I’ve haven’t always been a morning person.
In fact, thought school and even University, I was probably the grouchiest person you would meet in the mornings.
It really wasn’t until a few years ago that I gradually started to fall in love with the idea of waking up before the rest of the world, and getting as much as I could done before 9am.
Now, I absolutely love getting up early and can happily say that I am 100% a morning person.
Overtime I have worked out exactly what makes me enjoy the mornings so much, and what also makes me so productive at this time of day as well.
I find that I really am my most productive before 2pm – so between the hours of 6am and 2pm, I try and get most of my work done for the day. I like to call this my 8 hours of power (before I slowly go downhill…).
Honestly, come 3pm, I’m SO unproductive and am generally ready for a nap.
Some of you may be sitting there and thinking I’m crazy, but also wondering “how the hell can I become a morning person too?”.
Well, here’s how…
Exercise in the morning
Now trust me on this one.
I used to be an afternoon/evening exerciser and found that this meant that I would then struggle to fall asleep at night because I was SO awake from the workout that I had done that evening.
Ever since I made the switch to training in the morning, I’ve not only started to sleep better in the evening, but I also have a way more productive day – and am filled with energy.
Research shows that willpower is strongest in the morning, and then slowly depletes over the course of the day. So, if you’re not the biggest fan of exercise, then try doing it first thing when your willpower is at it’s highest.
Exercising in the morning can also drive you to eat healthier throughout the day too, AND, once the workout is done – you don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day!
I also find that if I skip my workout in the morning and tell myself that I will do it in the afternoon instead, it never happens.
On the days in which you’re struggling the most to get up and exercise, try and remember the good endorphins and positive feelings you are going to feel after the workout and the hours afterwards as well.
Oh, and try to lay out your workout clothes the night before too so that all you need to do is slip them on and off you go as soon as you wake up. This will give you less decisions to make in the morning as well when you’re half asleep.
Reduce screen time in the evening
This is a change that I have only recently been trying to make, as I am a BIG user of my phone and laptop in bed before going to sleep.
Most of us spend a lot of time during the day looking at screens whether it be a phone, computer or TV, so try and make your time in the bedroom at night totally free of electronics. Make your room a beautiful haven for sleep and rest, and leave it at that.
I find that the nights that I choose to read a book in bed before going to sleep are honestly the nights where I get a better, deeper sleep (Click here to see what books I’m loving at the moment). Try and restrict your contact with screens at least an hour before bedtime, and instead use this time to read a book, journal your thoughts from the day or practice meditation and breathing techniques that will promote feelings of calm and relaxation.
This also leads me to my next point…
Creating a relaxing nighttime routine
This is another thing that I have only recently started doing – and I’m loving it.
At the start of this year, I turned my bedroom into a little haven of calm and relaxation. I’ve filled it with beautiful things that really do make me feel happy and calm, and it’s now a place that I look forward to going to when its time for sleep.
In the evening I like to light a couple of candles in my room for a “mood lighting” effect, and also because I’m a person who doesn’t like harsh, bright lights either. I’ll often have a cup of herbal tea beside my bed, and will try and do a little bit of journaling before bed just to help get the thoughts from my head out onto paper.
These are just a few of the things that I have incorporated into a nighttime routine that work for me in helping me to relax before bedtime.
Prepare for the next day as much as you can the evening before
There is nothing worse than being unorganised in the morning.
Set out your clothes for the day, write down your to-do list, and prep as much as you can the evening before, so that you can start your morning with a fresh mind, and less running around trying to make too many decisions in the first few hours of the day.
It’s a known fact that if you plan your day ahead the evening before, by not having to make too many decisions in the morning (on what you’re wearing, what to eat etc), then you are reserving that decision making process for other things that require more of your attention and decision making skills.
These are just a few of the things that I have started to do over the years to help me become more of a morning person.
I guarantee that once you start to see the benefits of waking up earlier, it will easily become a habit and part of your routine.
You’ll want to do more, be more productive AND you’ll have more energy throughout the day too!