Reasons to be a morning person
Sixteen year old me would have told you there are no good reasons to be a morning person. At 27, it’s a different story. At 5:15 AM every morning, my alarm goes off and I get going for the day! I know, it sounds terrible – and usually at 5:15 AM, I can’t stand it. I’ve learned there are a lot of good reasons to be a morning person, and by the end of the day, most days, I’m grateful for that early wake up call!
It hasn’t always been this way
Sure, I’ve often had reasons to wake up early – choir rehearsals, volleyball practice, and more have often impeded my desire to sleep! As a teen, I loved to sleep in till 9 or 10 on the weekends when I could, but that was probably because I was getting up early AND staying up late! Nowadays on the occasional Sabbath, I’ve been known to sleep in long past the sun! Somewhere along the way, however, I realized that there are a lot of great reasons to be a morning person!
My top reasons to be a morning person
You can start the day on your own terms
Teaching can be exhausting, so I want to get the most sleep I can. I used to sleep in til the last possible second to soak up those sweet moments with Mr. Sandman. I figured I was doing myself a favor, since adequate sleep is important.
Those mornings always left me well-rested, but feeling frantic and overwhelmed. The school day would wear me out, and when I got home I’d still have a giant to-do list to tackle.
Waking up early lets me start the day on my own terms. My mornings look like this:
- Exercise for 20-30 minutes
- Get ready for the day
- Make breakfast while listening to my Bible app
- Eat and read
Often times, I have time to do a little meal prep or other household chores too! I feel refreshed and full of energy when I get to work. Plus, when I get home, I have time to relax and I don’t feel the nagging voice in my head telling me to workout or spend some time on myself.
You can still get a full night of sleep
Remember when I thought that sleeping til the last second gave me more time to sleep?
It turns out, it’s easier to get a full 8 hours as a morning person than as a night owl. As a night owl, I was tempted to stay up later and later, but my wake up call was still dictated by my start time at work.
As a morning person, my body naturally gets tired by about 9:30, which still gives me a full night of sleep before the alarm goes off!
You learn to manage your time really well
You have to learn how to manage your time really well with the constraints of being a morning person.
I stayed up late until my list was complete as a night owl. If you’re anything like me, the to do list is NEVER actually done, so I’d stay up a lot later than necessary, or I’d find ways to procrastinate until I fell asleep!
As a morning person, you more than likely are on a deadline. You’ll likely have the same to-do list, but an end time of when you have to leave for work or get the kids off to school. Having a deadline forces you to be more productive and to prioritize. Think about it. It felt impossible to get some homework assignments done. That is, until the night before the deadline! I’d guess you’ve had that experience too. Real deadlines have a level of power!
You will feel a sense of freedom in the evenings
My night owl days started stressed out and ended stressed out. My rushed mornings made me feel frantic. Returning home from work with a pile of to-do’s looming over head left me feeling overwhelmed.
When I start my day off with routines that take care of the things I know I should be doing (but can easily get pushed off), it takes the pressure off my evenings.
I spend my evenings with other people, or getting things done that came up during the day, or just relaxing! There is no more pressure to do things. My only nightly obligation takes 30 minutes or less most days, and I can complete right before I go to bed!
Are you a morning person or a night owl? Which do you find makes you a more productive person? I’d love to hear more! Come share your thoughts on our Instagram or Facebook page!
