How to Become a Morning Person (From a Former Night Owl)

There’s something about getting up early just as the sun is starting to come up. It’s quiet, it’s relaxing, and you can really enjoy the stillness.

And while I love staying up late and enjoy my evening hangouts, having a slow morning has really helped me to start my day off right. I get more done, I feel more peaceful, and the day doesn’t feel like it suddenly disappeared.

So if you’re a bit of a night owl who wants to become a morning person, then here are my personal tips that have made it so much easier. I’ve gone from tired and exhausted from having my sleep cut short, to becoming one of those morning people who have been up for hours (and love it).

Becoming a morning person isn’t the easiest (at first), but I think I’ve found some helpful ways to make it less hard, and less exhausting.

Romanticize Your Mornings

I feel like romanticizing your mornings is such a great way to get yourself out of bed. You have something to look forward to, and it can help you to slow down and create a relaxing ritual.

And if you wanted to try this, you could create a simple but aesthetically pleasing breakfast, enjoy an amazing coffee drink, put on some French or Italian music, light a candle, read a book, open up a window, journal, and/or listen to a podcast.

It’s a great time to make yourself feel like the main character in your own story while also setting the tone for the day.

Have a Set Time for Winding Down

10 PM is the time when my husband and I start to dim the lights and begin our nightly rituals. We might not go to bed right away, but it does help get our minds and bodies ready for sleep.

I honestly feel like this has made getting up earlier so much easier. I’m not feeling horribly exhausted and I wake up full of energy.

Get Up at the Same Time Every Day

I personally set my alarm for 6 AM, but because I’ve been sticking to this wakeup time, my body now wakes me up just a bit before.

So if you want to become a morning person, don’t hit the snooze button. Ok, maybe once, but no more then that.

Getting Yourself Used to An Earlier Wakeup Time

I know that my wakeup time might sound pretty early, but I didn’t start off with getting up at six in the morning.

I worked my way down from 8 AM until 6 AM felt a lot more natural and easy to do. So if you do want to have earlier starts to your day and get more done (or just have more time to yourself), then try getting up a bit earlier each week.

Letting in Natural Light

A study showed that morning light helped people with getting better sleep and being more alert the next morning.

And whether it’s the middle of winter or summertime, I will always open up the windows as soon as I get out of bed. I either want to experience the natural light right away, or at least have things ready so that when the sun does come up, I can enjoy the light.

Breakfast Before Coffee

I love having coffee first thing in the morning, but lately I’ve been taking in a glass of water and then a quick protein-rich breakfast beforehand.

I honestly feel like this gives me so much more energy in the morning, and less of a chance of getting that caffeine stomach ache.

Changing Your Mindset Around Getting Up Earlier

This one is huge. I used to feel like I was being cheated if I couldn’t have at least one or two days in my week where I slept in. And of course that made the mornings where I couldn’t sleep in feel so much worse.

But honestly, your mindset and what you tell yourself is everything. I find that getting up earlier just isn’t a big deal if you don’t make it a big deal. Also, I like being able to get more done before lunch (and having time to myself), so that makes getting up earlier so much more enjoyable.

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