How to Become a Morning Person

It’s 6:15 am!

“Why is that a big deal?” you may ask. Well, for one thing, I’m notorious for oversleeping and waking my kids up 15 minutes before we’re supposed to walk out the door. That’s a mom-fail I haven’t totally been able to get a grip on. But they’re always on time so… I guess it’s fine?

Not only was I up to wake the kids up at 6, but I’ve been up since 3:30. At least! Today was the first day that my husband and I got up EARLY to go to the gym. I already feel super accomplished and I’m really hoping that I don’t crash and need a nap by 10.

I am by far NOT a morning person.

If I were going to call myself a morning person, my part of the morning would be between 12 and 2 am. Does that count? I don’t think so since I go to sleep after that. But those are my optimal morning hours.

You would have thought that having kids would have recalibrated my internal clock. Hahahahaha! I wish! No. I really do. Do you know how much easier is would be to parent if I were a morning person? I seriously don’t know how easy. Someone tell me. I just imagine myself in an apron waking my kids up to pancakes and bacon in the mornings.

I’ve stayed up late since I was in high school. That was back in the day when teachers in every class gave you homework every night. Up at 6, school, band practice, work, social life, homework until midnight, repeat.

I spend a fair amount of time telling my kids how lucky they are to almost never have homework AND not to have to lug around a backpack filled with 6 full-sized textbooks all day. Does anyone else remember this?

I did the same thing through college, except I had my first child 2 weeks before classes started. So I got even less sleep. Looking back now, I don’t know how I managed to live off so little sleep, raise kids, and keep my grades up. It was definitely by the grace of God that I was able to make it all work.

I’m nocturnal!

Regardless of my changing schedules, growing family, and any personal attempt to become a morning person, I have failed. I have come to this conclusion: it isn’t that I’m not a morning person. It’s that I’m nocturnal!

So, because my husband and I have a plan to go to the gym at least 4 times a week BEFORE he goes to work at 6 means that I have to BECOME something resembling a morning person. I have researched some ways to do just that. I even have a Pinterest board devoted to it.

Here’s what helps.

I make my daily to-do list the night before. I’ve found that I can be more productive if I already know exactly what I need to do in the morning instead of having to sit down and use my time making the list.

I also try to get my things together for the next day. At the very least I choose my clothes for the next day.

I take 3 mg of melatonin at around 9 pm. For me personally, I can get into a deeper sleep and wake up more refreshed in the morning when I do this. Every person is different so just because it works for me doesn’t mean it will work for everyone.

I usually take ibuprofen at night, too. I tend to clench my jaw while I’m sleeping, although I don’t grit my teeth, so I guess that’s a win. The ibuprofen seems to help my muscles relax and I tend to get better sleep when I remember to take it.

In the morning.

I have a real problem with my snooze button. I’m not kidding y’all. I have my alarm snooze set for every 5 minutes continuously. However, if I don’t get up within the first 15 minutes of my alarm going off, I WILL oversleep. Making myself actually get up out of the bed is the single hardest part of my morning.

Get dressed. As a stay-at-home-mom it is so tempting to stay in my pajamas all day. But, when I get dressed I feel ready for the day and I’m more likely to be productive and get things done.

Breakfast. Breakfast is not my thing. I know, it’s supposed to be the most important meal of the day, but I have never been a breakfast person. Not even as a kid in school. I do, however, look forward to my morning French-press coffee. It’s something I can be excited about every morning. Beth Moore says when she isn’t getting as much sleep as she wants, she says, “Yay, only X more hours until I get coffee.” I can get behind that.

Music is key. As I’ve been trying to get up earlier, I’ve been turning on music before I even wake the kids up for school. I usually put in on the Toby Mac channel on Pandora. It’s positive music that will really get my kids moving in the morning. Win-win.

I do have my quiet time, although it usually isn’t until after the kids have gone to school. Still, praying, reading my Bible, and just sitting there listening really helps center me for the day. When I remember who I am, whose I am, and why I do what I do…. well, that’s when everything comes together. Although, it might help to make time before I take the kids to school so I have a little extra patience with that drop-off line in the mornings.

I know I started this off talking about exercise. Look, I’m not an exercise-y person. Okay? When my friends started hitting the gym at 4am a year ago I though they were a little nuts. Even if you hate exercise… even if you don’t plan on leaving your house and you don’t have time to sweat and take a shower afterward…. do something. Take a 10 minute walk down the street. Do some stretches. Do something to get your heart pumping and your blood moving. It will change how you feel in the mornings.

Here are some other suggestions.

• Don’t eat too late before going to bed. It can cause heartburn and disrupt your sleep.
• Put your phone away an hour before bed. The blue light keeps your body from producing melatonin.
• Reading a book or looking at a magazine instead of looking at any screen (phone, computer, tv) will help your brain relax and be ready to fall asleep more easily.
• Keep a consistent sleep schedule. This sounds basic but most people don’t live by this rule.
• Don’t press the snooze button. Put your alarm across the room so you have to get up to turn it off.
• Find something that you are excited about the next day.
• Have a good breakfast.

Let’s be real.

I’m not saying you’ll become a morning person overnight. I’m not saying that you’ll become a morning person ever! But since I’ve really been implementing these things, it has become easier to get going in the morning and as a result I feel like I’m more productive throughout the rest of the day. That’s a good feeling.

Figure out what works for you. What gets me moving in the morning won’t neccesarily get you moving, but there is something that will. You just need to find it. Your job will thank you. Your family will thank you. But most importantly, you’ll thank yourself.

Why do I do this to myself and how do I stop?

I hated feeling like I never had enough time in the day just because I couldn’t seem to find my groove until noon! By then, there is very limited time to do anything before kids get out of school, extracurriculars start, dinners need to be made, and… let’s just pray no-one has homework.

I’ve had two friends post in the last couple of weeks that they were staying up way too late at night even though they wanted to go to bed earlier. One was just enjoying the quiet. The other didn’t want to go to bed without removing her makeup, but she also didn’t want to get up and actually wash her face. I loved hearing her story because I can relate to that so much!

Every morning I drag myself out of bed and decide I will be going to bed early on this night. All day I think about how tired I am, and how I can avoid it by just going to bed at a decent time. Then 8pm comes and goes. 9pm. 10pm. 11pm. And the next thing I know, I’ve watched 5 episodes of Fixer Upper and missed another good night’s sleep. Sleep. Wakeup. Repeat.

My point is that being a morning person, or something resembling a morning person, begins the night before. It takes planning, forethought, and follow through. The best of intentions won’t get you anywhere if you don’t follow through on them. So follow through. Take control of your choices. Take control of your day… and your life!

Go find your mojo!

I hope this was helpful to some of you. What is it that you struggle with in the mornings? Is there a way you get motivated to face your day? I’d love to hear all of it! Please leave your comments or questions in the comments section below. And don’t forget to subscibe to the email list for updates.