Learn How to Become A Morning Person

Sep 12

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all wake up to the perfect morning? You know, actually waking up on time for work without hitting the snooze button, having our quiet time, and actually getting out of the house on time? For many people, mornings are the absolute struggle. There’s barely enough time to get up and make breakfast, let alone actually taking the time to have devotions, squeeze in a workout, and work on your goals; and if you’re not a morning person, these things all sound like a far fetched dream to you.

Well for me, I am a morning person to the core. I guess you can say that I’m ruled by the sun. I’m the most creative and productive in the morning, and waking up in the wee hours of the morning allows me to cherish my day. There’s just something about waking up and knowing that I’ve accomplished something before the sun rises that fires me up. By 9 o’clock, I usually have finished my quiet time and have crossed a few things off of my business or master’s program to-do list, and if the morning is going really well, I’ve had the opportunity to squeeze in a quick workout too, all before heading to work. For me, what I accomplish in the morning determines the course of my day.

Now, I acknowledge that not everyone is a joyful, morning person like me, but it is very beneficial to become a morning person. The truth of the matter is that highly successful people are early risers. The saying that “the early bird catches the worm” is quite true. Research has proven that those who wake up early are more likely to be more proactive, better at problem solving, better planners, are more healthy, get better rest, tend to be more optimistic, and overall have more uninterrupted time in their days. Waking up early enables you to do more than just “get things done.” It allows you to make more time for enriching, purposeful activities. It is possible to transform yourself into an early riser. I’ve actually helped many of my coaching clients successfully make the transition of becoming a morning person with the tips that I’m about to share with you. Here’s how you can become a morning person too.

"Learn how to become a morning person (even if mornings are the absolute struggle for you)."

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Change your self-talk.

A lot of people say they aren’t a morning person as if this couldn’t change. Could it be that the reason why you're not a morning person is because you say that you’re not one? The best way that we can start changing our behavior is with our thoughts. Start by believing that you are a morning person and manifest the behavior by speaking it over your life. Change your words from “I’m not” to “I am.” I am is motivation in itself.

Determine the stakes.

It’s important to realize what you’re risking by not getting up early. Determine what's important to you. What would you be missing out on if you continue to sleep in? These questions help to put your goals and life into perspective. Write down the possibilities that you could achieve if you became a morning person. What goals would you finally be able to accomplish? Keep that list nearby or in your phone to serve as your motivating factor instead of pressing the snooze (again).

Minimize your evenings.

Try shaving one hour off of your evening. You don’t want to overextend yourself. There have been many times where I’ve taken on too many responsibilities and underestimated how long it would take me to finish my projects. It’s important that you take the last few hours of the day to wind down and prepare for the next day. Find ways that you can minimize your evenings and destress before bed.

Set a sleep schedule.

In order to endure those early mornings, you need rest. And in order to get a sufficient amount of rest, a sleep schedule is necessary. I like to get up between the hours of 5 am and 6 am, therefore, I like to make sure that I’m getting between 6-7 hours of sleep so I can be alert and productive when I wake. I use my Fitbit to track and plan my sleep. At 9pm every night it notifies me with a vibration that it’s time to wind down, so I can make my bed time of 10:30 pm. Try setting an alarm so you can make sure that you’re on a solid sleep schedule too.

Prep the night before.

The best way to set the next day’s intention is by planning the night before. If mornings are already a struggle for you, you want to minimize as many time sucking distractions as possible. Set out your clothes, pack your bag, and make your lunch the night before. Take your shower at night, so you can quickly get ready in the morning. I even like to make my to-do list a day ahead so that I can wake up ready to execute it. Time is wasted when you have to make decisions in real time, so be proactive and prep the night before.

Keep your alarm across the room.

Don’t set yourself up for disaster. If the snooze button is available, you will hit it at any chance you get. Reduce the opportunity by keeping your alarm across the room. Once you get up, you will be less likely to get back in the bed. Hearing your alarm blaring across the room will definitely push you to get up and out of the bed. (You have to turn it off somehow, right?)

Wake up 30 minutes earlier.

If waking up is a struggle for you, don’t be overly ambitious by waking up two hours earlier. Take gradual, baby steps by committing to waking up 30 minutes earlier. Once you’ve been able to consistently stick with that time, challenge yourself to 45 minutes. Eventually you will work yourself up to a hour or maybe two, but don’t go and shoot yourself in the foot by making unrealistic goals.

Give yourself something exciting to wake up to.

Make your mornings more exciting by giving yourself something to wake up to. I love starting my mornings with my quiet time and a nice cup of coffee. Waking up to Jesus makes things sweeter, and it really refocuses my mind for the day. After I’ve had my quiet time, I love to work on Fearfully Fashioned in some form or capacity, even if it’s only for five minutes. Knowing that I’ve created the opportunity to work on something bigger than myself in the mornings, gives me motivation to wake up and get my day started. Whether it’s your favorite book, a journal, or lighting candles in the morning, find something that inspires you to get up earlier in the mornings.

Give yourself a pep talk.

Not every morning is going to be perfect, and when it isn’t, it’s important to build yourself up to make it through the day. Learn how to encourage yourself. Create a list of affirmations or scriptures that you can say to yourself when you don’t feel like getting out of bed. I like to keep my goals on a nearby whiteboard, that way I can look up and remind myself of my goals to encourage me to get up and get going.

Listen to motivating music.

Sometimes encouragement is not enough. If your pep talk doesn’t do it for you, turn on some motivating music. Music is one of the best medicines for the mind and soul. I like to go to Apple Music or Spotify to turn on some encouraging tunes when I need an extra encouragement motivating boost. I’ve created a Morning Motivation playlist on Spotify that you can download to get you through the mornings too.

Find an accountability partner.

If all else fails, find yourself an accountability partner to support you in becoming a morning person. If you have a friend that wakes up at your desired time, have them give you a wake up call. If a wake up call is too much, send them a daily wake up time report so they can hold you accountable to your goals. I serve as that accountability partner for my coaching clients. If you can’t find any support and you’re having a hard time developing discipline, coaching is a great alternative to help you reach your personal goals.

Of course with any new habit, discipline and consistency is a must when it comes to implementing purposeful behaviors. In order to successfully become a morning person, it’s going to take some discipline on your behalf. That is why I’ve created the Developing Discipline Devotional Challenge. It’s a free, 5 day daily devotional challenge to help you partner with the Holy Spirit to eliminate excuses and develop discipline. Each morning you will find a devotion in your inbox that will prepare you for your day. Click the button below to take the 5 day challenge and finally develop discipline in your life.