Seriously? Mornings?!
So I’m not sure about you but everywhere I look I am always reading articles about how morning people have the upper advantage. And the way my mind works, I questioned it. Can waking up an extra hour or so, really make all that of a difference? There’s no way that these people are super-human and somehow require less sleep than us so why would simply waking up earlier make a difference? How can it yield such a massive impact?
NOTE: This article can get hella overwhelming.
If you don’t want to read just save the picture at the bottom of my 2017 post:
The Reason Why
Harvard Business Review Randler says “When it comes to business success, morning people hold the important cards, they tend to get better grades in school, which gets them into better colleges, which then leads to better job opportunities. Morning people also anticipate problems and try to minimize them. They’re proactive.” And all that simply because they wake up earlier.
My Reasons Why I Want To Become A Morning Person
And that was enough information for me to try it out. And my goodness… It really makes a huge difference in the way you perceive things. How? I’m not sure I have an explanation for that but it did! I can’t speak for everyone, but for myself, I noticed last year when I was a morning person, I was happier! I ate healthier, developed better habits, had more motivation to get things done, was more outgoing and felt like my life was on track! So honestly I don’t know exactly why/how those things happened but I’ll try my best to explain.
Goal Setting/Intention/Habit Building:
I think waking up earlier made me feel like I accomplished something by simply getting out of bed! And then as I got better at waking up earlier I began to string along more habits that I’ve always wanted to do and I guess it just began a positive cycle of introducing new things and in turn made me more satisfied!
Motivation:
Building up on the last point, I was tracking each of these events (wake up early, eat breakfast, workout, etc.) and they all felt good to accomplish which in turn I guess builds up confidence! That’s definitely what gave me more motivation to try andget more things done!
Confidence/Outgoing:
I suppose this is because I decided to attempt to work out and that build up of confidence through accomplishing your goals and working to be better physically and healthier built up my confidence to be more outgoing and just enjoyed life in general.
At this point, I feel like I’m pushing a sales pitch but that’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to understand why being a morning person was so much better, but writing it feels a little weird because at this point in time I am NOT a morning person [20 April 2017].
The Change-up
What happened to me?
When I started work, I was a morning person. I was waking up at 5:30 AM, going to the gym beforehand. Making smoothies, packing lunch and being energized to go to work. But I’ve only recently noticed that my approach to it all has returned to my default. Sleeping way past 1 AM to almost 3 AM, and then literally getting out of bed at the very last minute just to make it to work right on time. Which means that my workout regime fell through. I started buying my coffees more often. Bought more lunches. Felt worse, felt my depression creep back heavier, and just in all wasn’t having a great time.
What We Gonna Do?
I mean there could be multiple factors as to why my habits/pattern changed. I could probably go on for hours and unfortunately end up in a ruminating cycle. However, at the end of it all, I am where I am now. And it just depends on what I want to do about it! And that’s why we are here. I want to change my life for the better. And from first-hand experience, I know one of the easiest habits to change for myself is my sleeping habits. And I thought what better way to have some accountability, than by creating a team that would do the same with me!
Join Me On My Journey!
I feel like there’s no way that I’m the only one that wants to become better and wake up earlier so that’s why I’m giving you the tools that helped me last time and you can watch my journey towards success or failure (actually towards learning). Because this is an end goal of mine and we will make, we will become morning people. Whatever it takes. I will most likely be updating this setup depending on what works for me now. But that’s the fun of it all, we are all different so it’s all about experimenting and figuring out what works best for you. My first attempt is by breaking it up into 3 phases or routines. Nighttime, Quality Sleep, Mornings and I think they are pretty doable! So I suppose this is where I’ll go into the techniques that I will hopefully be actioning.
HOW TO BECOME A MORNING PERSON
Phase 1: Nighttime routine
- Warm showers
- Prepping for the next day
- [Clothes to workout in, Clothes for work, bag is ready, pack lunch]
- Plan your day/Set your intention (Morning Routine)
- Don’t associate with blue light 2 hours before bed
- Avoid loafting on social media read Books instead
Phase 2: Quality Sleep
- Environment: Quiet, Dark, Temperature, Pillows, Blankets
- No Distractions: Electronics not in room or off, silent, buzzes
- Tools: Sleep stories, meditation, journaling, notes by bed
Phase 3: Morning Routine
- No Snooze: Use a sunrise alarm, get up immediately when you wake up, don’t lay in bed, stand up, cold showers
- Have Intention: Get something done! Go to gym, plan day, work on self
- Reward: Do, or get something you enjoy! (I buy Starbucks)
So yea I know the list is a little bit of a cop out but I will work on that at a later date. I just wanted to have something out that you could refer to while I work on this challenge.
Resources:
Updates:
Recent Posts:
[psc_print_post_slider_carousel”]
One Response