As a tired mom of small children, it can be really hard to make yourself wake up early. And if you are in the season of life where you are waking up at night, this may not be for you. Trust me, I’ve been there! My first child started sleeping through the night after he turned one, and I had my husband help me by watching him for a couple of hours in the morning so that I could sleep in. That was how I was able to get through the day without being super tired and irritated.
You may also be the mom that finds yourself more productive in the evening, which is great if you get some alone time then! However, I am someone who is much more productive in the morning. And even though I have free time after my toddler goes to bed at 7 pm, I just don’t get much done then because my body and mind are ready to wind down for the evening.
If that sounds like you, and you want to start waking up earlier to be able to get some alone time before your kids wake up, or maybe get some work done, I have 9 tips to help you wake up earlier that have been super helpful to me!
Just an FYI, most of these tips involve preparing the night before since that is the most important tip that will help you become a morning person!
1. Get your Outfit Ready the Night Before
Before I started doing this, I would find myself wearing my pajamas until noon. By then I did not feel like putting myself together because I thought what’s the point if half the day is already gone?
You would be surprised at what a difference this makes in uplifting your mood and making you more productive during the day! If getting some work done in the morning before your kids wake up is your goal then this will help you feel more energized and motivated to get things done.
2. Clean the Kitchen and Bedroom
Waking up early will be a lot easier to do if it is a positive experience. For instance, if you wake up with a cluttered bedroom, and then walk into your kitchen that is still full of dishes from last night, you will just want to crawl back into bed because you will be reminded of all the cleaning you need to do. It will just make you more anxious and irritable which is not the way you want to start your morning.
You want the experience to be a peaceful and enjoyable one and waking up to a clean bedroom and kitchen is key for that. If you are like me, you will also just find yourself much more productive in a clean and tidy space.
3. Plan an Exciting Breakfast
Becoming someone who eats breakfast has helped me to become a morning person! I usually plan my breakfast the night before. I also often prep it if it is something like overnight oats, a hardboiled egg, or even veggies for an omelet.
*If you are not someone who likes to eat breakfast, then planning your favorite coffee or drink will help you be more excited and ready to get up too!
4. Don’t Eat Right Before Bed
This tip goes with the one before. I do not eat after 6 pm and I find that this helps me wake up since my body is hungry and ready to eat when I wake up.
I have also found that eating before bed can impact my sleep and I don’t feel rested waking up. Having a goodnight’s sleep is key to being able to wake up early!
5. Stop Using Electronics 1 Hour Before Sleep
As I mentioned earlier, getting good sleep is probably the best tip to be able to wake up earlier, and being on a phone or laptop can affect that. This is not only due to the blue light which affects the secretion of melatonin but also because it stimulates your brain, making it much harder to fall asleep.
For me, the best way to fall asleep is to read before bed, you have probably heard this before, but it works! Even if you don’t like reading it can be great for relaxing your mind and putting you to sleep.
6. Remind Yourself Why
If you do not have a good enough reason for something, it is that much harder to do it (especially when it is something like getting out of bed earlier)! When I decided I needed to get up earlier it was because I knew how much happier I was in the morning after having some quiet time to myself.
I am much more grounded and joyful after spending some time with the Lord and this is what I have to remind myself. It helps motivate me when I do not feel like getting out of my comfortable bed.
Come up with a reason that will be worth getting up earlier for. You can even write yourself a little note on your nightstand to remind yourself. It’s hard at first but once your body gets used to the earlier wakeup time it’s much easier!
7. Gradually Shift Your Wakeup Time
If you normally get up at 9 am, don’t expect yourself to wake up at 5 am and function normally throughout the day! Chances are you will be very tired and won’t want to do it again the next day. The best way to become a morning person is to start by pushing your wakeup time back by half an hour or an hour for a couple of days, then another half an hour or hour until you get to your goal wakeup time.
Trust me, this will help set you up for success when you are trying to become a morning person! Keep in mind, though, that if you are shifting your wakeup time back you will also need to adjust your bedtime as well because you do need that quality sleep!
8. Use an Alarm that Will Wake You Up Slowly
Another important tip to help you wake up earlier is to ditch your phone alarm. Waking up to a blaring alarm clock when you are in a deep sleep cycle is not the way you want to wake up. This will just make you want to press snooze and lay your head back down.
The best way to wake up is gradually and you can do that with an alarm clock like this one from amazon. I personally love this one because it mimics the sunrise which is good for your circadian rhythm and helps you to wake up in a much better mood. It also has natural sounds, and I personally really like the bird chirping one.
9. Drink a Full Glass of Water
Here’s another tip that helped me to actually get out of bed in the morning. I would have a full glass of water on my nightstand and when my alarm would go off, I would get up and drink the full glass of water. Boy did I want to hit the snooze button instead sometimes!! But drinking water helps wake me up and I’m a lot less likely to lay back down after.
Give it a try! You might find it a lot easier to get out of bed after having a glass of water when waking up!
That’s it for my top 9 tips for becoming a morning person! Thank you for stopping by and hope that implementing these ideas will help you accomplish your goal to wake up earlier!
