I have always been a morning person, mostly out of necessity. My Mom had to head for work that started at 7 am, and she would make sure I was up so that I could get myself and my younger sister off to school. In college, my student work was serving breakfast bright and early. I would get back to my room, turn on the light, and chirp, “Rise and shine, Sunshine!” to my roommate. Years of working at a firm where the office opened at 8 am kept my early-morning persona alive.
I married a man who is a night-owl and hates mornings. After having three kids, I’m not as chirpy as I used to be — especially before I’ve had my morning coffee — but I still wake up naturally between six and seven in the morning. My husband is trying to become a morning person and here are some of the things that work for the both of us.
1. Go to bed earlier. Stating the obvious, yes, but if you go to bed after midnight, it’s kind of hard to roll out of bed at six.
2. Program your coffee machine. I finally did this, and it’s revolutionary! For me, at least. Knowing that the coffee is brewed and ready for me makes it easier to slither out of bed.
3. Clean the kitchen the night before. Waking up to a dishwasher full of clean dishes that need to be put away makes me grumpy. Horribly, stompily, grumpy. And shouty, which doesn't help any of us as we start our day. If I clean the kitchen in the evening and wake up to a fresh start, the morning is much more doable.
4. Make lunches the night before as well. Mornings are hectic enough with trying to get your kids off to school and you off to work. The more you can do ahead of time, the less there is to dread about getting out of bed. We pack school (and work) lunches the night before so that in the morning we just have to worry about eating breakfast, getting dressed, and getting out the door. That's an Olympic sport in and of itself.
5. Set your alarm for the same time every day. Your body adjusts to routine, if you’re consistent. Most days, I wake up a few minutes before my alarm goes off, because my body knows that it’s time to wake up.
Do you have any tips to share for how to ease the night owls among us into become morning people?
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