“How on earth can you enjoy mornings” I hear you ask? Not all of us enjoy getting out of bed in the morning, but some of the most successful entrepreneurs start their days earlier than you so why not give it a try? I ask this question today as it is the first Monday after the dreaded ‘Spring Forward’ for daylight saving hours and most of us will be feeling the hit of that lost hour! Check out these tips on How to become a Morning Person and change your routine forever!
Change your Attitude
Many of us have an attitude that mornings are evil. We wake up, feel annoyed that it’s morning and spend 15 minutes punching our alarm clock and looking for “I Hate Mondays” memes to share with our friends on Facebook. If you want to become a morning person the attitude is the first thing that has to change, after all a lot of it really is mind over matter.
Start Gradually
OK so if you normally get up at 7.30am and you want to start getting up half an hour earlier don’t try and jump straight to the 7am wake up call. Try changing your alarm gradually ( e.g. 5 minutes earlier at a time). This works in the same way as going on a diet- if you starve yourself you’ll probably give up quickly so you need to make the change a gradual one to stick at it.
Move your Alarm Clock
Some people find that putting their alarm clock on the opposite side of the room is a good way to force yourself out of bed in the morning. If you’re a serial snoozer this could be the tactic for you!
Stop Snoozing
I am guilty of hitting snooze once or fifteen times in the morning but Scientists say you get no useful REM sleep in the process and the interruption can actually make you feel more lethargic in the day ahead. Now is the time to stop hitting that snooze button!
Change your Alarm Tone
Again if you are a snooze offender this could be the tactic for you! If you have a bad alarm tone you’re pretty likely to want to ignore it and turn it off as soon as you can. Try switching it to one of your favourite songs (I find Beyoncé works for me!), it will help put you in a good mood and get your brain engaged n the morning.
Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine the Night Before
These two offenders will do nothing but interrupt your sleep so if you can try and avoid these the night before your early morning start.
Go to bed Earlier
It’s pretty simple, you need 8 hours sleep to function well so make sure you go to bed in time early enough to achieve this. Struggle to doze off? Make sure you dim the lights an hour before you want to sleep and avoid looking at screens such as your phone or computer as well.
Trick your Body to Wake Up
Jumping out of bed but still feel groggy? We all have tricks to make our body perk up but I find stretching and splashing cold water on my face to be the best techniques to perk up quickly.
Enjoy your Morning
You want to get up earlier for a reason so make sure you factor in some time to enjoy your morning. For some this is going for a run, others it’s enjoying breakfast whilst watching the news. Having something enjoyable in the morning is the best way to motivate yourself to get up!
So there you have it, a few simple tips on How to become a Morning Person. Today is probably going to be the hardest Monday for feeling tired, so just remember you are already over the hardest part! And if you’re still struggling with tiredness, a few black coffees should help!
Sophie Heaton (Digital Campaign Manager)
