I am a night person through and through. I’ve always been better at staying up way too late than waking up early. Until recently, being a morning person was a foreign concept that, despite how appealing it sounded, could never be a possibility for me. In the last week of August, I decided to give it a try. Here’s why I’ve loved attempting to become a morning person, and why I think you should give it a try, too!
WHAT I DID
It all started on a very short family cabin vacation; the ambience of the quiet cabin made me want to get up early, sip on some hot coffee, and watch the sun rise over the lake. For not one, but two mornings in a row, I woke up before 6:30 AM. I woke up at 6:00 AM most mornings before this for work, but these days were different. When I got up for work, I was always tired; when I woke up by choice to see the sunrise, I found it was easy to get out of bed. The difference here is pretty clear: I was getting up by choice, to see something I’ve wanted to see more of. I woke up to my alarm, eager to sit by the lake. I brewed some coffee, grabbed a blanket, and watched the sun rise over the still lake. It was completely worth it.
Fast forward to my second week back at UW-L, and I decided to try the morning thing again. I set my alarm for 6:45 AM, and at 7:15, met my friends to go for a morning bluff hike. (I would highly recommend a morning hike!!) Once again, I brought a blanket and some hot coffee. We sat at the top of Miller Bluff for a good hour and a half, talking and catching up. By the time we hiked back down, plenty of people were just waking up. Once again, it was absolutely worth setting an alarm earlier in the morning.
WHAT I LEARNED
Since I’ve tried becoming a morning person, there is one extremely valuable thing I learned. Waking up early makes me feel happier, healthier, and more productive. I’ve even set an alarm earlier simply to do homework in the morning so I have more free time in my afternoon. Being awake earlier makes me feel like I put my morning to good use. I’ve noticed that waking up earlier (by choice) helps me feel refreshed and responsible. There are have been all kinds of benefits, which is why I recommend you try it, too. Here are my tips for waking up early:
1. Give yourself a good reason to wake up.
Admittedly, it’s hard to wake up early if you don’t have a plan for your morning. Whether it’s something fun like watching the sunrise or hiking, or something as simple as getting more things done, make sure you have something lined up to motivate you to get out of that bed.
2. Make coffee, if that’s your thing.
I make coffee every morning, which might be a little over the top, but it certainly helps me feel like a morning person. In my opinion, there is nothing quite like waking up and smelling the coffee. If coffee helps you wake up, then don’t hesitate to make it a part of your early morning routine.
3. Enjoy yourself.
Waking up to do homework might not be the most exciting thing ever, but if you’re pushing yourself to wake up early, make sure you’re really taking it in. Giving yourself a couple extra hours in your day should give you more time to slow down and relax. Take advantage of that.