，你会选哪个呢？

这里是一些能够帮你从半梦半醒到神清气爽的小窍门。这些快速清醒的窍门不仅能帮你节省时间，也能让你少做挣扎。

1. 灯光

人体的生物钟会受光线的影响。所以起床就打开房里所有的灯。充足的光线能唤醒你的身体，让它觉得是时候起床了。

2. 运动热身

早上一起床就做一些运动。夏天我会晨跑一会，这有助于甩掉困倦。若温度降到零下30度，我就转而在房间里做些俯卧撑。运动让你心跳加速，从而帮助身体远离倦怠。

3. 10分钟原则

如果你想养成同一时间起床的习惯，试试10分钟原则吧。这个原则是指你向自己保证在接下来的十分钟里保持清醒。一旦你熬过最初的10分钟，想再躺回床上的欲望一般也就随之而去了。

4. 主动的工作

在早上安排一些主动使用大脑的工作。诸如写作、画画、编程或者设计工作这类创作性的工作要比被动性的读书活动来得好。这些主动性的工作可以更有效地帮你集中精神，摆脱困倦。

5. 吃好早餐

早点起床，然后弄点东西吃。不吃早餐会让你的新陈代谢失去平衡，让你长胖或者无精打采。不吃早餐也会令你在早晨血糖偏低，感到疲惫。

6. 按时睡觉

克服困倦显而易见的解决之道就是保证夜间的睡眠。工作日缺觉，周末补觉绝对是个坏主意。你应该把工作压缩到精力充足的早上来处理，从而保证每天晚上最少6-8小时的睡眠时间。

7. 播放音乐

我发现早晨听些音乐或者有声图书能很有效地让人清醒。特别是播放你最喜欢的朗诵者的有声图书，这总能鼓励你精神百倍地开始新的一天。