Need to stop your habitual lateness to work? Learn how to be a morning person

Once the sun goes down and the temperature drops, are you someone who suddenly finds yourself coming to life? The evening air exhilarates you and you find during these late hours you are at your very best in getting things done? You've spent most of your life as a night owl and the mere thought of being a morning person to make it on time to work is disconcerting.

Image credit: Pixabay


What do you do if a need suddenly arises to become a morning person?

This happened to me. I used to burn the midnight oil researching thesis papers, writing, doing dishes, laundry and it wasn't uncommon for me to start scrubbing floors at 2 a.m. After the house was quiet and everyone was asleep I'd get energized and focused. Some nights I could be found organizing closets well into the morning hours as the sun was beginning to rise and start streaming through the windows. This worked great for several years, previously I had a job where I'd get off at 11 p.m. and it was ideal for me.

As life moves forward things changed. I could no longer burn the midnight oil, instead, I found myself needing to wake up with the birds. These are a few tips I tried to help me become a morning person:

Start slow

Don't decide one day that you have to be a morning person the next, but deliberately shift your schedule by going to bed an hour or two earlier each night. You may lose a few hours sleep during the first couple of weeks, but if you try to make a drastic change in your routine, you're likely to find it doesn't work. If you are anything like me, your mind will start racing and you'll find yourself lying in bed unable to sleep as you fight the urge to get up and do something.

Set an alarm

Each night as you go to bed an hour earlier, the key is to start waking up at the same time. Even if you are tired and tempted to hit that snooze button, resist that urge, force yourself to get up because if you don't it will disrupt your transition.

Shower ASAP

During my shift from nights to days I would drag myself into the shower before I did anything else. This way I was refreshed and clearheaded. Showering before anything else gave me a jolt me up and provided me with the energy to start the day.

Eat breakfast

For some, this is a difficult task. I happen to fall into that category, having never been a breakfast type of person (probably because previously I'd be waking up somewhere between breakfast and lunchtime!), but eating a healthy breakfast, even just a snack, can give a good boost to your day. It took me years to get to this point and even now, I struggle with it sometimes, especially now that I've moved onto freelancing and have more flexible hours (I am still very much a morning person though!)

Stick to your new routine

On weekends, holidays, or other days off, fight that urge to stay up late, because it may mess up your newly created clock that hasn't yet become internalized. Every time I did that, I felt horrible the next day and had difficulty staying on track.

Entrepreneur also suggests drinking a full glass of water in the morning upon waking. I also do this, however, to be honest, never connected it to my rising patterns, but it makes sense.

I believe that we're naturally born to be either a morning or night person, but it's not set in stone. It's been several years since I made that very difficult transition. These days my night owl days are long gone and if I had to switch back, it would be pretty hard. The early dawn hours and mid-morning hours are now my "prime time" to be productive.

Occasionally though, I still long for my night owl habits, I really enjoyed that time. Occasionally, temptation sets in, and I have to try to fight that desire because my internal clock is now in sync with being a morning person. Even if I do stay up late and have the opportunity to sleep in, it's a rare day that I actually can. Instead, I find I'm up early anyway and facing a day with a lack of sleep.

Becoming a morning person isn't easy, but with some concentrated effort, can definitely be done.

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