Morning people aren’t just born—they are made! If you set your mind to it, and do a little extra planning, you can wake up early and still get enough sleep.
On Sunday afternoon…
1. Plan your morning routine. If you look forward to your mornings, you are more likely to wake up on time. Brainstorm a list of opportunities that could be made possible if you woke up early—and review that list at bedtime each night. I recommend a routine that incorporates healthy living, purposeful growth, and creative productivity. Access my post on Good Mornings, or listen to a podcast about creating a morning routine.
2. Mark your bedtime for the week. Take a look at your calendar and schedule your bedtime. This will help you as you make plans in the evening. Don’t shortchange your sleep to wake up early. Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
3. Plan breakfasts for the week. Out of ideas for a quick breakfast? Subscribe to this blog, and you will receive a FREE link to my breakfast-to-go guide for 10 quick, healthful breakfast ideas!
4. Decide on your morning exercise plan. I choose a workout plan using one of two reference books: either The Female Body Breakthrough
The night before…
5. Set out your clothes. This might include taking a look at the weather to see whether you need a hat and gloves.
6. Prepare for a good nights sleep. Check out my Maximize your Time post under “Re-energized Rest” for more details.
7. Fill up a full glass of water, and place it on your bedside table. Not only will this give you hydration throughout the night, but it also makes water available right when you wake up.
8. Set an alarm and put it somewhere in the room so that you have to literally get out of bed to turn it off.
9. Wake up during the ideal part of your sleep cycle. Use a sleep cycle application to determine your perfect wake-up time. I use the free app Sleep Bot to track my sleep cycle and wake me up (within a 30-minute window) during the lightest part of my sleep cycle.
That morning…
10. When you get out of bed to turn off your alarm, put on a warm robe or sweatshirt and leave your bedroom right away. This will prevent you from going back to bed. My strategy? I head to the kitchen first thing and begin rehydrating.
11. Turn on the lights. Research shows that light influences your sleep cycle. You might even want to invest in a special lamp that mimics sunlight. During dark winter mornings, I use a Verilux Lamp
12. Rehydrate yourself. The average adult loses over one pound of water during the night (mostly through our moist breath). Dehydration can make you feel sleepy. Begin rehydrating yourself right away. I drink water and an herbal tea made with water, lemon, turmeric, and ginger.
13. Then, you can go back to your bedroom to get dressed. Hopefully at this point, you will be awake enough to not want to get back into bed.
14. Enjoy a morning routine that helps you live healthfully, grow purposefully, and create productively!
Do you consider yourself a morning person? What strategies do you use to have a good morning?
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!