Jill Sorensen bedding // Lulu & Georgia chevron lamps
For the majority of my life I have been a night owl. From middle school onward, I always thought I did my best work at night, staying up into the wee hours of the morning to finish assignments, read books, write blog posts and whatnot. This is just how I’ve always been! Recently, though, I started feeling like it was taking a toll on my health – I was going to bed too late, stressing out before bed, not sleeping well, feeling groggy in the morning and being less productive during the day. I made a pact with myself to start “becoming a morning person” and, guess what you guys! I love it.
Research has proven that people who wake up earlier tend to feel more optimistic and proactive, and can even be healthier and less stressed than those who sleep late… and I believe it’s true. Here are my tips for becoming a morning person:
1. Cut out electronics
In order to go to bed earlier, you have to cut out the thing that makes you stay up later. Since my job revolves around social media, this was the toughest one (yet most important) for me! Almost every single night, you could find me laying in bed, finishing my blog post on my lap top, responding to emails or scrolling through Instagram or Twitter and planning out what content I could post the next day. This was having the opposite effect on me: revving up my brain and increasing stress right before I was supposed to fall asleep at night. Then, when I finally did turn off the electronics, my brain would be buzzing with ideas and “to do’s,” making it nearly impossible to fall asleep. Cutting out technology before bed has made the biggest impact: I don’t look at my computer, iPad or even my phone for the last twenty minute before I plan to go to sleep.
2. Establish a Calming Night Routine
If you have a calming night routine and an extra comfortable bed, I promise you will look forward to it all day long! Put on a pair of cozy pajamas and make yourself a cup of nighttime tea that you can sip as you unwind. Take a bath with a drop of lavender essential oils, light a candle with a soothing scent (I just ordered this one), or try out a hydrating overnight face mask. Pampering yourself before bed will quiet your mind and help you sleep better, and if you make it into a habit, you’ll train your body to recognize the signals that it’s time for bed.
3. Keep a Notepad on your Nightstand
Even after cutting out electronics and establishing a calming night routine, I still sometimes have random, urgent thoughts pop into my head as I’m trying to fall asleep at night. I’ll remember that I still need to sign a contract or respond to an email, and my brain automatically starts revving up and I can feel my stress levels rising. Keeping a notepad next to your bed is the biggest way to combat this! When an idea pops into my head late at night, I write it down on the notepad so that I remember it first thing in the morning. Then I can fall sleep with a clear mind, knowing that the “urgent thing” will be taken care of the next day.
4. Open the blinds
Now that we’ve talked about ways to fall asleep earlier, let’s talk about how to wake up earlier. If it’s really dark in my bedroom, I don’t care how many alarms I have set, I will sleep forever! If I keep my blinds open all night, then the sun pours into my room in the morning and helps my biological clock wake up.
5. Pick a New Wakeup Time
Set a goal for a time you’d like to wake up, and gradually work towards that goal by setting your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier each day. (This also works in reverse! You can set a bedtime goal for yourself too.) Waking up earlier gradually is the way to go, because you can train your body.
6. Establish a Morning Routine (and look forward to it!)
Just like a bedtime routine makes it easier to fall asleep, the same rule applies to waking up. Have a set schedule that you do for the first 15 minutes every morning, so that your mind doesn’t have to think as it begins to wake up. The trick is to making your routine enjoyable, so that you look forward to it. The first thing I do in the morning is make a big cup of coffee (with my favorite creamer), give George a treat and snuggle on my couch while watching a few minutes of “Good Morning America.”
7. Cook Breakfast
Cooking a yummy breakfast is a surefire way to get me up in the morning, because I always wake up hungry! Try out a new omelet recipe, make banana pancakes (I blogged about them here) or treat yourself with some Nutella toast – whatever it is, make a breakfast that you enjoy and look forward to. I also like making a big batch of healthy blueberry muffins in advance… I think about them right before I fall asleep at night and it gets me excited to wake up in the morning.
8. Give Yourself Five Minutes of Inspiration
The morning is a really important time because your mindset sets the tone for the whole day. Giving yourself five minutes of inspiration is a wonderful way to improve your mood. Read something encouraging, watch a funny video, or seek out quotes that motivate you to love life – do whatever is going to pump you up to start the day and contribute something beautiful of your own. I personally like reading a devotion book for five minutes every morning and spending a few minutes in prayer – I own this devotional and love it.
