It is an amazing feeling to be a morning person. You get up early, you are super productive and you set yourself up for a great day. I am a huge morning person, and if I need to get shit done, it got it done first thing in the morning. It is when my brain works best and my productivity and efficiency levels are through the roof. I wasn’t always like this though, I made myself this way and it is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Want to join me and become one of those annoying morning people? Read on.
Shifting your body clock is going to be a challenge, but it is totally worth it. I find that working out first thing in the morning is the best time for me. I get it done before the stress of work kicks in and I start my day on the right foot. Plus, it makes me less likely to back out of an evening gym session as my workload builds up. However it isn’t as easy as waking up one day and deciding you’re going to be morning person. There is definitely a transitional period where your body is like “WTF is going on”. However, this passes in a week or two and soon you’ll be smashing 6am gym sessions like the best of us!
Alright, so how do you make yourself a morning person? Here are my top tips:
- Put yourself to bed an hour earlier if you’re waking an hour earlier. You need to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and a lack of the stuff isn’t fun – or healthy. It will mean you have less energy to power through your productive morning plans.
- Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so that you have to get out of bed to turn it off. Resist the temptation to crawl back into your comforting duvet and get going!
- Kick start your morning routine by brushing your teeth and drinking a glass of water. These daily activities tell your body that the day has begun and really wake you up, making it harder you retreat to bed.
- Plan your morning schedule. If you’re going to get up early, you need to use this time wisely. Schedule in your workout, plan your journey to the gym and lay out your clothes; or set aside your notepad, laptop and pens ready to crack on with some work. This means you will have fewer opportunities to make excuses the next day. If you’re rising early to train, a great tip is to book onto a gym class; the late cancellation fee will make you get out of bed.
- Be consistent. Try to wake up fairly early 7 days a week. Yes, even on the weekends. This allows your body clock to really get into a good rhythm and get used to the early starts. I am not saying wake up at 5am on a Saturday but 7/8am is a good benchmark to aim for.
- Think positively. You can control your mindset, so make sure its a positive one. You can either see early mornings as living hell, or as a chance to get ahead of the game and work towards your goals. The power is in your hands tho change your mindset and choose the latter.
The main thing I want to reiterate is that becoming a morning person is a process. You need to stick with it. I pinky promise that after a week or two your body clock will start to adapt and it will become easier and easier to get out of bed at the crack of dawn. You might even end up finding it enjoyable!
This blog post is based on my book Strong, which includes a whole section on organisation and stress management. You can grab a copy here!
Zanna xx
