You’ll hear it constantly, “I’m not a morning person” or, “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my morning coffee,” but mornings are special times. Wasting a morning is a wasted start to a day and it throws everything off.
I know, some people will say they work better at night but personally, I don’t like doing work at night unless it’s something low stress or a mindless activity. My most productive hours are the ones before noon. Even on the weekends, I set a goal of accomplishing one small productive activity before noon just to set the tone for my day. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m a “morning person,” but I find it to be one of my favorite times. There are others who prefer to wake up before the sun rises–they’re the real go-getter types who burn through their schedule and probably do more by 8 AM than most people achieve in that entire day. I like to fall somewhere in between.
I look at mornings as a time of freshness. Anything that happened the day before is now the past and the first actions I do will shape the present. The world is still turning and personal order has been achieved. If yesterday was a bad day, I'll do something good to set a positive tone for the day. It can be something simple like making breakfast and reading the morning headlines. Little routines like this make it easy for me to get out of bed and start my day in a way that satisfies my soul. If I don’t have class, I’ll usually go to the gym or do something active to wake up the rest of my body. Science says this helps set up a good night’s sleep and it’s science so don’t argue with it. Post-gym is a time where I dial myself into whatever work needs to be done for the day, usually leftover homework or business that needs to be done before the end of the day. It’s juicy productivity.
By around five or six o’clock, anything that needed finishing should be done so I can relax for the rest of my night. Nights are a time to reflect on the day and prepare for tomorrow or end a great day with some fun–not slave over neglected work.
Try flipping your schedule and see how it works. If you absolutely hate mornings, go about it slowly. If you’ve ever been curious about life as a semi-morning person, now’s a great time to investigate that curiosity. Free tip: set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier every day until you reach a comfortable wake up time. Don’t forget to go to sleep earlier to accommodate this new venture.
