How to Become a Morning Person (If You’re a Night Owl)

There are plenty who credit a large portion of their success to being a morning person. Yet, if you were not lucky enough to be born a morning person, you may be wondering how to become one. You could even be a “morning-person skeptic” who believes you accomplish your best work in the evening, so you can’t understand all the commotion around being a morning person.

Whether you have been unsuccessfully trying to become a morning person or you just want to experiment with it, this article is for you.

The Challenge to Becoming a Morning Person

Let’s start with the basics, why is it so hard to become a morning person?

Not Getting Enough Sleep

When you don’t feel like you have enough time to accomplish your goals, you feel as though sleeping is a luxury you cannot afford. The truth is, getting the proper amount of sleep can be the foundation of your success.

Numerous studies have found a lack of sleep increases the likelihood of someone developing serious medical conditions. These conditions include, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.^[1] In order for you to have the best chance of becoming a morning person, you need to give yourself about eight hours of sleep.

If you are sleeping less than eight hours a night and having difficulty waking up in the morning, then waking up is not the problem. Your problem is you are not getting enough sleep each night. Your body is simply trying to ensure you get the proper amount of rest to live a healthy life.

If you want to wake up at 4am, then you need to be in bed by 8pm. Likewise, if waking up at 6am is your goal, then you need to be counting sheep by 10pm.

Most people who have difficulty becoming a morning person are going to sleep at midnight and trying to wake up at 5am. While I can appreciate the hustle, five-hours of sleep is not going to cut it.

Whatever time you want to wake up, you need to count back eight-hours to determine the time you need to go to sleep.

Getting the proper amount of sleep is something many struggle with when attempting to become a morning person. You want to get this under control before it leads to health problems in the future. You do not want to be someone who sacrifices their health to build wealth and then spend their wealth to buy back their health.

Feeling Not Accomplishing Enough for the Day

Like any change, the hardest part is getting started. If you are ready to become a morning person, then you must be ready to go to sleep without “everything” being done.

One of the hardest things a night person has to deal with is the idea of going to sleep without accomplishing enough. You lay awake at night wondering if you could have done more with your day. You consider whether you can salvage a less than stellar day with some late night heroics.

Instead of asking yourself what you can do to salvage your day, ask yourself “what can you do to have a day that doesn’t need to be salvaged?”

The best thing you can do to ensure you have an amazing day is to become a morning person. As simple as it sounds, studies show that morning people are happier, more productive, healthier, perform better in school, and their employers think more highly of their work.^[2] I could keep going, but I think you get the point.

The key takeaway is if you want to accomplish your goals, your best chance of doing so is by becoming a morning person. The way you start your day is often going to be a sign of how your day is going to go.

If you have a lack of discipline and push snooze several times, you are going to have a lack of discipline throughout the day. On the other hand, if you accomplish two big goals before 10am, you have already set yourself up to have a great day.

Becoming a morning person allows you to start your day the way you want. You can use this time to invest in improving yourself. Whether you use your morning time to exercise, meditate, or clean your house, you are going to be in a better mental space than someone waking up with only enough time to get ready to leave the house.

If someone wakes up feeling rushed and pressed for time, they are likely to go through their day feeling rushed and pressed for time. When someone exercises and makes healthy decisions in the morning, they are more likely to make healthy decisions throughout their day. That is why it is essential you learn how to become a morning person, so you can live your best life.

Getting Ready to Become a Morning Person

Are you ready to become a morning person? Good. Like any transformation, you want to make it as easy as possible to change your habits.

There are two ways to accomplish this feat. You make the new habits you want in your life easy to integrate, while at the same time making the old habits you are quitting difficult to continue.

For example, if you need to stop pushing snooze, then move the alarm clock out of reach. The farther you must walk, the more likely you are to stay awake. If you leave the alarm clock within arm’s reach of your bed, you may turn the alarm off in your sleep (been there, done that).

Another way to help wake yourself up in the morning is to do something you love first. This can help you to feel excited about waking up and it can get the juices flowing. If you enjoy movement, start your morning with a brisk walk or a short exercise session. If you are someone who enjoys a good book, only read your favorite stories in the morning. This will help you to equate sleeping-in with the loss of something you enjoy.

What if You’re a Night Owl?

For those who are night owls, you are going to need to find an effective night-time routine.

If your normal night routine is working once everyone is asleep and falling asleep in your work, then you are going to need to find a more relaxing way to spend your evening. This will help your mind to stay relaxed and get into the mood for sleep.

When you are working throughout the night, your mind can be over stimulated and that makes it hard for you to go to sleep without finishing your work. By taking it easy and leaving your work for the next morning, you are increasing the likelihood you will be able to go to sleep early.

Some activities that will help you to wind down effectively are to meditate, turn off the television, read a book, and stretch.^[3]

This night routine will be useful for you: The Ultimate Night Routine Guide: Sleep Better and Wake Up Productive

Final Thoughts

If you want to become a morning person, you need to keep two things in mind:

First, you need to prepare to wake up early. You cannot go to sleep late and hope you wake up early. You need to get the proper amount of sleep to make the habit out of waking up early easy.

Second, you need to make it easy to wake up and difficult to go back to sleep. Don’t wake up and think about whether you “feel” like getting up. The longer you are lying in the bed, the easier it will be to go back to sleep.

Instead, get out of bed as quickly as possible. Once you are up, go to the bathroom, grab a glass of water, or take a shower. Each of these activities will make it easier for you to stay awake and harder for you to go back to sleep.

If you focus on these things, you will be well on your way to becoming a morning person.

More to Help You Stay Energetic

• Need Morning Motivation? 30 Routines to Help You Start Afresh
• Powerful Daily Routine Examples for a Healthy and High-Achieving You
• How to Become an Early Riser and Stay Energetic

Featured photo credit: Cam Adams via unsplash.com