WHY YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A MORNING PERSON
We all know ‘morning’ people. The ones who naturally (or in some cases) forcefully wake up by 5:00 am and crank out hours of productivity before we reconnect our minds to the awakened world. Some of my best friends, and my husband, are these people. I admire them and watch in awe as they continue to succeed at early morning productivity.
But then... BAM! I am so rudely reminded that I am NOT a ‘morning person.’ I struggle to get up even after a solid night’s sleep. I snooze my alarm an embarrassing number of times. My kids and my husband tease me a ‘good afternoon’ when I appear what to them is hours later (in my defense, it’s usually only about 7:00 am!).
For far too long, I felt inadequate, like I ‘should’ be doing more in the morning. Until I finally started accepting that it’s not how I thrive and succeed. It’s not about how bad I want it or what I am willing to sacrifice - it’s just not how I am wired. Instead of trying to force myself into someone else’s clock, I have started leaning into my own, and I am not only more productive but I am also happier. I get to do more of things I like when they make sense for me. I’m getting more done because I’m doing it when it works for me. It’s not easy all the time, especially since I live with the epitome of a morning person.
“I don’t recommend my routine, but I do recommend evaluating your routine and developing one that supports the things you love most.”
So, what do you do if you aren’t a morning person? You develop routines that are simple and effective for YOU so that you can sustain them. This usually means letting go of “should” thinking, letting go of how the ‘morning people’ in your life (or in the media!) do it and just do you. This is easier said than done. I’ve outlined some key questions to consider to help you start changing how you shape your morning when you aren’t a morning person.
Write out your ideal morning routine. For just a minute, forget the limitations that exist because of, well, life. Get specific about the time of the morning, what you would do, the order you would do it, and what is most important to you about the morning.
Next, think about what your morning routine looks like currently, the majority of the time. Don’t worry about outlying days, special occasions, or unique situations. Write it out in the same format you drafted your ideal morning routine. Being as specific as you can.
Finally, evaluate and adjust your routine. The goal is to make small shifts from your current to your ideal routine without foregoing your responsibilities. The tricky part is also not sacrificing your natural environment to thrive.
What elements of your routine can you move to a new time within your morning routine or to another time of day?
What is one element from your ideal routine that you can incorporate starting tomorrow?
What is one element from your current routine that isn’t working; what can you do to adjust it?
If you have not yet accepted you aren’t a morning person and aren’t sure how to thrive without forcing yourself to become one, I’d love to help.
*Disclaimer, I am not saying sleep through your alarm, let your kids fend for themselves for breakfast, and skip your morning staff meeting. Not being a morning person isn’t a hall pass to give up on your responsibilities. It’s a recognition that you thrive at other times of the day and gives you the perspective to shift the things you can control around so you can thrive with those. It takes effort and compromise, just like getting up at 5:00 am does, but in a more authentic way.