How to be a morning person. If you are like me and you read a lot of biographies of successful people, you’ll notice that many of them have one thing in common and it’s that they all get up early and are raring to go with their day. Now, of course, you can still be successful and not be a morning person, but it does help. For one, you are probably dealing with different time zones and if your day is filled with meetings then how are you possibly going to get your work done? I personally find that that the first hour or two, first thing in the morning before the world around me has woken up, is usually the most productive part of my day.

WHY? Getting up early means that you have time to yourself before the hustle of the day begins. Although I wake up early, I don’t jump all the way in right away. First, I get a quiet walk to the gym, I put my headphones on and do my workout. This gives me the time to focus on what I need to get done. This is the time that I problem solve and strategically plan for the future. Then it’s coffee and breakfast and it’s only after that my day really begins. What does this do? I am more awake and energized for hours afterwards. One trick is to luxuriate in your morning routine and make it pleasant for yourself, something that you actually look forward to. Sure, I might jump on Instagram for a minute or two, but that doesn’t carry any stress and I’ll usually find a few inspirational photos. This, however, is not the time for emails or phone calls, this is “zen” time to get your thoughts in order and organized so that you don’t feel overwhelmed and out of control once you have to start dealing with people.

HOW TO BE A MORNING PERSON

Sleep more.  If you are consistently over tired, you will never succeed at getting up earlier. All we are trying to do is shift our sleep cycle so getting the sleep you need is paramount.

Be consistent. We all like to sleep in on weekends, but that can disrupt your sleep cycle. Rather than sleeping in, try waking up at the same time and luxuriating in bed for a few extra minutes. Take this time to do some easy stretches to keep your mind calm and serene. Read about your Must Do Morning Stretches here.

Don’t rush into it. Nobody said this would be easy. It’s not realistic to think that you will decide to be a morning person in the evening and in the morning you will jump out of bed with enthusiasm bursting out of every pore. Work your way up to it with 15 minute increments. It’s doable and won’t be a shock to your system.

Make it pleasant. There’s nothing worse than an annoying morning alarm as it penetrates your brain and just stresses you out. I’m not a fan of an alarm even if I’m already awake. I use the sound of crashing waves to wake me up. For a brief second every morning, I feel like I’m at the beach. I truly enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, there’s something about the aroma that just relaxes me and energizes me at the same time. So I don’t deprive myself.

Be healthy. Part of your morning routine should be hydrating and eating healthy. A tall glass of water and a nutrient packed breakfast will give you energy. This also means getting your blood flowing and heart rate up first thing in the morning. If you schedule workouts for the am you’ll be less likely to skip them and they in turn will help you wake up. There is plenty you can do at home if you don’t want to go to the gym and you can read about them here: Your Must Do Morning Workout.

See the light. Daylight savings time is the worst. It makes winter feel longer and darker and awful. Don’t close the blinds all the way so that some sunlight can get into your room to help you wake up.

I often find myself working across 9 or even 10 time zones, both ways. Sometimes I’m 9 hours ahead or maybe 1o hours behind and yes, my day sometimes has to shift, but as long as I stay consistent with an almost ritualistic pattern then I’m able to stay productive and focused. Remember that it’s easy to make excuses, so how about throwing them out the window and just doing it?

What are your tips for getting up in the morning and do you think it’s important to have me time in the am?

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