Becoming a Morning Person: A How-To Guide

Welcome back to this week’s Inter(N)esting Insights! My name is Lily Hagan, and one thing about me is that I am NOT a morning person. I am not a cranky morning person; my issue in the morning is that I have a really hard time waking up. Whether I am dreaming right through my alarm, turning off my alarm in my sleep, or just hitting snooze over and over, I struggle to have the productive morning routine that I always aspire for.

Interning on The Andie Summers Show is incredibly important to me and something that I take very seriously, so you can understand my determination to fix this problem before my internship began. I was determined to get up early and be fully awake and ready to go the second I arrived at the studio, but I knew in order to do that I had to make the mornings my friend instead of an enemy. I wanted to share some tips and tricks that I have learned on my journey to becoming a morning person. Not every day is easy, but by using these tips below, you too can become the morning person you always dreamed of because a good morning is the recipe for an even better day! 

The first order of business for me to get myself to actually wake up on time. By that I mean getting up when your alarm goes off… without hitting the snooze button. I knew I needed an alarm that wouldn’t morph into my dream, so I bought a sunrise alarm clock. But I think that any alarm clock will work perfectly for this. The key is to put your alarm clock on the opposite side of the room. The sunrise feature is really awesome too because it slowly gets brighter as it nears the time for your alarm to go off, so you wake up in sunlight, no matter how early it is. 

If you’re sitting here thinking to yourself, “I am NOT investing in an alarm clock when I have one on my phone,” I understand completely. Another alternative is to get a really obnoxious alarm sound on your phone. For me, that was a drill sergeant screaming at me to wake up, as ridiculous as it sounds. It makes me leap out of bed no matter how tired I am. I recommend getting a sound that will get your blood pumping right away if you sleep through the regular alarms, and trust me when I say that putting your phone across the room is a game-changer!

Now that you are up and out of bed, what is to stop you from snoozing the alarm clock and getting back in bed for just a few more minutes? I recommend doing three things right away after getting out of bed: Lights, water, and make the bed. After that, you will be more awake and ready to start your day. Immediately turn some lights on, even if it is just dim mood lighting, it will make you feel like your day has started. After that, I recommend chugging some water. I keep my water right next to my bed because I have found that cold water right in the morning wakes my body up immediately. Finally, make your bed! This is so important because it starts your day on a productive and positive note, and you can’t feel tempted to get back in bed! 

Coffee is, hands down, the most crucial part of my morning. I love coffee, and in the mornings, it is crucial that I have some, especially if I woke up early. I recommend trying different ways to make your coffee so that it becomes something that you can’t wait to wake up and make for yourself. If coffee isn’t your thing, a cup of tea, matcha, a smoothie, or any other drink that makes you feel good is the perfect thing to start off your morning with. There is something about being excited to drink your favorite drink first thing in the morning that makes you far more motivated to get your day started, especially on those early mornings.

I used to be someone who would wake up with the exact amount of time I needed to get ready and out the door. The biggest game changer for me has been waking up a little extra early to spend some time doing something that makes me happy first thing in the morning. Even if you give yourself as little as ten to fifteen minutes to fill your cup, I can almost guarantee that you will find yourself much calmer and more relaxed throughout your day. This might mean watching an episode of your favorite show and drinking your coffee. This could be reading a book that you just can't put down. This could also look like reading your bible or even just writing down things that you are grateful for. Whatever brings you peace is crucial to implement in your morning, even if you have a short amount of time to do it. I have noticed that allowing my mornings to be slower has led to a much calmer and peaceful day as a result. 

What is one thing that adds a ton of unnecessary time to the mornings more often than not? Picking out an outfit. It feels silly at first, but spending a little extra time the night before to plan an outfit for the next day really saves so much time in the mornings. It has made my mornings smoother and more efficient while saving me so much time that I can spend doing other things (Like making a really good breakfast…)

I am not a breakfast person at all. It has never been my thing, however, lately I have learned to really love breakfast. I have to say, it really is the most important meal of the day! Here are some quick breakfast ideas to try that I have been loving: Overnight oats, hard-boiled eggs and avocado toast, and yoghurt parfaits. These three are simple, easy, and the perfect breakfast for early in the morning: Not too crazy, yet so delicious. 

I have always heard people say that a good morning routine starts the night before. I never wanted to believe it because I am very much a night owl. I have to say… they were onto something with this one. I have found myself going to bed earlier and earlier, but truthfully, it is way easier to go to bed early when you are waking up early. I have grown to love early nights and early mornings. Nothing compares to the mornings after you went to bed nice and early. As hard as it can seem, try to get into bed an hour before your intended bedtime. I have been getting in bed at 8 with the intention of being asleep by nine, and I have been trying to read a book before bed rather than always consuming blue light from technology before bed. I have noticed a huge change as I sleep more soundly, fall asleep more easily, and have way more energy in the morning after having a great night’s sleep. 

I have tried each and every one of these tricks to become a morning person, and I can now confidently say that I have made the mornings my friend. I have learned the best ways to get myself up and ready for radio….. But the trick that cannot be taught that has made the most difference to me is to love why you wake up in the morning. I truly love waking up to come to my internship, and that makes the biggest difference in the world when it comes to getting out of bed in the morning. 

Thank you for tuning into this week's Inter(N)esting Insights! If you are like me and you are determined to become a morning person, I hope you will try out these tricks, and I hope that they will add the little spice that you need in the morning to set you up for an amazing day!

Until next week! 

-Lily the Intern