If I had to chart how I used to wake up in the morning, here’s how it would go. Sunny day? Jump out of bed like a rambunctious poodle. Cloudy day? Hit the snooze button over and over for at least two hours. Rain? Yeah, good luck with that. I’ll get up when King Tut gets up, and the last time I checked, he’s not moving.

Working from home cranks the temptation to stay in bed up to 11, because your bed is just one room – or a few steps – away from your workspace. So in order to get moving in the morning, I follow these steps:

Step 1: Open a window or turn on the AC

The biggest enemy to waking up in the morning is warmth. I’m not talking 90 degree heat with Florida Everglades-level humidity, but the oh-so-comfortable feeling of body heat under an extra-soft blanket. So before I even go to bed, I open windows, even if it’s cold outside. This way, when I open my eyes in the morning, my face is practically frozen and I have to get up to – you guessed it – close the windows.

Step 2: Drink water

The general rule of thumb is to drink 8 ounces of water a day. At night, I’d estimate we probably drink about .0000074 ounces of water, at that’s by absorbing moisture in the air. So, when you wake up, it’s time to rehydrate. I keep a bottle of water next to the bed, and drink it before I even take the dog out. It gives me instant energy and jump starts my body for the day.

Step 3: Stay up for 15 minutes

Now that I use my phone as an alarm clock, I used to completely abuse the chance to snooze. One morning I set up a cascade of 10 alarms, all at 15-minute increments, and I STILL had trouble waking up. Now I torture myself by getting up and staying up for 15 minutes. I spend this time surfing Reddit, creeping Facebook or cleaning the kitchen. If I can go back to sleep after that, I win, but 90% of the time I’m up whether I like it or not.

Step 4: Plan your breakfast

I may miss lunch or I may miss dinner, but I will never, ever miss breakfast. Why? Because I love breakfast items like fresh fruit, cereal, and of course bacon. So if I’m going to force myself to get up, there better be some good eats involved. Before I hit the sack, I plan out what I’m going to have the next morning. I’ll set the table. I’ll dole out portions. Is the desire to rack out for an extra 20 minutes tempting? Of course! But the urge to get up, dig into a bowl of Special K or sliced cantaloupe is far, far stronger.

If your bed is near your computer – or you use your computer in your bed – waking up will always be a grueling battle. However, by following these steps, you have a fighting chance to not only wake up on time, but actually feel alert enough to do great work throughout the day.