9. Be Productive During the Day
If you usually stay up late working (like I did), find a way to complete these tasks during the day. My biggest problem was wasting time during the day and then scrambling to get everything done at night. Now I start every work day by making a prioritized list of things that need to get done that day. Since I know I can’t rely on nighttime hours to get things done, I feel obligated to be productive during the day. Keeping a list really helps me stay organized… and there’s nothing more satisfying than crossings things off!
10. Treat Yourself!
Learning to become a morning person is TOUGH if you’re not naturally that way! There is nothing wrong with shamelessly bribing yourself with a few treats 😉 Buy yourself a cute mug like this one for your coffee or tea in the morning. If you take showers before work, indulge in a fancy shower gel or a new leave-in conditioner (I’m obsessed with this one). Invest in a new soft, cozy robe to make brushing your teeth less of a chore. And, my personal favorite, new makeup products! Try out a new highlighter, a new tube of pink lipstick, or buy a set of new fancy brushes you’ve seen all the YouTubers use. If you have something to look forward to, rolling out of bed won’t be so tough.
Are you a morning person? If so, I’d love to hear your tips!
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This is actually excellent because since I haven't been working, my sleep routine has been all messed up. I would sleep late into the night, wake up late and sometimes nap during the day so that when it was time to try and sleep at a decent time, my mind was wide awake. Or I would wake up in the middle of the night with my mind still buzzing with thoughts.
I'm beginning to get things under control again, but this really helps.
Thanks.
Mich x
michjosephblog.wordpress.com
You're looking absolutely gorgeous and sweet like candy! 🙂 Love your pjs! Also, I think that you made great tips in this post, I'm a morning person and have always been one but I still have to learn to not bring electronics to bed with me in the evening and to go to sleep earlier than what I usually do.
http://www.lartoffashion.com
This was actually so helpful and I'm the same and love the night and such a night owl. I think once I get my own place I must get into a morning routine. I'll keep these in mind until then.
Jackie | fashionxfairytale |
This is such a nice article! I've always been a night owl as well and definitely not a morning person but I'm really trying to work on that lately! 🙂
xo Vanessa from http://www.Trendique-Magazine.com
These tips are so helpful! I really need to learn to cut electronics. It is definitely a hard one and I do catch myself creating a to do list as soon as I turn everything off.
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
i will be a mom a second time in 2 months, I don't think it will be a choice @_@
but great tips to help me go back into a routine.
So glad you're getting more rest and feel better and productive. I used to be a morning person but i has changed over the years. I do sleep with my windows open to force me to wake up. I've been staying up late for sure in the past few months but I'm doing my best to wake up and get on with my day.
Hope you have a nice holiday weekend!
XO,
Maria
MariaOnPoint http://mariaonpoint.com/ | Find me on IG https://www.instagram.com/mariajabad/
I love this! I'm slowly becoming a morning person and this post was so helpful.
MyWellDressedLife.com
I needed this post 🙂
Love,
http://www.thestyleventure.com
These are such great tips! I'm such a night owl and always have trouble waking up in the morning early enough to get stuff done. I'll definitely have to do these!
xo, Nina
Law of Fashion Blog
This is great! I loved especially about the devotional and spending time in prayer
I love getting up early! I do my workouts in the morning so I can shower and go to work and know that I have that accomplished for the day. When I started doing that, it totally changed my day around, I lost weight and I felt so much better during the day!
Kelsey
http://www.thepeacockroost.com
Love this post. I bought the devotional book and i can't wait to add that in. Thank you for all the tips. xoxo
This is such a helpful post! And your pajamas are adorable!
xo, Syd
anchoredinthesouth.com
Great tips:P
Shall We Sasa
How cute are you!? These are great tips!
I love this post! I've been working on becoming a morning person too, and have also blogged about it in hopes of helping others. It's such a struggle, but eventually it becomes easier, and like you said, it's nice to have things to look forward to each morning. Thanks for sharing and for creating such a beautiful blog :).
Amanda – pardonmuah.com
Love these types of posts – I struggle to wake up every morning, and I'm figuring out ways to fix this! I recently purchased a diffuser that I use at night, but in the morning, it works just as well!
Lisa
http://www.theeverydayelevated.com
Your pajamas are so cute!! I'm generally a morning person, some days I'm better waking up more than others, but it's so nice being up and have the WHOLE day ahead of you! Sometimes I feel guilty sleeping and feel like I've wasted the day away!
Rachel / http://www.seashellsandsparkles.com
Such a great and helpful post!! I loved reading your tips and tricks! Also, those jammies are too cute! xo
@stylemelauren
http://www.stylemelauren.com
I'm a morning person and I love it and I'm so glad that you have come to the "morning side" haha! <3
http://sequinsinpink.blogspot.com
LOVED these tips!!!
