I love being a morning person. There’s something about enjoying the sunrise, the early birds, and breakfast that makes the A.M. hours worth it.
Growing up, my whole family is full of morning people. Between 5-6 both my parents get up – followed by me and the dog, my brother is not a morning person – and we sit in the living room drinking coffee and reading the news. The dog tries to get us to play tug-of-war and I usually find myself dozing as I scroll through my Instagram feed. It’s a childhood I will always remember fondly.
But despite how much I love the morning time, many despise being up before 10. And since the world doesn’t revolve around our clocks, some of us have to learn how to be morning people. They will learn to enjoy the chirp of birds and getting more done before noon. Yeah, it’s pretty great.
I have compiled a list of easy ways to trick yourself into being a morning person and learn to like it. You may even give up coffee *gasp*
How to Become a Morning Person
1. Look forward to something
When I go to sleep, I always think of how in the morning I get to eat a big, special breakfast {lox bagels, poached eggs, something that isn’t cereal}. It makes me excited to wake up, and when I do wake, it motivates me to get out of bed. Find something that you can be excited for in the morning and makes it worth it to be up.
2. Slowly set your alarm earlier
If you’re a habitual snooze button-pusher, then this trick is for you. Over the course of several days, set your alarm a little earlier by 15 minutes until you’re waking up when you want to. You’ll find the change not as jarring because of the intervals, and you’ll be waking up nice and early. Changing from a 8am alarm to a 6am alarm is not as difficult as we thought.
3. Work out in the morning
Working out increases energy and releases endorphins, two things that instantly brighten our mood. Get some exercise – running, yoga, weights – and give yourself a little boost even before you shower.
4. Create a ritual
Having a morning ritual makes bad mornings better. Because every morning person has mornings that stink. For me, I make a ritual of shower, watch TV, eat, get ready. So even when my brain feels like mush, I can get everything ready and not feel pressed.
5. Eat breakfast earlier
Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. Food fuels your body, getting you ready for the day. In college I had a bad habit of waiting to eat breakfast after I got to class, making me lethargic until right before class ended. Now I eat it within an hour of waking up, so by the time I get to work I feel ready to face the day.
6. REM sleep
If nothing else, the best way to become a morning person is to get enough sleep. The average human needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night, so make sure to time out your night so you’re getting enough sleep, giving you enough rest for a productive day.
Stay classy, Internet,
