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The life of an #eventprof might involve a lot of late nights but there’s no way to escape those early starts… Want to become a morning person who starts the week ahead of the game? Try these 5 tips!
I am not a morning person. But…I am slowly training myself to be one. Reluctantly, I accepted that I like being a grown up and realized that if I improve my mornings, the rest of life starts to fall into place.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a 5am, yoga and meditation type. I’m the kind of person who hits snooze at least 8 times and then runs around hating my life trying to get to where I’m meant to be on time.
That’s how you know this advice works – if it can help me, it can help anyone.
These tips might sound a bit obvious. I knew about some of them for years. BUT I didn’t put them into practice until I really understood and appreciated how much of a difference they make.
1. Get tomorrow’s outfit ready
I mean everything – including underwear, jewelry, shoes and purse. If I don’t do this, I always regret it. Have you ever been in bed at night and mentally planned your outfit for the morning? Then you wake up to realize that the pants you wanted to wear need ironing. And the shirt has a coffee stain on it. Plus the necklace is all tangled up, and you can’t find the left shoe you were convinced was by the door.
Ok, that might be a bit extreme but you only need one part of your outfit to go wrong to throw off your morning and make you feel stressed.
In contrast, having everything ready to go means you start your week feeling like you’re in control. If you have kids, do this for them too!
Bonus Tip: Think about having a capsule wardrobe – google it! Lots of bloggers and YouTubers are talking about how it makes their lives and style better! If you don’t like the idea of cutting down your options, consider a work “uniform”. It’s just a simple go-to look or outfit that requires no thought and you know you look and feel good in.
2. Meal Prep
It doesn’t have to be for the whole week ahead. Maybe just Monday. Maybe just lunch. It’ll save you time the next day AND help you make healthier choices. Trust me, unless you’ve got superhuman strength, if you decide at the last minute what you’re having for lunch, you’re going to end up wanting ALL OF THE CARBS. Or whatever other tasty, non healthy options are nearby.
Cut to 3pm when you’re feeling regret because your waistband feels too tight and you need a nap. Do yourself a favor and make it easier on yourself.
3. Change your bedsheets
It’s weird how much this can affect your sleeping and the way you feel going to bed and getting up. It makes you feel like you’ve achieved something – you’ve taken one thing off your list! You wake up feeling like you’re ahead of the game. Plus, when you’re exhausted after a long day on Monday, you won’t get that awful feeling when you realise you have to change your sheets before you can go to bed.
The space around us makes a big difference to how we feel and how we sleep. If you can’t tidy up your whole bedroom, at least by changing the sheets you can make your bed feel like a more calm, tidy and clean place.
4. Have a strict bed time and routine
Yes, it’s boring, I know. BUT, as someone who has had various struggles with their sleep for nearly 15 years, I know that you can’t just go to sleep whenever you want. Unless you’re super lucky, it’s going to throw off your entire sleeping pattern.
That means going to bed and getting up at the same time, or as close as possible everyday. Even weekends. You need to train your body so it learns what to expect and when and will make it so much easier when it comes to falling asleep and getting out of bed in the morning.
Having a routine will help your mind realise that it’s time to unwind and get ready to sleep. I get into my PJs, get my clothes ready for the next day, drink a nighttime tea and read. Then I listen to a mindfulness app with a specific sleep session – I’ve always fallen asleep before it ends.
Having a routine has reduced the number of times I wake up at night, helps me fall asleep faster and makes waking up easier that it used to be.
Bonus Tip: If you can’t give up your electronics before bed, get the FL:UX or Twilight app. Both apps eliminate the blue light that phones and screens emit. I won’t go into all of the science but that light reduces the amount of melatonin your body produces and affects the human circadian system. If I haven’t convinced you, look HERE and HERE for more info on why this blue light is really bad for you.
5. Give yourself something to look forward to
If you’re not a natural morning person, you’ll know how hard it is to drag yourself away from your comfy bed. Give yourself some #MondayMotivation by adding an incentive to your morning routine. It might be a really tasty breakfast or some time in your garden in the morning sun. Whatever makes you happy. Occasionally left over pizza makes me happy so I’m not going to judge – whatever helps you get out of the bed in the morning!
Disclaimer: You are not going to turn into a morning person overnight. HOWEVER, you will start to enjoy your mornings a lot more and I’m willing to bet, other areas of your life will improve too.
What issues and topics do you struggle with in your business and personal life? The Simplifiers’ CEO – Mary Baird-Wilcock, CSEP is launching our new podcast and we want to you to tell us which topics you want simplified! Let us know HERE
