How to Become a Morning Person

Some people simply aren’t born as a natural “morning person” (ourselves included). That said, you do have the power to change your mindset and become an early bird—though it will take practice and a positive attitude. If you’re truly up for the lifestyle adjustment, we’re sharing 11 ways to shift your outlook on waking up early and to officially become an a.m. individual.

-Try Kourt’s tip and sing her “Good Morning, Good Morning” song to brighten your day.

-Motivational speaker and author, Gabrielle Bernstein, shared her advice with us. “The morning is a sacred time—it’s when we choose how we want the rest of the day to go. Set yourself up to win by starting your day with a practice I call the Daily Design Method. I teach it in my new book, Super Attractor: Methods for Manifesting a Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. It’s easy to do. Each morning when you wake up, open your journal and answer these four questions:

• How do I want to feel today?
• Who do I want to be today?
• What do I want to receive today?
• What do I want to give today?

When you make the DDM a morning habit, you’ll start to notice that things begin to work out exactly as you planned—or that something even better happens.”

-This tip should go without saying, but set an earlier bedtime so you can wake up feeling refreshed and rested.

-Keep your cell phone and laptop out of reach (and definitely not in your bed). This will also force you to hop out of your sheets to turn your phone alarm off.

-Instead of leisurely lying around in the morning, get out of bed right when you wake up. Easier said than done, but once you get in the habit of it, you’ll see the productive benefits payoff.

-Avoid hitting snooze. It’s a slippery slope, end of story.

-After you get moving, practice deep breaths: our in-house life coach, Ryan Haddon, recommends, “Set your timer for five minutes, sit wherever you are, close your eyes, and just focus on the breath coming in and going out. You can repeat a phrase or mantra on each in/out breath, or focus on the space between breaths. If the mind wanders, simply notice it and, without judgment, gently bring the mind back to the breath.”

-Before you go to sleep, make a mental or physical checklist prioritizing plans for the next day. This will help you visualize what you need to accomplish in the a.m.

-Another Poosh contributor, Erica Spiegelman, suggests, “Reward yourself. Give yourself a nice reward when you’ve achieved a small goal or milestone.” Once you’ve hit a week of waking up early and popping right out of bed, be sure to acknowledge the new healthy habit you’ve accomplished.

-Schedule a morning workout (even if you’re feeling lazy) and encourage yourself to show up and sweat it out. Exercising in the a.m. increases energy and improves productivity for the day.

-Draw your curtains back and let in the natural light first thing in the morning.