Buzz
If you’re naturally a night owl, simply getting out of bed early can be a challenge. There’s no need to pile on extra tasks like meditation, journaling, a five-mile run, or catching up on emails. When mornings feel tough, your routine should stay straightforward.
If you're an early riser, this article isn’t for you – I'm addressing my fellow night owls, the sleep-deprived, and those who love hitting snooze. A few months ago, I realized my day went better when I worked out before diving into other responsibilities. So, I started getting up at 6:30 a.m. (Which, for morning people, is considered *super late*—but who cares?). This is how I made it happen.
Start small
Don’t overdo it right away. Eventually, you can aim for earlier wake-up times and a longer morning routine, but for now, just get up a little earlier and use that extra time wisely.
Waking up at 5:55 a.m. and heading to the gym for a 90-minute workout of lifting and running on the treadmill is second nature now. But when I first began, I was getting up at 6:30 a.m., telling myself that a half-hour workout would suffice.
This step is crucial for building confidence. If you lie in bed dreading how tough it will be to complete your morning tasks, you’ll likely end up hitting snooze and falling back to sleep.
Realize that your brain needs a little time to wake up
The second my alarm goes off, my first thought is always: “oh no, it’s morning.”
Thankfully, it gets easier after that. I get up, groggily walk to the bathroom—what else is there to do? While I’m there, I might as well brush my teeth. It only takes two minutes, which my toothbrush conveniently times for me. By the time I’m done—roughly three minutes after my customary curses at the alarm—the morning dread has started to fade.
Next, I get dressed and head to the gym. If I’m still not fully awake, I sit on a recumbent stationary bike (the kind that resembles an easy chair with pedals) and scroll through my phone for five minutes while pedaling at a slow pace. It counts! After that, I’m usually as alert as I’m going to be. It’s enough.
Plan everything the night before
You need to set your mornings to autopilot mode. As you’re getting ready for bed, let your night owl self prepare future-you for success. Lay out your clothes, organize your coffee supplies, and have anything else you might need ready for that hazy moment when you're not fully awake.
This also means sticking to your plans. Don’t trust Morning You to decide whether it's too cold for a run or if there’s enough time to make breakfast and write morning pages before work. Check the weather, do the math, and set clear rules for Morning You to follow.
Get enough sleep
If you've had your eight hours of sleep (or whatever amount is right for you), morning fatigue only lasts for a few minutes. Push through it, and you’ll make it through the day without issue.
However, if you wake up feeling like you haven't had enough sleep, your brain may not fully kick into gear. Take it easy on the first day and get to bed early that night to recover. But don’t make a habit of relying on powering through tiredness; in the end, you can’t cheat sleep.
