Mornings are tough. We all know this but there are those people who seem to strive in the mornings. Some call them “morning people” others call them something far more vulgar. Whatever they are we want to learn their secrets and see if we can copy any of their behavior to make mornings easier for us. We ran a survey to determine if people described themselves as morning people or not. For those that did, we asked a bunch of questions to find out why. We came across a lot of consistent behavior in morning people that could be easily implemented. Alice in Wonderland liked to imagine 6 impossible things before breakfast every day. What routine do morning people follow?
Wake up first
Have you ever woken up at the same time as your partner and it is a real struggle to get out of bed? It is as if you are both almost feeding off each other’s desire to stay in bed and it weighs each of you down. One tip we heard was to get up ten to fifteen minutes before anyone else in the house and get a jump start on your day before the distractions that other people bring come into your world.
Forget the phone
It is easy advice to follow in theory but tough to actually do. Most of us use our phones as our alarms so the reason we go for them first thing in the morning is not that we are addicted but because we need to turn off the alarm. The reason we stay on them is that we are addicted.
Some people advised the purchase of an alarm clock. This will allow you to set your alarm, wake up in the morning, and leave your phone in another room. Instead of frantically checking your messages or emails simply allow yourself to wake up, breath deeply for thirty seconds, and think happy thoughts.
Do what you love
You can do some of the things you love for a short amount of time. If you want to read the football news give yourself five minutes to do so. If you want a morning stretch do a 5-minute quick stretch. Do what you love but make sure it doesn’t take over your entire morning. Put a timer on or use a mobile application (if you are still attached to it) to make sure you keep these items under control.
Do what you hate
For some reason, Mondays always come at the start of a week. They are horrible, they are tough but at least we get to enjoy the rest of the week knowing they are over. You can take the same approach to your day. If there is a task you have to do that you are not looking forward to, get it done at the start of the day and the rest will be a breeze.
Tidy the home
This does not mean spending an hour cleaning the entire house. It means preparing for your arrival that evening. Clean off the kitchen worktop or the living room table, set your bed, remove the clutter from your home so that when you come in 9 hours later it is a relaxing environment. Knowing what you are coming home to will make you happier throughout the day.
These are just a few small tips to make those mornings go a little easier. The reality is that there is no such thing as morning people or not. There are simply those who have figured out how to make mornings work and those who have not. Spend some time sorting out your morning routine and you will benefit from it.
