How to Become a Morning Person (Easily)

I’ve always been more of a night owl than a morning person, but noticed that morning people seem more productive, energized, and accomplished. So I thought, why can’t I become a morning person? I’ve been looking up the best tips and tricks on how to become a morning person and wanted to share what I’ve learned with you guys!

How to Become a Morning Person in One Month

It’s honestly easier to become a morning person than I expected. While I will never naturally enjoy waking up at 6 a.m., I’ve definitely gotten better at it and more resilient in the process. I realize that it’s never going to be something I 100% enjoy doing, but the benefits greatly outweigh feeling tired for the first 30 minutes.

At the beginning of switching around your sleep/wake schedule, you’ll probably feel a little tired and out of it for a few days. This is completely normal and to be expected! No one can just start waking up 3 hours earlier than they’re used to and feel awesome doing it.

The best way to get past this is to accept that it will be a struggle for the first few days and mentally prepare for it to suck. Then, after the first few days, it will only get better from there!

Also, don’t forget the best part about waking up early: COFFEE. I use waking up earlier as an excuse to drink an extra cup (or 3) of iced coffee. 😉

Check out my daily iced coffee recipe, vegan iced latte, or honey vanilla iced latte!

PS: If you want to really start crushing your health & fitness goals – let us send you our FREE monthly health & fitness planner! Get your freebie right here and start improving your health & fitness today.

Is it smart to go all in and just wake up at your “goal” wake up time?

I would not recommend cold turkey trying to wake up 3 hours earlier. This is too much change on your body at once and 99% of the time will not last after a few days. You need to take things slow when it comes to changing your sleeping routine and accept that it’s going to take a bit of time.

The best way to do this is by gradually waking up 30 minutes earlier. For the first week, set your alarm for half an hour before you normally wake up. Wake up at this time all week and then the next week go 30 minutes earlier than that.

So for example if you normally wake up at 7 a.m., set your alarm for the entire first week for 6:30 a.m. Then after week one, start setting your alarm for 6 a.m., for the entire next week. If you do this for a month, by the end of the month you’ll be waking up 2 hours earlier than you had been!

Is it Even Possible to Shift from a Night Owl to a Morning Person?

Good question, I’m glad you asked! I was wondering the same thing and for most of my life did not believe it was possible for me. I typically have most of my energy at night, so I thought my circadian rhythms were just setting me up for failure.

One of the best ways to start modifying your circadian rhythms is by simply getting in bed earlier. I know, I know, if you’re a night person you may just lay in bed for hours and not be able to sleep. And ain’t nobody got time for that!

Believe me, I’ve been there. I’ve struggled with insomnia for years and there’s no worse feeling than laying in bed for hours on end not being able to fall asleep. But if you want to become a morning person, you’re going to have to start forcing yourself to at least get in bed earlier.

If you’re consistently waking up at 5 a.m., but not going to bed until 1 a.m., that’s a recipe for disaster. You’ll end up tired, groggy, unfocused, and wondering why you ever tried this b.s. “morning person” thing.

To truly thrive while waking up earlier, you have to make sure you’re still getting enough sleep. Most people need around 8 hours, but needs vary from person to person. Some people only need 6-7 hours, while some people need closer to 9. It all depends on your individual needs, activity level, and genetic makeup.

A few great tips for getting yourself in bed earlier & waking up more easily are:

1. Turn off all technology (even your cell phone!) an hour before you’re going to be in bed (source).

2. Try relaxing activities (in this non-technology hour) such as reading, taking a bath, journaling, or drinking a cup of herbal tea.

3. Keep a consistent sleep/wake schedule throughout the week. Get in bed at the same time and set your alarm for the same time every day. Try to stick to this even on weekends (or at least within an hour of your normal sleep/wake time).

4. Stop drinking caffeine by 3 p.m. (source)

What are the Benefits of Being a Morning Person?

There are quite a few benefits of waking up earlier, but you’ll only truly experience these benefits if you set the intention to. If you go into it with negativity and low expectations, you’ll get what you expect out of it. You have to go into it with an open mind and the intention of becoming more productive & improving your life.

A few benefits of being a morning person include:

1. Increased productivity & self-discipline.

By waking up early, you have time to focus on the tasks you’ve been wanting to complete. The tasks you’ve been pushing off because you “never have time for” are suddenly easily being checked off first thing in the morning.

It also takes a lot of willpower to force yourself to wake up before you really want to. It’s mentally challenging to get out of bed and be productive before the sun is even up. It’s definitely not for everyone and you have to be truly motivated to make it happen every day!

2. More energy throughout the day.

If you stick to a consistent sleep/wake routine, you will naturally feel more energized. It also gives you more time in the morning to fit in a workout or walk.

Related: Read my full article on 5 things to do before 8 a.m., for a better day.

This releases endorphins and gives you that “workout high” first thing.

3. A sense of confidence and satisfaction.

By waking up earlier, you can easily knock out your entire to-do list before lunchtime. Compared to those who sleep in till 10 or 11 a.m. (shoutout to early college me)… You’re going to have your entire to-do list accomplished before other people are even awake yet. That’s a great feeling!

4. You’re up before the rest of the world and have a good chunk of “me time” before everyone else even wakes up.

Before the rest of the world is awake, you can just focus on yourself and what you want to do. Maybe you want to journal, great! If you want to meditate, you can do that undisturbed. If you want to dance around the apartment jammin’ out to The Weeknd with your headphones, do you booboo!

No one is up so you can do things only for yourself. You can also easily focus on tasks that you want to knock off your to-do list because you don’t have anyone distracting you (source).

How to Become a Morning Person Right Now

If you feel at all inspired by these reasons to start waking up earlier, you can easily start now! I had been wanting to become more of a morning person for years before committing to just doing it. You have to start somewhere, so it might as well be now!

Join me in my 30-day challenge to get up earlier (slowly but surely). I’ve been waking up at 7 a.m., for a while. So for the next month, I’m going to wake up incrementally earlier.

Next week, I’ll wake up at 6:30. The week after that: 6 a.m. Week 3: 5:30 a.m. And the last week, the dreaded 5 a.m., dun dun dun.

By committing to this challenge for a month, I can’t make up excuses in the morning about why I need 15 more minutes of sleep for my health. I’m committing to doing this so I have to stick with it. 🙂

If I end up hating it after a month, I can always go back to waking up at 7 a.m., every day! No harm in trying. But I’m guessing I’ll end up loving the extra hours once I get used to it.

Comment below with:

1. Are you naturally a morning person or a night owl?

2. What’s your main reason for wanting to wake up earlier?

3. Do you feel more productive in the morning, afternoon, or at night?