When I was a child, I hated mornings. Mostly because of school. I hated that too. So I made some sort of a promise to myself, that I will work my ass off to be able to wake up whenever I want when I’ll grow up and still make money. Meanwhile, I grew up – sort of – meaning I ended my businesses with school for good a.k.a. graduating and got a couple of jobs. But I still wasn’t a morning person. Just yet.
To become a morning person, you must have a reason to wake up in the first place.
It sounds some sort of morbid. I know. But let me explain. When I was in school (including Uni) I hated it (the whole concept of schooling), so of course, I hated to wake up and go somewhere I didn’t want to do. Realised this when I got my real first job; or a little after. I didn’t like it, it was not for me, it was not the right environment. So I really struggled waking up in the morning but also going to sleep in the evening.
So, basically I was waking up for the entire wrong reason my entire life.
I know that there are people out there who rush you to be grateful because you woke up. And I totally agree with that. That fact that you are healthy (all your limbs are in place) and you have where to leave and eat is enough to be grateful and happy. But let’s face it we won’t appreciate something until we lose it.
A quite intense experience made me realise that I was doing things wrong (a subject of a different story). I was waking up to go to work, to go to school, to finish my homework and my assignments, to get Mum to work and so on.
I was always waking up for something or someone else beside myself and my own interest. Don’t do that!. Please
The fun part is that I didn’t realise it until I got my dream job – another subject for another time. That’s when it started to happen. I started to wake up earlier and I was doing it for myself. Because I wanted to get a full breakfast and a morning routine; because I wanted to be healthy and happy.
My Dad is always waking up super early. I never understood why he did that when I was a kid. But when I grew up, I realised that was his Einstein window of the day. The Einstein window represents a couple of hours of each and one of us when we take care of the 20% of things that will bring 80% results. Like planning your day to avoid chaos, catch up on things you didn’t manage the day before without being disturbed.
The Benefits of Becoming a Morning Person
Waking up early in the morning (6 a.m. for me) is the best thing you can do to improve your productivity and health. Being a morning person also has health benefits.
1. The peace and quiet
If you ever woke up by yourself early in the morning, you probably noticed how peaceful it is. There’s no traffic, no screaming kids outside. Pretty much no sound. And it is not creepy to be surrounded by complete silence. It is the most peaceful and calming moment of the day.
2. Productivity
I am very productive if I wake up early. That’s probably because I know I started ahead of pretty much everyone else. Working in an empty floor for a couple of hours is amazing. But coming late at the office, or even at 9 a.m. makes me feel tired and unproductive. Why? Because everyone is already there and there’s a lot of buzz and chaos.
Related: Things to Do Once You Wake Up
So use your early, quiet morning hours to take care of the most difficult tasks, for example. Or plan your day, work out or enjoy a nice and full homemade breakfast.
3. Become healthier
Larks are seen as people who work out usually. As Sarah Klein said in her article for HuffPost – “7 Things Morning People Do Differently“, a morning person is happier.
Why? Because waking up early and having enough time to plan your day, will spare you a good amount of stress. Also using those early hours to work out will show results. Switching routines is also something you can do. For example, don’t do early in the morning to the office every day, go for a jog a couple of times, or spend 30 minutes reading a book.
Routine is killing us inside, so avoid it by taking advantage of those extra hours in the morning.
From my point of view, because they have time for themselves makes the larks happier.
4. Clear mind
Planning ahead will give you a lot of peace of mind. You will know what your day should look like so you will have extra “space” on your mind to take better decisions and be more productive. I think it’s best to write down your plans throughout the day. In this way, you won’t make your mind a gathering point – everything you should keep in mind is written down and you can focus on memorising more important things.
5. No rush
Don’t you feel dizzy all day when you’ve started your day in a rush? Everything doesn’t fit right and you feel like you’re always losing the train. That is quite unlikely to happen if you wake up early enough. If you see that you’re running late you can cut something from your early morning routine, but that won’t affect your mojo too much.
Related: 7 Things to Do in the Morning That Will Make Your Evening Easier
I like to wake up early in the morning, but this doesn’t mean I don’t get lazy every now and then. A lazy morning is more than welcomed sometimes. You already know I’m quite a lazy person, so I do over sleep. I’m not that perfect Mary Sue who has everything in her life sorted out. Life would be boring without some chaos in it. 🙂 Anyway, my best days (in most cases, except the morning when the car broke down) regarding productivity and overall feeling are the days when I wake up early.
If you are not sure if you are a morning person or not, here’s something that might help (also it will put a smile on your face. I hope):
Related: 10 Signs You’re Not a Morning Person
But there is one thing I skipped. We talked so much about how amazing it is to wake up early in the morning, making a habit out of it and becoming a morning person, that we forgot the most important thing needed to become a morning person: enough sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, there is no way you’ll benefit from waking up early in the morning. That means (simple math) if you want to get up early, go to bed early enough to give you at least 7 hours of good sleep.
Arriana Huffington learnt how important enough sleep is the hard way. I’ll leave you her short TEDTalk about it.
You could say I failed the promise I made to myself about working hard to wake up whenever I want. I enjoy waking up early in the morning now. Sort of. Some days are simply not made for early mornings. How does your best morning routine look like? I’m very looking forward to
How does your best morning routine look like? I’m very looking forward to discovering new routines and hacks to make mornings even more amazing.
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34 comments
I love when I get up early. I get so much done, and have so much more time to get more things done too!
