How to become (a bit more of) a morning person

What's your reason for getting out of bed?

We are just 10 days away from Christmas. If you have young children, and you celebrate Christmas, I can assure you that they will pop out of bed bright and early on Christmas morning. Perhaps you have a child who routinely turns over and hides under the pillow, or whines loudly about getting up for school. I can assure you that even this child will be out of bed, possibly before the sun, ready to see what’s under the tree.

Christmas morning turns people into morning people.

Now obviously not every day can be Christmas — as the song goes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Its rarity helps make it special. But I do think that people who successfully build morning routines figure out a way to make mornings truly exciting and enjoyable. Maybe not quite as exciting as Christmas, but pleasurable all the same. That’s why they’re able to stick with their early morning plans.

A new routine

So if you’d like to build a morning routine in the new year, it might help to think about this. I’m not saying you have to wake up at 5 a.m. for a 3-hour morning routine. I’m also not suggesting that people who are committed night owls try to change their biology. But what would make you excited to get out of bed?

If you’re getting up to exercise, make sure it’s exercise you enjoy, like a run with a dear friend, or a class at the gym with an instructor you love. Lots of people enjoy creative pursuits, and feel they don’t have time for them in their regular lives. Maybe the prospect of an hour with your oil paints, or with the characters in the novel you are writing, might be just the thing to get you up and moving. People with chaotic lives often love sitting quietly with a cup of coffee and reading or journaling, savoring these moments when no one is demanding they do anything.

I don’t know what would make the morning exciting for you. But if you are going to stick with a morning routine long term, it’s good to make at least some element truly pleasurable. What would make you excited if you saw it on your calendar? What would make you think hey, this is probably going to be a good day?

Start the night before

Now obviously, that’s not the only thing that makes mornings feel doable. Even something reasonably fun, like a walk with a friend, won’t feel so enticing if you’re exhausted. You need to make sure you go to bed on time if you’re going to get up early. That is truly the secret to becoming a morning person — having a regular bedtime!

But as you think about building your morning routine, don’t do stuff you hate just because you think you should. You might be able to stick with it for a while, but something will interrupt the routine, and you might use it as an excuse to quit. No one quits Christmas morning though. That we’re excited for. So, try to figure out some of the same spirit.