Are you a night owl who struggles to get up in the morning? Wondering how to become a morning person? Looking for ways to learn how to wake up early in the morning?
I know what it’s like! It’s hard enough to get out of bed when you’re not exhausted from sleepless nights, but throw kids into the mix and it can feel impossible. Thankfully there are some simple changes that can turn any night owl into a morning person.
When you’re a busy mom (and aren’t we all) mornings are usually spent in a sleepy haze trying to get up and out the door before the kids start asking for breakfast, their morning snack, and help with getting dressed. While there is no one size fits all approach to becoming an early bird when you’re naturally a night owl, this post will cover some of my favorite tips and tricks on how to make it happen.
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Can you really become a morning person?
Is it possible for a night owl to become a morning person. With commitment it is absolutely possible. There are so many benefits to waking up early in the morning, becoming a morning person will give you more time in your day which means less rushing around.
Rising earlier will also increase your productivity. As well as feeling better throughout the day when you’ve gotten plenty of sleep, and got some reading/relaxing/journaling done before everyone else wakes up!
I am constantly working on improving my ability to be a morning person, always finding little hacks to making my mornings more relaxing and seeing so many benefits to my productivity!
So yes, even if you are like me and a chronic night time doer, you can become a morning person.
How to Become a Morning Person
So how do we do it? How do we wake up early to start our days out right. Here are 6 of the best tips I have implemented to becoming a more consistent morning person!
Preparation is key: Refine your Night time routine
When my daughter was younger, nights were hard because she was clingy. So building a consistent nighttime routine was almost non existent. On the days I did have a nighttime routine, all I wanted to do was veg out with Instagram and Netflix.
At the time, my nighttime routine was a list of things that had to get done. I had no true desire to actually do it, because it was just more responsibility and I wanted a break. So I learned, that in order for my nighttime routine to be one that I actually followed I needed to make it something that I actually wanted to do.
I started incorporating fun and relaxing activities as a part of my nighttime routine. For example, I love the Korean facemasks. So I make that a nightly thing, wearing one while I do a functional clean of the common areas or pick out my clothes for the morning.
Mixing the “have to do” things with the relaxing “nice to do activities has increased my productivity and encouraged me to start the process towards getting to bed instead of vegging out then rushing to sleep without anything done to prepare for the next day.
Start slow
The next tip that really helped me to become a morning person was to start changing my routine gradually. I started with 20 minute intervals.
Normally, I don’t go to sleep until around 1230. In order to try to become a morning person I would start mandating that I was in the bed (phone off) at 12:10, then I would shift it back 20 minutes every few days to allow my body and mind to get used to the shift.
These little changes made it much easier to stick to a schedule and not feel discouraged by missing a deadline or oversleeping my alarm.
Be consistent
Once you commit, commit. If you want to be a morning person and experience all of the benefits of waking up earlier, then you will want to be consistent. This is why the last tip was so crucial. It is much easier to shift your wake up time by 15 to 20 minutes every week then to try to shift your entire schedule by 2-3 hours. Its not sustainable that way. You’re body needs time to adjust. Give yourself grace, even in the amount of time it will take to become a morning person.
It doesn’t happen overnight, and that is okay.
Want more self-care tips, activities, and ideas? Check out all of our Self-Care Resources created to help event the busiest mom steward her health well!
Create a calm Morning Routine
Give yourself time in the morning to be able to take in the quiet. Many people think of morning people as those who are like jumping beans first thing in the morning.
But a morning person can also be a bit groggy. Having a morning routine simply improves the chances that by the time you are needing to interact with others, you have had time to yourself to wake up fully and embrace the beauty of the day.
Incorporating calming activities can include:
- Slow breathing
- Prayer
- Journaling
- Stretching/yoga
- Planning your day
- Eating breakfast/drinking tea/coffee
Incorporate energizing activities
Another type of activity that can be beneficial to a morning routine is energizing activities. This can include exercise, getting dressed for the day, or cooking a nice breakfast.
Starting your day with an energizing activity is beneficial because it will give you energy to fulfill what lays ahead on your schedule for the morning.
Minimize your morning routine
The last major tip that has really helped me in becoming a morning person is minimizing your morning activities. Decreasing the things that you have to manage is key to finding the time to do the things that you really want to do.
Cutting out really elaborate breakfasts or a huge to do list first thing in the morning can help decrease the overwhelm about the day that keeps us hitting snooze far longer than we need to.
Shortening your to do list helps you to focus on what is a priority and be more flexible on the details. This is especially important when incorporating children into your new morning person routine.
How to become a morning person with children
We all know that adding children to any plan only adds a significant bit of spice to those plans. And that’s no different when it comes to becoming a morning person. The biggest things you want to try to find ways to keep the mornings calm.
Budget extra time. Plan for delays. Give yourself 15 more minutes than you need so you’ll arrive at work on time even if you have to look for a missing toy.
Stay calm. Your children will follow the example you set. Take a deep breath and keep smiling.
Offer choices. Being presented with options is more pleasant than taking orders. Ask your son which shirt he wants to wear. Discuss whether your daughter would rather brush her teeth or comb her hair first.
Create incentives. Show your kids that good behavior pays off. If you manage to leave the house earlier than planned, stop for hot chocolate on the way to school.
Turn off the TV. Minimize distractions. Keep the TV off and check phones or computers only for necessities like urgent emails or the weather report.
Have fun. While you’re juggling so many different responsibilities, remember to enjoy any hours you spend together as a family. Find something to laugh about or race each other to the car.
Becoming a morning person can be easy
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how to be a morning person, we can help. You don’t need to feel like there is no hope in becoming an early bird when it seems impossible. It takes time and effort but following these three steps will make your mornings easier and more enjoyable for everyone!
First, create routines that work with your lifestyle such as setting reminders on your phone or computer before bedtime so you know what needs to happen the next day.
Second, set aside time every night for winding down which gives you enough energy during the next day.
And finally, carve out some space for solitude first thing in the morning without distractions from technology or others around you if possible.
If you are struggling to find time in the morning for yourself, there is hope. You can retrain your brain and body to make mornings more peaceful by creating simple routines for bedtime and wake-up time that work best for you. Even with children at home, it’s possible to carve out a small amount of “me” time each day before starting breakfast or tackling chores.
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