What does a typical morning look like in your house?
You drag yourself out of bed at the last possible minute. Then, you wake the kids up and tell them it is time to start getting ready for school.
Still in your pajamas, you make your way to the kitchen to brew your first cup of coffee for the day.
You yell at your kids to hurry up and finish getting ready while you throw some sweats on and get your toddler out of bed just in time to rush out the door and make it through the car line at school before the first bell rings.
You arrive home from dropping your older kids off, reheat your coffee, and fix breakfast for your toddler.
While your toddler eats, you start a load of laundry and clear the dishes from the sink.
You reheat your coffee again and clean up after your toddler’s first meal of the day without realizing you still have not eaten breakfast yourself.
Does this sound familiar?
Successful people wake up early
This was what my morning looked like every single day before I decided to become a morning person.
Some of you love waking up before the sunrise, but to some of you, this sounds like a horrible idea.
I was in the second camp. I am a night owl by nature, so this did not come easily for me and is still a challenge on some days.
As a busy mama of three, I have struggled to find a way to fit everything I need to get done into a day’s time.
I have searched high and low for tried and true methods for managing your time and getting things done.
I have studied the routines and habits of highly successful people who have much more on their plate than I do, and the one thing they all have in common is waking up early.
I decided to start implementing this strategy at the beginning of the year, and much to my surprise, I have actually come to love waking up early.
I look forward to it, in fact. That is something I never thought I would say.
This is not to imply that it comes naturally for me – I still have to make a choice every day to be a morning person.
I do not love setting my alarm for 5:00 a.m., but I never regret my decision once I am awake.
Becoming a morning person
I learned a few things in my quest to become a morning person.
One of which was the fact that I had more time in my day than I initially thought.
I was just wasting part of it by staying up too late at night and sleeping in as late as possible in the morning.
It would be one thing if those hours late at night were spent being productive, but they were not.
I have grown to love being a morning person, so it is something I will strive to continue.
If you are someone who struggles to get everything done during the day, I encourage you to give this a try.
Set yourself up for success with these three tips:
1 // Get enough sleep
Becoming a morning person will not work if you do not get enough sleep. The average person is said to need 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night.
I personally require seven-and-a-half hours of sleep, so I set my bedtime accordingly.
I also try to get into bed 30 minutes before I would like to be asleep to give myself adequate time to wind down.
2 // Stick to a routine
Going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time every morning is imperative to your success in becoming a morning person.
I am a big believer in setting routines for every part of your day, but especially at night.
Stick to the same routine every single night. This will train your body and your mind, making it easier to go to bed on time and wake up early.
It takes discipline, but it works.
3 // Ditch the electronics
How many times have you gone to bed with the intention of putting your phone down at a certain time only to get lost down the rabbit hole of social media?
Scrolling is habitual.
Sometimes you continue scrolling through mindless garbage that has no value whatsoever without realizing how much time has passed.
Studies also show that the blue light emitted from electronic devices signals your brain to stay awake and alert making it harder to fall asleep {source}.
At the very least, turn the brightness down on your phone at night, or turn on the night shift setting if you have an iPhone.
You can even buy glasses to wear at night to reduce the level of blue light emitted from reaching your eyes.
Put down the phone and use that time to take a bubble bath, connect with your spouse, or read a book before bed.
Now, it’s your turn
Waking up early has made me a better mom and a happier person overall.
By following the three rules of thumb that I outlined above, I feel well-rested and energized throughout the day.
I also make healthier choices because I am not overcompensating for being tired with excess caffeine or junk food.
If you want to try waking up early, remember the following tips:
- Get enough sleep
- Stick to a routine
- Ditch the electronics
Want to dive deeper? Check out 10 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Waking Up Early.
This is something that I want to get better at, although I don’t have little one’s to worry about, but I am self-employed and work from home, so it would be lovely to get some admin done before my clients start arriving for their massages, rather than at the end of the day!
You should try it! Although I consider myself a night person, I’ve found that once I get a cup of coffee in me I’m much more productive in the morning than at night. Let me know how it goes!
I had to do go cordless too! I am a night owl by nature as well. But I am the same, when I up early I always declare I am a morning person LOL. It takes discipline for sure but is well worth it.