3 Things Non Morning People Can Do To Get Going

GETGOING2

I am not a morning person. There, I admit it. As a man, Dad, and leader, I guess I should be. I’m just not. Over the years, it may have gotten a little easier, but I’m still a zombie in the morning. I often joke around the office that I quit every morning for the first 20 minutes after my alarm goes off.

That being said, I’ve learned some things over the years about how to be a better non-morning person. Here are 3 keys…

1. Drink water first thing

This helps greatly. The first thing I do (after stopping by the bathroom) is go to the kitchen and down a bottle of water. There’s something about the cold and refreshing ability of the water that wakes me up and gives me a better outlook on life. Sometimes, I’ll drink another with my God time later too…. just depends on how I feel. Of course, coffee isn’t far behind either!

2. Go to bed when you’re tired, not at a certain time

This one sounds counter productive, but it works. Instead of telling yourself you have to go to bed early in order to be refreshed, go to bed when you get tired. There’s nothing worse than watching the clock and thinking, “I have to go to sleep now because I’ll get 7 hours.” Go to sleep when you’re tried. You’ll eventually fall into a rhythm after a few weeks of getting up early. You’ll be tired when you’re supposed to be.

3. Plan a few small tasks before big, early tasks

I’m a big fan of doing the hard and dreaded things on my task list in the morning. However, as a non morning person, I have to warm up a little. Sometimes this means that I answer a few emails first thing in the morning or outline a blog post or even clarify what I can hand off to someone else during the day. Either way, it’s me warming up. This is usually just about 20 minutes worth and then I’m in the zone and good to go on tougher tasks.

Are you a morning person? Have you tried any of these? What helps you get going in the mornings?


Comments

10 responses to “3 Things Non Morning People Can Do To Get Going”

  1. I am a morning person, so this may not apply to me as much. But I do try to drink a big cup of water first thing. And sometimes knocking out some pushups and/or crunches is just what’s needed to get the energy flowing. Even a set of 25 or 30 is something!

    Good morning, by the way. :)

    1. Good morning! Yeah, the water thing is probably my favorite. I can’t remember who I heard say that first, but it always helps. As a non morning person, I think my body would revolt at 30 pushups first thing!! :)

    2. Boyce Avatar
      Boyce

      I usually drink a cup of coffee w/ hazelnut creamer first thing and water to follow for the rest of the.day.

      1. I’m all for coffee for sure! :)

  2. This is a helpful post. I have always been a night owl but am trying to transition to being a morning person. Great idea about the water — sort of non-intuitive but it makes sense. Will give that a try!

    1. Yeah. That’s one of the best ones! Glad it’s helpful… morning stink! :)

  3. Another thing I thought of (before 6 AM this morning!), is that I read a lot that the key is not sleeping well or getting up well. The key is your bedtime ritual. Michael Hyatt has written about that on his blog, as well as others.

    Important things: no caffeine after mid-afternoon, put electronics (including smartphones) down at least an hour before bedtime, exercise at some point during the day, etc

    1. The electronic thing is absolutely true! I do that one too. All great suggestions

  4. […] 3 Things Non Morning People Can Do To Get Going, by Jonathan Pearson […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *