1. Have a sleep schedule. This meant training myself to go to bed and wake up at around the same time every single day for a long period. This set my body clock and became a regular habit. Only problem is it's not that hard a habit to break. These days, I mostly sleep whenever I am sleepy but still wake up at the same time although am planning to consciously do refresher training, possibly after Christmas. It's just a lot easier to schedule sleep, let's you plan your hours better.

2. Learn to wake up exactly when my alarm clock rang. This was crucial. The alarm clock is your best friend when waking up early. A good practice is to set your alarm clock throughout the day while in bed then get up to actually turn it off. It's like shadowboxing. Using visualization, by imagining yourself waking up as soon as the clock rang, also works well.

3. A couple of alarm clocks that are really loud, boisterous and intolerable. When those babies didn’t wake me up, it was sure to wake my roommates and forced them to wake me out of sheer irritation.

5. Train myself to develop a routine after getting up. This is what keeps me up. You have to train yourself to develop your own as well. Something as simple as turning on your pc and answering three emails with a cup of coffee or tea is sure to help you get on the way.