This is How to Become a Morning Person

One of my guilty pleasures is reading posts and articles about how to be more productive. (Nerdy.) I also enjoy reading up on the morning routines of successful business people. (Nerdy x2.)

I've always been a morning person, but in high school I used to use the time to apply makeup and obsess over my hair while watching E News. Now that I'm (eek) 20 years old, I want to start being more efficient.

So, I'm passing on what knowledge I've gathered and letting you know how it worked for me. I always got up between 6 and 6:30 for school last semester, but I decided to carry that routine to my winter break. (I know...I'm insane!) School starts Tuesday for me, so now, hopefully I'll be perfectly used to getting up early.

So, let's start by taking a look at my morning routine. And for arguments sake, let's say it's a Monday on break and I have errands to run.

And if it's a school morning....

So how can you get up early and be productive?

Go to bed on time and minimize distractions
I read that to really make yourself tired, you should get off your phone at least an hour before bedtime. Typically, I'll read or watch HGTV (heehee, addicted) and then I'll flip on my new essential oils diffuser (similar: here) and call it a night.

The "you have 5 more minutes alarm"
I've read the articles that say it's best to wake up on the first alarm, but that just doesn't work for me. I set an alarm five minutes before I really need to get up, so I can start telling myself it's time to get moving. I'll get up at that point and flick on the light, so my eyes can adjust and I'll throw off the covers to get used to the freezing morning!

Water first, coffee second
Water wakes you up more than caffeine does because it starts to fuel your body and recover you from your dehydrated state. My room is on the second level in my house at school, so I keep a cup up there to remind me to get water first before anything else.

Tackle your biggest to-do's first
I tend to schedule all appointments in the morning already because traffic is better. As far as large tasks for the day go (i.e. turning in blog pitches, post deadlines, errands that require me to leave the house), tackling those first will always help you to be more productive. By the afternoon, all that's left to get done is the little things!

For school, I schedule my classes in the morning, so that by lunch I can start studying and getting assignments done.

Do something to wake your mind up
I personally love to workout! My new years resolution was to get more into running, so lately I've been getting in a couple miles to start my day.

I remember my Grandpa would always do crossword puzzles while he had his coffee. His mind was at work, but at the same time he was relaxing and easing into the day. Maybe try reading TheSkimm or doing some mindfulness coloring.

Don't waste time on your phone
My productivity is at the very lowest if I'm on my phone a lot first thing in the morning. I do give myself a chance to check Twitter and Instagram because I go to sleep so early that I miss so much, haha. I'll keep an eye on the clock and make sure I don't spend more than a few minutes or else it's bad news bears.

Have an accountability partner
A lot of people value having an accountability partner when it comes to trying to eat healthy or workout, but I think it also proves beneficial to have one for waking up early. Grab a friend who wants to meet up before classes and get coffee or talk your sister into getting up a bit earlier with you to walk the dog.

Cam is also a pretty early riser and we both like to get things done at the beginning of the day, so we love to run morning errands together or have breakfast dates.



Well, ya'll...good luck if you want to try to get up earlier! If you're feeling lonely in the wee hours of the morning, find me on Twitter or snapchat me (cristina.snaps) because Lord knows I'm definitely up and working to seize the day!

X,

Cristina