7 Incremental Ways To Become a Morning Person

If you are here, it is safe to assume that you are probably not a morning person. Well, why should you then become a morning person?

When you wake up first thing in the morning, you have no decision fatigue. This means you can spend this time working on the most important tasks. Whichever tasks you decide to focus on will be done with the highest quality.

Plus, there is just something about the feeling of being ahead of the rest of the world. You will feel accomplished solely by knowing that you are starting your day ahead of many other people. This confidence and excitement will flow throughout the rest of your day as well.

Even If you end up deciding that being a morning person is just not for you, giving it a try and finding out for yourself will be well worth it.

You might say that I have never been a morning person. how will I have the motivation every single day to get up early in the morning? Well, I have the answer to that question as well.

The big secret: Most morning people don’t use their willpower to get out of bed. It is just a habit for them. They don’t have to push themselves to get out of bed, they just do. As a newbie, you can use your willpower, your goals, and other motivating factors to get out of bed until it becomes a habit.

1. Gradually Start Going To Sleep Early

Being a morning person is not worth it if it means sacrificing a good night’s sleep.

Going to sleep early is THE MOST effective way to wake up early. 
-Jeff Sanders, "The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast"

If you are a night owl, start moving your bedtime by 30 minutes earlier every single day. You should go to sleep early enough to get 7-8 hours of sleep (or more as everyone’s body requires a different amount of sleep).

Once you get into the habit of going to sleep at a specific time, try not to deviate from it too much to ensure you don’t fall out of the habit.

2. Have a Plan for the morning

It goes without saying, but if you wake up early without planning on how you are going to use this time, it won’t feel worth it. It doesn’t make sense to wake up early in the morning just for the sake of it.

There might be many reasons for which you have decided to wake up early. Is it to study efficiently? Have a slower and peaceful morning routine? Is it to exercise? Is it to get a jump start on your work? Are you waking up early to work on a specific personal project?

Whatever the reason might be, you should know exactly how you will be spending your morning if you wake up early. An organized morning is essential to taking full advantage of becoming a morning person.

3. Don’t Give Yourself The Option to Snooze

Hitting that snooze button for just five more minutes of sweet heaven is too tempting. Get rid of that temptation altogether. Keep your alarm clock or your phone away from your bed. Keep it far enough that you will have to walk over to turn off the alarm clock.

The hardest part about waking up early is getting out of bed. Once you are out of bed to turn off your alarm, you won’t be very tempted to go back to bed.

If you are still finding it hard to not go back to bed after you turn off your alarm clock, use one of those apps that don’t let you turn off the alarm until you solve a mentally stimulating puzzle or a question. The mental stimulation will surely wake you up for good.

4. Consistency is key

If you want to give yourself an honest chance of being a morning person, being consistent is essential. Promise yourself that you will wake up early for at least 30 days before you decide whether waking up early is for you or not.

During these 30 days, wake up and go to sleep at the same time. This does not mean that you have to be 100% rigid with this rule. It is okay to make an exception if you want to go out on a Friday night. Be sure to not make too many exceptions as it defeats the purpose of what you are trying to do.

5. Keep a Reminder of Why You Are Doing It

While you are on your journey to becoming a morning person, there will surely be mornings of hesitance and temptations of sleep. You will be tempted to stay up a little late to watch one more episode of your favorite show ( and there will probably be another episode after that).

During this time, you need to keep reminding yourself why you are trying to become a morning person. It might be because you are trying to be more productive, wanting to be healthy, or trying to improve your mental health.

Whatever it is that’s driving you to make this change in your life, keep reminders of that reason to look at right before you go to sleep and the first thing you wake up in the morning. Keep a physical reminder: a note on your bedside table, a note on your phone case, your phone wallpaper, or anything else that you find to be helpful.

6. Have Something to Look Forward to

The best way to incentivize yourself to get out of bed and get on with your day is to have something in the morning that you look forward to. This might be an incredibly delicious cup of coffee, a smoothie, or a hearty breakfast.

Just knowing there is something pleasant and exciting coming up soon will give you the courage to take that first dreadful step out of bed.

7. Make the ‘LIGHT’ Move

I couldn’t resist the pun!!!!! It’s not even very clever, but it is what it is.

Our circadian rhythm is built to respond to light. Darkness tells our circadian rhythm that it’s time to go to sleep, and light tells it that it’s time to wake up. Make your biology work in your favor.

Exposing yourself to bright light first thing in the morning helps you wake up and slowly shift your wake-up time earlier. Opening up your curtains and letting in natural light is ideal. However, if you wake up before the sun comes up, the best thing to do is step into the bathroom to brush your teeth. The smell of mint from your toothpaste combined with the bathroom light will surely do the trick.