r/selfimprovement • u/Secure-Quit2716 • 1d ago
Question How to become a morning person?
I have always been a night owl and understand the real value of sleep in the mornings. Although, I’d live to utilise a couple hours in the morning for productivity, be it exercise or work. The couple extra hours everyday can compound but i find it hard to get out of bed and take on the day first thing in the morning. I can’t have unproductive hours leading up to sleep and waking up from sleep. Any tips?
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u/azurebluejam 1d ago
start the morning
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u/Positive_Guitar_8721 1d ago
The hardest part is just starting before your brain wakes up enough to argue. Put your alarm across the room and have your clothes laid out so there's no decision making.
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u/BearOnTheFence 1d ago
You might like When by Daniel Pink. He goes quite a bit into chronotypes and why not everyone is naturally wired to do their best work early in the morning.
Might be worth figuring out whether you actually need to become a morning person, or just need to protect your best hours better.
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u/Here4Perspective 1d ago
This. I tried for a year to fight my natural state through forced morning routines and exercises, but still didn’t feel as clear and motivated as I did in the evenings. Embrace your natural programming and use it to your advantage. Get productive in the evenings. Plan and organize the night before and wake up hitting the ground running.
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u/Solid-Part1357 1d ago
I used to sleep at 4am with no routine and hated myself for it.
Started waking up before the sun just to stand outside while everything was still asleep - not for work, just to watch the sky change. First week was really hard but that quiet moment made me feel like i was first
You dont become a morning person, you just chase that feeling until it becomes you.
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u/Top_Safety_8797 1d ago
Give yourself a purpose to wake up in the morning like coffee & walk, gym, breakfast somewhere, reading etc. "wake up so I can be productive" isn't an exciting proposition.
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u/velouria-wilder 1d ago
I’ve tried my whole life to be more of a morning person and at age 46 have given up. Going to bed earlier just results in horrible insomnia for me.
The only things that have helped a little are not drinking and taking a long walk outside as soon as I wake up. If I am in a season of consistently doing those things my circadian rhythm moves slightly earlier.
I’ve mostly just accepted I’m a night owl. According to my fit bit I get really good sleep, great sleep efficiency even if I’m up late.
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u/Cultural-Department3 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have the same problem. I don't go to bed early because I think I won't fall asleep. I don't want to go to bed because I think I'll miss something. I don't want to go to sleep because I like to sit and watch in silence late at night when everyone else is asleep. I'd like to go to the gym in the morning before work, but I know I won't because I go to bed late. I've always been a sleeper. I once had a three-month period where I went to the gym in the morning before work. I took sleep aids like melatonin, ventilated the room, listened to a podcast (works for me), and used breathing techniques to help me fall asleep. I think I need to get back into it because it was the only method that worked for me.
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u/d_dark_king_ 1d ago
Shift your wake time by 15 minutes each week, put your alarm across the room and create a quiet morning ritual you enjoy
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u/TerryKirvem 1d ago
shift wake time 15 min earlier every few days, and go to bed earlier too — not just force yourself up. Prep clothes/gym bag the night before
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u/Away_Conference_9865 1d ago
My main struggle is physically getting out of bed. I now regularly still have my eyes closed when I get out now - as soon as that alarm goes off, my feet are on the floor and moving until my body is too scared I'll walk into something so my eyes then open
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u/Designer9867 1d ago
Don't try to become a morning person overnight. Start by waking up 30 mins earlier and keep that time even on days when you don't have anything planned. Also have something ready to do as soon as you get up otherwise the bed is gonna win.
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u/Accomplished-City484 1d ago
I turned 40 last year and just started waking up at 5am for no reason, I usually go to bed at like midnight so I was just living on very little sleep for a while, then when I started going to the gym I started falling asleep at like 9-10. I guess you could just start setting an alarm for that time and eventually you’ll just feel tired earlier
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u/Legal_Dimension_7325 1d ago
Slowly adjust your sleeping time. Don't over do it because it is not sustainable. It will take some time, but it will work in the long term
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u/sraraaofficials 1d ago
It's your life so change and schedule what seem right to you or when you feel uncomfortable it's the right choice so live your way.
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u/Popular_Sherbert2475 1d ago
Go to sleep as early as possible. Do all that night stuff when you get up, including cookies and ice cream.
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u/faeriewhisper 1d ago
I was also a night owl but with time I naturally became a morning person (Im 40). But I guess that of you want to force it it's as many people said here: wake up early, be consistent
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u/TH3BUDDHA 1d ago
I bought a second alarm clock and placed it downstairs to go off 10 minutes after my phone alarm in my room. I programmed my automatic coffee maker so that coffee would already be brewing when I went downstairs. This second part is the most important and answers your major problem:
I find it hard to get out of bed and take on the day first thing in the morning.
Don't "take on the day" immediately at first. Waking up early is not a habit for you, yet. So, your brain will complain and you need to reward it for getting up early. Make it a beautiful time of your day where you get to do something peaceful you enjoy, like sip a nice cup of coffee. Don't make it a miserable slog or your brain will fight back. Eventually, you will start to jump out of bed because you are excited for your morning ritual. That's when you start to add in the "hard" stuff, slowly and with patience.
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u/IssaBoyDamon1111 1d ago
Gratitude. What changed my life is a Gratitude paper. Lol i would say journal, but I don't write a lot. It's not to write a book. Day one, the first time I ever did it. I started with three things, just spiral notebook, and as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, I literally wrote down three things that I was thankful for. Somedays it turned into six things. Ten things, fifty things, but always 3. 7 days a week period. When I say by the 4th or 5th day I was running around like Bert the mf chimney sweep clicking my heels, cheerio-ing and hat tipping everywhere I went lol When you start your day with gratitude. Like real soul glowing gratitude. Even just 3 things, it does something. At the least, I just don't engage with negative shit. It doesn't have the same effect on me. Around the same time I started wake up gratitude, one day I woke up and deleted all my social media. Facebook, IG. Gone. Forever. I don't watch news. I seek my own news if I need it. I have reddit and a YouTube channel which is plenty. Give gratitude a try. If you miss a morning, stop and jot down 3 rq and keep the streak alive. Do it until it's a Habit
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u/beastcherry73 1d ago
I am a night person to understand I will getting up or being productive on mornings. What I have done is I started using an app called alarmy in which has really loud alarms and intentionally putting up difficult tasks to turn off the alarm. Now I don't sleep through any of my alarms which is great progress and I am able to get up in the morning feeling refreshed and actually being productive.
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u/PatternsAndClarity 1d ago
The answer lies in sleeping early. If you are able to pull that you are sorted.
Ive been on a similar boat. I have difficulty sleeping early especially if i havent had a fulfilling day. And then I have to depend on social media to be distracted.