Easy Morning Rituals from a Converted Night Owl

These easy morning rituals seriously helped me finally become a morning person. No exercise or phone hiding necessary!

Mornings and me… we used to have a complicated relationship. I have always wanted to be a morning person, but morning rolls around and suddenly my snooze button is a little too tempting. Factor in late night Instagram scrolling and I was doomed.

I left the corporate world in 2017 to become a full time entrepreneur, which made it even harder to become a morning person. My husband would be in bed by 9 and I’d burn the midnight oil working, and then decompressing, until way too late. Once I got pregnant I tried to make the switch because I knew my schedule would soon be determined by the tiny human I was growing, but damn. Bring pregnant is tiring.

Eventually I had my daughter and was at her beck and call at all hours of the day and night, so I just let her be my alarm clock. That’s when I became bound and determined to switch up my routine, because being startled awake by a crying baby is one of the worst ways to wake up. It would stress me out from the second I pried open my eyes and I felt like I was playing catch up the rest of the day.

There’s a catch

The only way to do this and have it STICK is to find a routine you can commit to seven days a week. You need to do a hard reset on your internal alarm clock, and that sucker does not give a shit what day it is. This definitely took time and patience, but having a toddler who also does not give a shit what day of the week it is helps.

The night before

This is an extra step, but I like to do this because it helps with my anxiety. My mind will frequently race at night when I’m trying to fall asleep with things I want to do in the coming days. Instead of trying to push down those thoughts or remember them for the morning, I will take a few minutes to write them down in my phone (I love you, Samsung notes). I try not to put too much effort in to this, just bullet points or some train of thought sentences to get it out of my brain and create a paper trail. That way, when I inevitably forget some of it the next morning I can just open up my notes and its right there for me to review.

PRO TIP: Since you’re an over-achiever like me, take an extra 2 minutes the night before to set up auto brew on your coffee machine! Waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee makes dragging your ass out of bed so much easier. (Read this if you want to level-up your coffee machine)

Rise and shine

Finding a sweet spot to wake up is difficult. When I was trying to become a morning person I would just send it and set my alarm for 430A with lofty goals to get right up, run a mile, and start another business before the sun rises. But friend, I don’t run and I have plenty on my plate without starting that third business I don’t need. My advice for this part is to start slow. Go in 30 minute increments until you find a time that is practical for your needs and sustainable for the long term. Don’t forget – you gotta commit to doing this 7 days a week at first.

My husband leaves for work around 515 every day, so that’s usually when I try to get my day going. That is still a little earlier than I prefer so I keep my alarm set for 545 just in case.

The first 30 minutes

I’ve read countless articles on how to become a morning person, how to be the best version of yourself, blah blah blah. Most of them say to avoid your phone until you’re up and having coffee. I say that’s unrealistic for a lot of us. My husband and I make a concerted effort to not be on our phones a lot around our daughter, so some quality phone time first thing in the AM is what works for me.

Pre-baby me could easily kill an hour or more on my phone before starting my day. Now I try to limit myself to 20 minutes. I will briefly check Instagram, but mostly I play games. I try to get distractions out of my system right away so when I get up I don’t feel that gravitational pull to my phone.

Treat yo’self

Another big advantage in getting up earlier is setting aside a few minutes to do some self care. I don’t know what this looks like for you but I like to dress in my most stylish sweats (an oxymoron I never thought I’d utter unironically, but here we are), practice my clean skin care routine, and spritz a little perfume. The perfume is for absolutely no one but myself and it makes me feel like I’m doing important things. Find something that gives you that spark of motivation and run with it.

Its go time

Time to head to your freshly brewed coffee and come to life with that first scalding hot sip! Once I make my coffee, I take my strategically placed vitamins. They live in the cabinet directly above the coffee machine because if I don’t take them first thing I will not take them at all. I find keeping them where I make my coffee gives me the best odds of remembering. Work smarter, friends.

Now the day can begin. For me this looks like filling orders from my Etsy shop, writing blog posts, taking courses, or working on social media content. For you it may include a workout, checking emails, or packing lunches. Whatever you need to get done before the rest of the world wakes up can fit into this space.

Remember: the things you accomplish in this extra time are important, regardless of what they are. If they make you feel like you can tackle the rest of the day – amazing! If they help you earn some extra cash, or give you time to pursue a passion, or stay ahead of chores, terrific! Take your new found time and do with it what makes you feel your best.

The weekend

Sticking to my schedule on the weekends sounded awful at first, but it has actually become my favorite part of the week! My husband gets up with me (which he considers sleeping in… the audacity) and we tackle some light chores and enjoy our morning coffee together before our daughter wakes up. Week days get chaotic, so sneaking in some extra time with him in the morning on weekends is well worth not sleeping in. When Monday morning’s alarm rolls around, its not as painful to get up and kick start the day.

Did I convince you to try the early bird routine? Let me know if it works for you in the comments!