I love and appreciate my mornings so much. It helps me prepare for the day ahead. Thanks for sharing!
I agree, the important part is finding something to wake up for or to look forward to waking up nice and early. I am not a morning person and I need to learn to reset my clock. I guess I am still finding that, “yes it is a new day” reason to get up nice and early! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m working on getting up earlier now that my boys sleep better at night, they are 2 and 4 years old. It’s nice to get up earlier than everyone else and have a little bit of time in the mornings for just me before the hustle and bustle of the day starts. My husband and I both work from home while taking care of the kids, so the days can get very hectic around here sometimes!
Arriana Huffington is someone I look up to. I struggle so much with sleep I read her book thrive and it really open my eyes up to some of the things that I needed to let go of and start doing to focus on getting to a better healthier state. I still struggle with sleep that is with some sleep aids but I know my sleep patterns didn’t happen over night and they sure wont change over night. I love that you are speading awareness to issues that effect or mental health. Thanks for sharing the great tips.
Thank YOU for sharing your experience! I know about Arianna’s philosophy on sleep and healthy habits, but I never read her book. I should give it a try. Sending you all the good wishes so you can get where you want regarding sleep. Take care.
You are welcome Cristina I really liked your morning person tips I have been waking up at 5:45 am daily now all summer watching a friends kids but I end up going back to sleep. I need to take the time that the kids go back to sleep until 8 am and work. Thank you for the inspiration
Good to know your a morning person. I missed being a morning person too. That depends also on how you usually work on things. Continue to work on the best.
Well, I’m not a full time morning person. Sometimes sleep gets in the way, haha. But I really love the days when I’m getting up really early.
For the majority of my life, i have HATED mornings and waking up has been my least favourite part of the day but over the last few months it has completely changed. I now prefer to wake up earlier, I like the quiet and the extra time to just sit and enjoy my coffee before I get started on work.
Yep. That was me as well a few months ago – totally hating waking up early (which was basically decent hours to wake up). But if you get to experience it a few times, you’ll start enjoying it more and more.
Agreed I get so much more done in the morning!
Great tips to change your daily routine and become more productive!
Yes! All so true! I have never been a morning person, much for the same reasons you had never been a morning person. But now I love what I do, and I appreciate the quiet of those first hours and the productive tasks I can finish before the day fully begins.
I love this! I really love my sleep and it is so tempting to sleep in but when I wake up early I am more productive and my days always seem to go better. I try to wake up at least an hour before my kids so I can enjoy breakfast and coffee at my desk without interruption. Great post!
I’m definitely a morning person, but not a super early morning person and I wish I was! I wake up at 6 when I work out of the house and that is SUPER early to me. When I stay home, I usually wake up between 7:30-8am, but I soo wish I could do 6 everyday. I get so much done when I get up that early!
I definitely like my space in the morning. If I get up and am forced to interact with people before I am ready, I’m a grump. Now, I make my lunch when I get up and then take about 30 minutes to myself (usually when I snuggle the pups). I would like to get up earlier and have more time, but I already am up at 5:30. Maybe I’ll try 15 minutes earlier to start…
Starting only with just 15 mins is a very good idea. Your body won’t feel it, but you’ll notice the difference.
YES!!!!! I LOVE quite, unrushed mornings. They are exactly like you said: peaceful and productive. I get a lot done in the morning, and I love being up before the sun. I look forward to a day when I can do that without having somewhere to be at 8am, because it does take away a little bit of the magic since my dream job is blogging from home!
I also enjoy watching the world waking up. If I wake up before sunrise, at around 7 people start moving: going to work or school, going for a jog ans so on. It might sound stupid, but it’s a nice part of the day to watch.
No! I think that’s cool!
I love that time first thing in the morning when the house is all quiet and I have the whole place to myself. It’s so satisfying being up and active before everyone else. I’m kinda sneaky though because I usually grab my breakfast and just hop straight back into bed.
Haha, sneaky Megan! My Mum does that too. She grabs her coffee and goes back in the bed to drink it while watching TV or reading, or playing Candy Crush (yep, it’s still a thing among parents).
I was forced to become a morning person after my daughter was born, and I haven’t looked back since. They are the most productive hours of my day!
Well, I’ve heard that parenting can do that haha
I’m working on becoming a morning person, but it is easier said than done! I love my sleep, but I’m really trying to be more productive in the early hours.
I agree that it seems impossible at the beginning, but once you get used to it it will become natural.
I’ve been a morning person my whole life–the sort who jumps out of bed as soon as I wake up! haha–I have had roommates who were not morning people who did not appreciate my exuberance for mornings, but I love how much can be accomplished before the day properly begins!
Absolutely agree with you that mornings can be some of the most peaceful and productive times of the day. I’m working on being a morning person again and think it will go well with my exercise routine.
Good luck in your journey of becoming a morning person, Sam! It will be so much worth it.
I totally agree! I get so much more done in the day when I wake up early and have made it a habit to get up earlier everyday!
OMG, I soooo love all the benefits from it, I try all the time to wake up early and workout and when I do its a game changer all day, I never really took advantage of the quietness so tomorrow morning I will have to go outside and take in the peacefulness! Thank you for this post I look forward to waking up tomorrow (; http://lifestylesofagirl.co
Enjoy the peacefulness tomorrow morning Kiaya.
Morning time is best for memorising and medication. Nice article! Also good sleep is very much valuable.