What Happened When I Became a Morning Person (Voluntarily!)

I was never a morning person. Getting up at 6am every day? Ugh. It always felt like a chore and I would start dreading it as I was getting ready for bed the night before. I was just as excited for school delays and closings when my children were little. I even used to tell my staff to not talk to me until at least 10am to avoid a grouchy, not-fully-caffeinated me.

And honestly, I never understood those super perky, happy morning people. My mom would greet me with an enthusiastic “Good morning, sunshine!” every morning. Seriously. Every. Morning. She was met with a barely audible “morning” from me as I slowly dragged myself out of bed to get ready for school. I used to think what is wrong with her. No one should be that happy this early in the morning!

Once the COVID crisis hit and I started working from home, I would roll out of bed at 8am (or later) make coffee, and log into work — all while still in pjs. I wouldn’t get showered and dressed until almost noon or even later. Because I started my workday later in the mornings, I would obviously work later in the evenings to get a full day in and make sure everything got done. Then by the time I got dinner, did an errand or two, it was dark outside and time to get ready for bed — just to do it all over again the next day. And yet, even after getting 8–9 hours of sleep, I would still wake up tired and unmotivated.

So, what changed? I’d like to say it was because I had some grand epiphany, or I had finally willed myself to “just do it”. But honestly, it’s because I had a reason to get up earlier. I met someone who happened to be an early morning riser and it became our routine to talk each morning before starting work. I had also started doing yoga every morning and getting up earlier allowed me the time to do it without feeling rushed. I even started setting an alarm to get up at 6am so it would afford more time to talk, work out, have coffee, and just actually BE ready for work. No more rushing, no more slogging through the morning. It really changed my entire outlook for the day.

I now find myself waking up just before 6am, turning off the alarm, and getting up to start my day. Yep, I’m officially on The Early Bird Gets The Worm train. I’m not saying this is right for everyone. I understand everyone is different and some people are just naturally night owls. That’s ok. You do you, boo.

For me, I found so many benefits to getting up early (and not just talking with a tall, handsome guy with a shitload of swagger). Here are just a few:

1. Peace and quiet. Early mornings have a certain tranquility that feeds my soul. There’s the physical quiet that comes from being up before the rest of the world starts bustling with noise and traffic. And there’s the mental quiet that comes from not having any distractions — just me, my coffee, any my cats — watching the sun rise. It also sets the tone for the day. You know what it’s like when you’re running late or stuck in traffic. It puts you in a bad mood before the day ever gets started. Being more relaxed and not rushed helps to create a positive day for me.

2. More time in your day. By getting up early, I’m able to get in some yoga (no distractions = no excuses not to do it), drink my coffee while talking to my guy, plus I’m showered, dressed and ready for work BEFORE 8am. It feels like I have an actual morning to enjoy without being rushed or frantic. Not only that, but I’m done with work earlier, leaving plenty of time in the evenings to get in a hike, run some errands, make dinner, and still have time to relax with a drink on my porch. It’s crazy how much longer the day seems.

3. Brain power. It’s amazing how much more productive and creative I’ve become since getting up early. I’m happier, more alert, and more focused on the things I need to do — but more importantly, on the on the things I WANT to do. I’ve started writing more, exercising more, just doing more. I feel less in a fog in the mornings as a result. In fact, I feel more positive, energized and ready to tackle every day.

4. Better sleep. We all know the importance of getting a good night’s rest. It’s hard when there’s an endless stream of distractions from social media and TV. Everyone has their own internal “master clock” and sometimes we work against ourselves by staying up later than we need to, pulling an all-nighter, or watching just one more episode when binging a new show. I’ve honestly found that going to bed when I’m actually tired helps me sleep more soundly through the night. So what if that means going to bed a little earlier? There’s no grand prize for being the last one awake. No one puts that on their tombstone — “Always up until midnight”.

Honestly, it all comes down to your mindset. I made the decision to start getting up earlier and it no longer feels like a chore to do so. I have something to look forward to every day (coffee and good conversations — always a plus!) and it puts me in a good mood right out the gate. Goodbye, grumpy old me. Hello, happy morning me. I recently suggested getting up even earlier on weekdays to get a hike in before work — how crazy is that??!

Now if I start saying “Good morning, sunshine!” every day — just go with it. Maybe my mom was right all along to be that happy morning person (but don’t tell her that….).