Part 1: How to Become a Morning Person

Zoe Mittman, LSW

It’s 6:30 am. Your alarm goes off. Snooze. Seven minutes later. Snooze again. Before you know it, it’s 7:30. You need to get up, wash your face, brush your teeth, pick out an outfit, get dressed, make your breakfast, make your coffee, and pack your lunch all before 7:45. You have to be at the office by 8. That means you need to leave by 7:45 since it’s a 15-minute walk. It might be a 10-minute walk on a good day.

Woah. That seems like A LOT. In fact, it is a lot! Where do you even begin?

Sleep is so important. I am not trying to undermine that at all. In fact, part 2 of this blog discusses the importance of an evening routine. An evening routine sets you up to have a good night’s sleep.  

Trust me, I value my sleep and getting seven hours a night is crucial for me to function at my best the following day. If we slowly start to integrate small habits into both our evening and morning routines, then hopefully, you can reach whatever goals and aspirations you may have!

Rather than saying, “I want to be a morning person”, you have the power and control to say, “I am a morning person”. It is quite unlikely that you will go from snoozing an hour to not snoozing at all, and that is not what I am trying to get you to do. With smaller steps, you will begin to recognize noticeable changes over time. It might not be so apparent now but think about the positive impacts these small changes will have on you in a year, two years, and five years from now. 

Try to have something in the morning that you look forward to. Whether it is the smell of your freshly brewed coffee or your favorite breakfast, having that motivation can be beneficial. 

So, let me break it down for you. Your morning routine may or may not consist of many steps. However, it is likely that your morning routine has more than one step. How can you make your routine more manageable? Focus on one step at a time. Be in the present moment.

When you wake up in the morning, try not to worry about getting to the office. Feel your foot touch the floor, then your second foot touches the floor. This is a grounding technique that allows you to be in touch with the present moment. Recognize how your body is feeling as you walk to the bathroom to brush your teeth. Take your time. Brush your teeth, wash your face, get dressed. Pro tip: pick out your outfit the night before. That could be part of your evening routine. The more prepared you are for the morning, the less time you will spend worrying about things that could have already been taken care of. For example, make your lunch the night before. If you are like me, you probably will not enjoy making your lunch the night before. It could be dreadful sometimes. However, remind yourself of the why. Why are you dedicating this time to better yourself? For some people, it could be to become a morning person, so the day is more productive. But why do you want the day to be more productive? What will being productive do for you? That is the question that will help determine your core beliefs. What is it that drives you and motivates you in life? What impacts how you navigate through the world?

Once you are able to delve into those deeply-rooted core beliefs and understand the reason behind your desires, you can then start taking the small, incremental steps to reach your goals. 

Don’t get discouraged when it’s been one week and the only change might be waking up 5-10 minutes earlier. Small steps pay off. I’m telling you! Also, give yourself some self-love and kindness. If you snooze your alarm until the last minute one day, that’s fine. Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you have the mindset that you fell back once, so you must be falling back again, that is where making change becomes detrimental. Coming from a mindset of compassion allows yourself to ebb and flow. We are humans. Goal attainment is not linear! The process is just as, or even more important than the goal you are aiming to achieve. When we reach these large goals that we make for ourselves, it can be easy to lose sight of the process we took to get there. What did we learn along the way? If it takes longer than expected to reach a goal, then you might start questioning your ability. Therefore, by honing in on the process and paying attention to each step of the way, you are one step closer to living a more fulfilled and meaningful life.

I hope you have now started to ponder your core beliefs and why you are interested in establishing a morning routine. How will the morning routine impact your professional, personal, and social life? Stay tuned for part two of this blog to learn more about establishing an evening routine and how it can set you up for a successful next day.