One of the hardest but most rewarding things that many people share is working towards waking up early. We find it easier to wake up early for reasons like needing to go to the airport, an early departure for a school trip, or a spontaneous morning adventure with friends to watch the sunrise. It starts to get challenging when it’s constantly making the habit to get out of your bed on days where it’s warm and cozy. On the other hand, there are so many benefits that one can gain from waking up early before starting your day. Getting those few minutes or an hour to yourself in the morning gives you the opportunity to settle into what you have planned for your day. Whether that’s being alone with your thoughts while drinking your morning coffee or listening to some of your favorite songs while getting ready for the day, this gives you uninterrupted time for yourself. 

For me personally, my favorite part of my day is my mornings. It’s time where I can remind myself that even after all the stress, it’s another opportunity that I get to work towards my own personal goals. It’s a restart button to whatever happened the previous day. There are days, like many of you have, that can be very busy due to the responsibilities that we have. This transition to being a morning person may take a few trials and errors, but will allow you to personally craft the habits that work for you. For example, I enjoy working out in the mornings, but it can be very difficult for me to have that as a reason to wake up earlier than normal if I personally enjoy doing my workout at the end of the day. I wasn’t able to maintain this habit, so I switched my morning schedule to do something that made me excited to get out of my bed. I enjoy waking up early because it gives me time to make breakfast, drink my coffee, and get dressed while blasting my favorite song or laughing to the latest podcast episode. Find what your reason is to get up earlier than normal. Start slow and steady in order to obtain a measurable and attainable goal. Here are a few tips and tricks to how to wake up early, and have it become something that you look forward to each day. 

Define your Purpose

In order for you to want to make this change of being a morning person, there needs to be a reason for why you are choosing to do this. If it’s for quiet time, getting your workout in for the day, getting assignments done for work or school, or just to sit and enjoy your morning coffee, define your purpose. This can be our main motivation for getting up on days when you would stay in. Make the little things the reasons why you find joy in your everyday life. 

Pick a Designated Time

If you are waking up closer to 10 or 11 am, but your goal is to wake up at 7 am most mornings, start off by gradually waking up half an hour to an hour earlier than you would normally wake up each week. This will allow you to prepare each week on when to go to bed in order to get enough sleep to feel refreshed for the next morning. Small steps to your goal will help with creating those habits that will push you through the days where you don’t have the motivation to get up.  

Create a Morning Routine

This is your opportunity to write down some of the things that you want to get done in the mornings that will help you conquer your day. There are times where you can’t control what happens within your day, but one thing that you can control is your morning routine that will provide you with that foundation. Whether it’s making your morning matcha or coffee, walking your dogs, journaling, or doing your makeup, add activities in your morning routine that gets you excited to get out of bed. Once you have created this for yourself, an important note to remember once you turn off your alarm (multiple alarms if needed) is to physically get out of bed and not spend half an hour to an hour on social media. 

Reflect and Celebrate the Wins

Once you have accomplished being able to have a productive morning, take time to reflect on what you liked and didn’t like about your current routine. This gives you an opportunity to make the changes needed. If you find it difficult or don’t enjoy getting up early, include different and exciting activities that can give you another purpose for waking up early again. Don’t forget to celebrate the days where you wake up early when you don't feel like getting out of bed. Feel proud of yourself, you made the decision to have a productive morning that will set up your day. 

While you take these tips on how to wake up early, be kind to yourself. There will be times where you will sleep in or stay in bed, and that’s okay. Don’t focus on the days where you didn’t wake up early, but instead focus on the days where you motivated yourself to start your morning routine that helped you conquer your day. Remind yourself that you are doing this for you and pay attention to how waking up early improves your mood. Spoiler alert: you will absolutely love the switch that being a morning person does to your mood. I hope these tips help you reach your goal of waking up earlier and working towards being a morning person.

By: Darlyn Magaña