How to Become a Morning Person
Back in the day, I was a total night owl. I preferred to stay up late and sleep in. I couldn’t imagine going to bed before 11pm and waking up anytime before 7:30 seemed impossible. I always had trouble falling asleep so I’d stay up later and sleep in later. Clearly, it wasn’t a great cycle.
Yet I’ve found that I’m most productive in the morning. If I have something important I need to tackle at work, I like to get there early while my mind is fresh and things are a bit quieter. I try to do my devotions (She Reads Truth is great!) in the morning before life gets in the way and I’m distracted. I also typically write blog posts and edit photos in the morning. It’s just an easier time to get things done!
But of course, to do all this, I had to become a morning person. It wasn’t easy but I think these tips will help! Here are a few tips that will help you become a morning person.
Start the day with light.
When I first started getting up earlier, I would plug a lamp into a timer and set it to turn on when my alarm went off. It’s so much easier to wake up if the light is on, especially in the winter when the sun hasn’t come up yet. For Christmas, Alex actually bought me this light (<<-affiliate link) which gradually gets brighter in the morning so it simulates a sunrise. It’s actually a really nice way to wake up!
Pick a fun reason to get up.
If you’ve never been a morning person, trying to drag yourself out of bed for something you hate isn’t going to work. Before you get ambitious with those 6am workouts, get your body used to a morning routine by waking up and doing something you enjoy. Maybe read a book, surf the web, or just have some quiet time with coffee. Once you’re in the habit of waking up early, it’ll be easier to introduce things like a morning workout.
Keep your wake up time consistent.
It might make me sound like a grandma, but we typically go to bed around 10:30… even on the weekends. Going to bed at a reasonable hour makes it easier to wake up earlier on the weekends. Waking up earlier on the weekends means getting up on the weekdays isn’t a total shock to my system.
Eat an early dinner.
I find that if I eat an early dinner and skip a late night snack, it’s easier for me to fall asleep. If I do have a snack, I try to have something like popcorn or a piece of super dark chocolate. Avoiding sugar late at night definitely helps. If I’m having dessert, I’ll try to have it shortly after dinner.
Skip the afternoon coffee.
It might sound obvious, but I’m totally guilty of a later afternoon cup of coffee, which makes it hard for me to relax when I get home from work. Now, I try to drink decaf tea if I need an afternoon beverage.
I consider myself as a morning person. However, getting up early at weekend is really challenging, Liz. Any tips on how to get the routine of getting up early in the morning?