How to Achieve Morning Mastery & Conquer the Day

How to Achieve Morning Mastery & Conquer the Day.

“Either you run the day or the day runs you”- Jim Rohn

“Work harder on yourself than you do on your job”- Jim Rohn

So, you’re interested in becoming a morning person?

Let me start by saying I used to be one of those people who dreaded waking up early. I used to snooze my alarm not once, not twice, but at least 3-4 times before I could open my eyes enough to see that I had slept way past what I should have. Admittedly, I developed some bad habits where I had to scramble to get myself into shower and get to work on time.

I have since made a huge change and now start my mornings at 5:30am, the benefits of which have been life-changing! Rising early and waking up earlier than I ‘need’ to has resulted in me being able to achieve some incredible things before my work day has even begun. This includes morning meditation, working out, listening to podcasts and working on my personal projects.

I have experienced countless benefits since making the change and becoming a morning person- increased productivity; gaining a competitive edge; utilising my prime time to work on my mind and body before going to work for someone else- the list goes on.

So, here are my top 5 tips for becoming a morning person:

1. BELIEVE THAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF BECOMING A MORNING PERSON

The first step to making any kind of change, is believing that you can. If you are constantly telling yourself and anyone who will listen how much you hate mornings, then how are you every going to learn to love them? Start by thinking about some of the benefits of rising early and all the wonderful things you could achieve if you did. Consider that time you woke up early to go to the gym and how amazing you felt for it, or that time that you could sit and enjoy your morning coffee because you weren’t rushed.

Becoming a morning person is possible, you just have to believe that it is!

2. MAKE GRADUAL CHANGE

If you have been going to sleep at midnight and waking up at 9am, then a 5:30am wakeup call may be a little extreme. Start by making gradual change and setting your alarm 15 minutes earlier each day- this will not significantly impact you or your sleep, however will help you to begin to rise a little earlier each day until you are able to reach your goal.

3. GO TO BED EARLIER

The simplest and most logical way to rise earlier, is to go to bed earlier. A 2017 study observing the effect of mobile phone use on sleep demonstrated that individuals with a longer average screen time were more likely to have poorer sleep quality and less sleep overall.

Set some rules and parameters for your nightly routine such as:

• Setting your phone to aeroplane mode (or out of arm’s reach)
• Setting a ‘no screens within 2 hours of sleeping’ rule. One way to achieve this is to swap screens for books.
• Setting an alarm at night time to remind you of when it’s time to go to sleep

4. DEVELOP A MORNING ROUTINE

Developing a consistent morning routine will help you to wake up with purpose and intention! If you set your alarm to 5:3oam and have no plans for the day, chances are you will switch your alarm off and go back to sleep. Dedicate some time to establishing a morning routine that will help guide you in the mornings.

If you are unsure of how to do this, you can read my article on how to establish an effective morning routine here.

5. BE GOOD TO YOURSELF

It’s important to note that even ‘morning people’ can struggle to wake up on some days. Be good to yourself and remember that it’s ok to have an off day or two- so long as you get back to your routine and don’t fall into old habits. If you have a late night because of a work function or social event, it’s ok to let yourself sleep in that day- just remember to go to sleep early that night so you can rise early the next day.

CONQUER THE DAY & ACHIEVE MORNING MASTERY

Make every day a great day by starting on your own terms and doing something for yourself and your dreams! So, the question now remains- what are you going to do with all the extra time?

Are you are struggling to become a morning person? Or perhaps you are already a morning person and have some tips you would like to share? If so, I would love to hear from you- leave your comments below!