You Snooze, You Win: Morning Motivation :

Hello. My name is Dorian, and I'm addicted to the snooze button.

It's true. I'm absolutely sure I couldn't live without it. It rules my life. Try as I might, I can't quit -- I have to hit it. If there was meeting for this type of thing, I'd be the first one on the podium.

Despite my many snoozes, I still manage to function. I just rationalize in bed every morning: "Well, I'll grab breakfast on the run," "Those pants don't really need ironing," or, at my worst, "If I don't wash my hair…" -- anything for another hit. I still make it to work on time, I’m just perpetually rushing.

Thing is, I make it to work because, obviously, I'm required to. But the real challenge is waking up early to do what I should, but don't absolutely have to do -- go to the gym. The only time I can reasonably fit exercise into my busy schedule is before work, which means that annoying alarm clock is going off at 5:30 a.m. (an ungodly hour I haven't seen since all-nighters in college).I never thought I could do it, but I'm happy to report I've become a success story . I make it to the gym almost every morning, and I feel great because of it. And the best part? I didn't need any silly Snooze Anonymous meetings -- just a few simple, yet conniving tricks.

I know there are other people like me out there, and that's why I’m here -- to help you get through the daunting task of rising before the sun does. Trust me; if I can do it, anyone can. Just follow the steps below and you'll see waking up for the gym isn't really all that hard to do.

1. Get your clothes and gym bag ready the night before. You're going to be sleep-walking when you first get up, so don't risk forgetting something important, like socks or shoes. Make sure everything is together before you hit the sack.

2. Set your CLOCK nine minutes ahead. Sure you'll know you have about 10 extra minutes, but that's not the point. You're not going to set your alarm for 5:39 a.m. are you? Probably not. You'll still set it for 5:30 and end up with (at the very least) some sweet snooze time.

3. Set the ALARM for about 15 minutes before you normally do. This allows for approximately two more snoozes. You'll feel like you're pushing it and sleeping in (like you always do, you sneakster!), but you're actually going to wake up on time. It's an amazing trick, but my body falls for it every morning.

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