Why One Alarm is Better Than Two (or Six)

One alarm for the win

Whether you’re catching an early morning flight, attending a crucial in-person job interview, or preparing for your day-to-day job, have you ever set more than one alarm?

I know I can’t be the only one who’s resorted to setting two, three, or even seven backup alarms. Previously, the higher the number, the more critical the obligation. As I continued to do this time after time, I began to ponder the usefulness versus the detriment of resorting to this method. I plan to highlight some critical considerations of using multiple alarms and why you may want to consider scrapping the age-old method.

One versus more

I noticed an interesting trend when continually using more than one alarm. No matter how many alarms I set, I always got out of bed at the sound of the last alarm. This brings me to my first observation — you will naturally default to your latest alarm.

The interesting thing about setting multiple alarms is that we will schedule the alarms in such a way as to ensure that our “backup” alarm will still ensure we meet our obligation. In other words, you won’t set an alarm at a time that you know would allow you to miss your “on-time arrival” because, at that point, what is the purpose of the alarm?

With a snooze feature, what’s the point?

Although the option exists to turn off the snooze feature, which could work better, with a snooze feature that serves the same function as setting multiple alarms, what is the point of various alarms? Perhaps it’s because it makes you feel “safer” or “more comfortable” that you won’t miss your alarm when more than one exists. However, the reality is that barring some unexpected software glitch, the odds of your single alarm not sounding are rare. And if you need extra sleep in the morning, you can do so by clicking the snooze button.

I honestly forget

Another reason for setting a single alarm is to keep you accountable. Knowing you only have the single alarm set, you will be held responsible for not snoozing the alarm or turning it off, which could hinder your goals. I know that when I’ve set more than one alarm, I often forget which alarm is the last one, which adds unnecessary worry and stress to my morning as I try to ensure I am not turning off the last one. Keep it simple and use the one.

Think of how this simple action could change your life from a productivity standpoint. Setting your alarm to the latest time possible will allow you to get what you need to be done in the morning while ensuring you get the maximum rest.

Key Message: While it seems multiple alarms is the best way to ensure we wake up to meet our goals, a single alarm does just the trick, with less worry in the process.