As a not-currents-working model (on an accutane break) and brand new blogger, I've found it increasingly tempting to stay up late… and then sleep late… and then hate myself haha.
My husband is a techie and works from home. He's the biggest night owl I've ever met which doesn't help AT ALL. *eyeroll emoji*
I have been trying to get in the habit of leaving electronics plugged in out of my reach while I'm lounging in bed pre- going to sleep too. It's tempting because I'll get so distracted by snapchat and even try to convince myself I'm being "productive" and "learning how to be a better blogger" by watching your (and all the other top bloggers') snap stories lol.
I also totally agree with #9. I just recently read an article about how we Americans are obsessed with being *so busy* and feel important when we have to work late, but in Denmark, people consider working late to be an unflattering symptom of not working hard/fast enough during the day. It was such a good read– I think Career Girl Daily was the one who linked to it but I'm not positive.
Seriously loved these tips!! Happy fourth of July!
Xx Maya from Maya Unmarketed
This post is great! and I love your bedside lights, they are beautiful xo
elizabethv.co.uk
You're featured on Lauren Conrad's Friday Favorites!
You're featured on Lauren Conrad's Friday Favorites!
You're featured on Lauren Conrad's Friday Favorites!
Great tips! I enjoy staying up late, but wanting to be more of a morning person, and I keep failing at it. But will definitely try some of these, like keeping the blinds open and figuring out what to look forward to with my first 15 minutes in the morning. Thanks!
Such a true things! I am so indolent in the morning! Especially when I need to work on my content strategy just as on coursework. This time, I've seen your post and your tips that I absolutely love and use. Thank you so much.
Completely agree that having a morning routine can help. I love lying in bed and reading some Tumblr.
https://lizziedailyblog.blogspot.co.uk/
I have been a morning person for most of my life, but recently I started waking up really late and sleeping when the sun comes up, so I will start working with your tips and I hope to return back to my morning self.
http://societyfix.blogspot.com/
Great post! I'm not a morning person at alllll (or a night, I think I'm a middle of the day person, ha!). The devotional part is so key for the day! Another great one is Jesus Calling. When stress arises, I also try to make a list of the things I am grateful for, to help ground me.
Love it! I'm in the same situation; I tend to leave all my work until late at night. Hence why I'm writing this comment at 11 pm haha! Anyways, great tips! I can't wait to try some of them.
These pictures are so adorable.
Life is just Rosie
Oh my god… I always remember stuff at night that I need to do in the morning! I'm definitely going to keep a notepad next to my bed from now on… I don't know why I didn't think of that!
Aleeha xXx
http://www.halesaaw.com/
I'm such a night owl but I wish I could be a bit more livelier in the day as well. These are great tips and will def be taking some on board!
Thanks
Jabeen x
http://www.spilling-the-beans.co.uk/
This is an awesome post with some amazing tips! I will definitely try this! Thank you
I totally agree! Having a morning routine is so important!
Let's Talk Lattés
Great article with awesome tips!
I love this post! I am reading this at 2:30AM blahh I am SUCH a night person and the only time I can finish my work or blog posts are after the kiddos are in bed. Then I get sucked into social media. I love your tips but I have tried for years and years to be a morning person and I really think you can make it better with effort but you are born one way or the other (or at least I just tell myself that because I can't pull off waking up early!)
Either way love your inspiration!
Xo, Tara
brunette-ambitions.com
I don't think I could ever fully become a morning person, but I love these tips!
http://www.maggiealamode.com
I only recently became a morning person, but surprisingly I became one in a different way. I wanted to try out some 6:00 a.m. boot camp classes offered at my gym, and boy were the first few HARD to wake up for. I started sleeping in my workout clothes the night before, though, and habitually would get out of bed on time for boot camp. Now, I'm falling asleep and waking up earlier naturally! I feel like such an adult now haha!
Chloe | Wanderlust in the Midwest
Such a great post!
xxx
http://www.georgiasunray.com
Oh my goodness, these pajamas are the cutest!!
Jordan: The Teacup of Style
Instagram: @teacupofstyle
Love these tips- I am definitely not a morning person so I have some room for improvement haha!
xoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
Great tips! I've been trying to transition over to being a morning person, even though some days it can be hard I always feel so much better at the end of the day!
-Angela & Amy
http://filetostyle.com/
Where are the beautiful big pink pillows from??
This doesn't apply to me as much because I work the night shift 😛 But these are all excellent tips on how to be more of a morning person.