Who is it for?
This is for people who want to wake up early, but who struggle to actually get up when their alarm goes off.
You don't need convincing that early mornings are worth it. You've set the alarm plenty of times. The problem was never the intention. It's the thirty seconds after the alarm goes off, when you're warm, tired, and nobody is holding you to anything.
It is not an alarm clock. You set your own alarm, as you do now. Wake Up Early is the consequence for ignoring it.
What problem does it solve?
There's a lot to like about waking up early. Peace and quiet. A clear mind. No distractions.
But waking up early is hard.
Your alarm goes off at 4:30 AM and all of the well-intentioned plans you set the night before disappear. Your bed is warm. It's comfortable. You turn that pesky alarm off, roll over and go back to sleep. With no accountability or real consequence for going back to bed, it's so easy for your tired brain to convince you to just ignore your alarm.
That's where this tool comes in. It lets you set a real financial consequence if you don't get up when your alarm goes off. Having money on the line is incredibly powerful. For many, it removes all desire to stay in bed from day one.
It works for me and countless others just like me. And it might just be the tool that works for you too.
Jason, who made Wake Up Early
How does it work?
The night before, you make a commitment: what time you'll wake up, how long you'll have to prove you're awake, and how much you're staking. Say 5:00 AM, 10 minutes and $25. Then you set your normal alarm and go to sleep. Nothing is charged.
In the morning your alarm goes off and the clock starts. To prove you're awake, you walk to a sheet of words you printed earlier and placed somewhere in the house (the kitchen, the bathroom mirror) and type the two words the app asks for. Do it in time and your card is not touched. Sleep through it and your $25 is charged, every cent of it donated to charity.
Questions
Does the app wake me up?
No. You set your own alarm, on whatever you already use. Wake Up Early holds you to getting up once the alarm has gone off.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. Wake Up Early is free to use. There's no subscription and no fee to make a commitment. The only money that ever moves is a stake you slept through.
When is my card charged?
Creating a commitment is free, and nothing is charged up front. Your saved card is only charged, for the full stake, if your proof deadline passes without a check-in. Wake up on time and a commitment costs you nothing.
Where does the money go when I miss?
100% of every forfeited stake is donated to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières). We keep none of it. Donations are made monthly, and refunded or disputed stakes are excluded.
How much should I stake?
Enough that it stings. The presets are $10, $25 and $50, and you can enter your own amount. Most people find that even a modest stake removes any desire to stay in bed.
Do I need a printer?
Yes. Proof tasks are printed sheets that you place somewhere in your home. A word list prints on a single sheet of A4 or Letter paper from any home printer, and it's ready to use the same night.
Can I cancel a commitment after creating it?
Yes, while it's still unlocked. Every commitment has a cancellation window, shown on your dashboard, that lasts until it automatically locks. Once locked, it can't be cancelled: the only way to keep your stake is to check in on time.
Can I commit to more than one morning at a time?
Yes. As well as single-day commitments, you can make a multi-day commitment that covers several mornings in a row, each with the same wake-up time and stake.
I lost my stake, but it wasn't my fault. What do I do?
Use the Get Help page in the app and choose "My commitment failed but it wasn't my fault". If a commitment failed due to circumstances outside your control, like an app issue, we'll review what happened and refund your stake in full.
How do I get started?
- Create an account. It's free and takes about a minute.
- Print a word list and put it somewhere that forces you out of bed.
- Make your first commitment tonight, and set your alarm.