6 Ways a Typical ‘Night Owl’ can become a ‘Morning Person’

In many ways the world is split along the lines of Morning people and everyone else. Generally, a “morning person” can be said to be one of those lucky few who are happy, full of pep, and productive in the early hours of the day while you’re still wrestling your snooze button.

Many people will do anything just to make that transition. One of my close friends for instance, has been battling with the seemingly tedious task of transitioning from being a “night owl” to a morning person since last year.

Like I always say; “the night was made for rest, the day for work, and the morning for blessings, creativity and health”. Does that make me a morning person? You could say that. Maybe I am not. But I am one of those people who usually completes fifty percent of their tasks while many people are still tossing on the bed and rubbing their eyes.

I will share a few simple tips that anyone can follow to make that vital transition. With them, you can change from being a night owl, or just a heavy sleeper to becoming a person who maximizes his/her mornings.

1. Plan Your Morning before the Day

The Morning is the most beautiful time of the day. It is a serene and peaceful time. It can also be a very profitable time, but at the very best it is still just time. Time by nature flies and can be up before you even know it has begun.

Taking a few minutes at night to put together the things you will need to do the next day, will reduce the rush in the morning. It also gives your subconscious mind ample time to work on those tasks, and give you ideas on how to go about them. Most importantly, it will give you time to get your act together before leaving the house.

Get your gym bag together. Ready your bike. Pack your office suitcase, and pick out your attire. This way you can devote the morning to exercise, meditation and prayers, time with the family at the breakfast table, and even catch a TV show before the rat race begins.

2. Use the Night for its true Purpose

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin

Sleep at any time has a great deal of benefits. But the benefits of a good night’s sleep cannot be overemphasized. The night was made for only one purpose and that is to rest. The day winds down into darkness, and expects you to follow.

On the average, an adult needs between 7.5 and 8 hours of sleep per night. “But many people can function with 6 hours’ sleep, and there also some who need 9 hours or more,” says Sudhansu Chokroverty, MD, professor and co-chair sleep medicine at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J.

3. Handle Hangovers the Proper Way

Early morning hangovers can be very distressing. The best way to handle them is to avoid them altogether. Don’t drink so much alcohol late at night. Better still; keep away from it as much as you can.

If for some reason however, you consume enough alcohol to cause you a hangover in those precious hours of the morning, don’t panic. The smart thing to do is to explore potent medicinal ways of dealing with hangovers, so you can get on with your day on time.

4. Maximize Your Day; Free up your Nights

A lot of people prefer to work at night. From writers to internet marketers, the night season appears to be the most productive time of the whole day.  As a night worker, you could get great results. However, you may have to waste your early mornings.

The simple thing to do here is to work out a routine that allows you to cover more during the day. This means your nights get freer. Indirectly, it kills the risk of you being a grumpy, red eyed father, neighbor or spouse.

Imagine being able to wake your kid up each morning and prepare him for school. How about having a go at another round of sex with your wife? Or you could just spend time talking, planning, or praying.

5. Make Hitting “Snooze” a Little Harder

A lot of times in the past, I set the alarm clock with the best of intentions. But when it eventually rang, it always seemed to have gone off a little sooner than I was ready to rise. Over the years luckily, I have cured myself of that snoozigitis disease. But it took a lot of discipline, and practice.

If you want to do the same, simply keep your alarm clock somewhere farther from your bed stand, perhaps on a cupboard or something. The idea is to make sure that to hit the snooze button; you have to get out of bed.

6. Rethink Mornings

If you don’t have a rethink about mornings, you will still not maximize them. Mornings are the best part of the day. It presents you with a period when there are few sounds outside, no yelling children, no nagging wife or husband, and no neighbors blasting music from their stereos. But until you think so and believe so, you will still remain sluggish in the mornings.

So what was that excuse you gave for not being a morning person?