Wishing you could be one of those people that jumps out of bed in the morning, ready to tackle the day? It may seem like an impossible thing to achieve, but it’s easier to do than you may think.
Some are morning people. Others are night owls. There is no overlap, so you’ll have to decide to be one or the other.
Ready to learn how? Here is our step by step guide to becoming a morning person.
Create an Evening Routine
Morning people get up early. They don’t sleep in, and they don’t rush around trying to get to work on time. They wake up, ready to go, and productively start their day.
And all that depends on your evening habits and how you sleep.
To be more energetic and alert in the morning, create an evening routine to put yourself in the proper mindset before you get into bed.
Have a cup of tea, meditate, do yoga, or read a book. Find something that relaxes you and do it every single night before you sleep.
It’s also important to spend some time in the evening organizing things for the next morning. Plan your breakfast ahead of time, choose an outfit to wear to work, or feed your pet, so there’s one less thing to do in the morning.
Doing a few simple things at night can make your morning routine more relaxed and make you more willing to get out of bed.
Before you go to bed tonight, set a goal for tomorrow. With a clear goal in mind, you’ll feel more motivated when you wake up.
Head to Bed Earlier
This step is obvious, but it’s vital. The sooner you go to bed, the earlier you’ll wake up.
Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. If you want to get up at 6 am, you should plan to fall asleep by 10 pm. That means no more staying up until midnight or checking your social media until two in the morning.
Create a new routine for yourself where you go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. The more you stick to this, the easier it will become.
Do you have trouble falling asleep when you get in bed? If so, take a look at your evening habits.
If you drink alcohol with dinner, skip it. That glass of wine can relax you, but it can also keep you up at night.
Set Up a Sanctuary for Sleep
Whether you have a tiny bedroom or a spacious master suite, it’s crucial to turn your bedroom into a serene, calm, peaceful place.
And that means keeping it neat, clean, and organized at all times.
Don’t throw clothing over the back of a chair. Don’t let your shoes pile up outside your closet. Keep your nightstand clear of clutter.
Regular decluttering will make it easier to keep neat. And a clean, tidy space is much less stress-inducing than a cluttered, dirty one.
Unfortunately, the bedroom is not a place to watch television or use your tablet or phone. These may be hard habits to break, but the less you use your devices in the bedroom, the better your sleeping habits will be.
Have a Reason to Get Up
Being a morning person doesn’t just mean getting up earlier in the morning. It also means making those mornings more productive.
Think about what you want to do with that extra time. Maybe it’s an opportunity to get in some exercise.
Perhaps it’s time you want to spend doing household chores. Maybe you can start your workday earlier so that you can leave the office earlier and get home sooner.
Morning people don’t wake up early just for the sake of waking up. They wake up intending to do something.
Let In Some Light
If you wake up after sunrise, open up your blinds or curtains immediately. If you wake before the sun, turn on a lamp.
The trick is to get out of bed and instantly be ready to start your day. And that’s not easy to do if you’re fumbling around in the dark.
Natural sunlight also boosts your mood. The better your mood is, the more likely you are to want to get up and get things accomplished!
Skip the Snooze Alarm
The snooze alarm is not your friend. Sure, it can be tempting to want to get an extra five or ten minutes of sleep in the morning, but hitting the snooze alarm over and over again isn’t the way to do it.
REM sleep is the kind of sleep that restores your mind and body for the day to come. But REM sleep only exists in the latter part of the sleep cycle. Hitting the snooze button disrupts that cycle, so those extra five or ten minutes won’t be the quality sleep that your body needs.
When your alarm rings in the morning, get out of bed. Don’t lie there checking your Twitter feed or scrolling through Instagram posts from the night before.
Get up, get out of bed, and get your day started right away!
Power Up With a Proper Breakfast
Eating a proper diet is the best way to be healthy, happy, and productive. And starting with a nutritious breakfast can encourage you to eat healthier throughout the day.
The trick is to eat a protein-heavy breakfast. Why? Because protein increases dopamine, and dopamine can make you feel more energized.
Opt for eggs or egg whites rather than a bagel. Make yourself a nutritious smoothie rather than reaching for a glass of sugary juice or a bowl of cereal.
Little changes to your diet can go a long way in making you a morning person and a happier person all around.
In Summary
Ready to become a morning person? Here’s how:
- Create an evening routine that helps you unwind and relax
- Go to bed earlier so you can wake up earlier
- Make your bedroom a calm, relaxing place that encourages you to sleep
- Set a goal for the morning, so you have a reason to get up earlier
- Open up your curtains or turn on a light as soon as you wake up
- Skip the snooze alarm and get out of bed the first time your alarm rings
- Start your day with a healthy, protein-filled breakfast
If you can start making these seven changes to your routine, you will see a difference.
Before you know it, you’ll be that inspiring person who accomplishes more in the morning than some people do all day!
Author Bio:
Ryan Sundling is a Group Marketing Manager at Cardinal Group Management. He has over ten years of experience in the conventional housing industry and works with Alexan on 20th Street Station on a daily basis to help them with their marketing efforts.