Morning Larks : Shine before the sun does !

the early bird gets the worm

You know what part I like about waking up early? None. Let me go back to sleep 😄

I was a night owl almost throughout my whole student life that I even hate when people promoted being awake early.

But is it really related to being successful ?

It is basically changing the hours when you sleep, not sleeping less. There are lots of articles and research about this topic. Before discussing anything, first we should acknowledge that everyone can find out what is comfortable for them. People can be productive whenever they want or used to. These are personal times that you will spend alone, either you wake up early or keep late hours.

However, considering most modern societal activities happen between 9am-5pm, night owls are put at a disadvantage. They mostly have social jetlag which feels living in a different timeline. As chronic sleep deprivation has a direct effect on brain function, it is understandable that studies show early birds are more productive and successful.

After started working as a white-collar, I had to wake up early (around 5am) and be on the road for 2 hours to be able to go to work on time. Although it was too hard for me at first, my body clock have used to wake up early. However, I didn’t have any ‘myself time’ or time to exercise or even time to just sit for a minute. I should had been left the house immediately. This routine continued almost for 6 years.

Now, I don’t have wake up that early yet still my work starts at 9am. I can sleep at least 3 more hours in the morning but too much comfort doesn’t fit for me 🙂 So, when I first saw this early morning routine, all I can think was ‘Challenge accepted !’ 😎

Whatever I want to try, the first thing I do is lots of research about the subject; reading articles, blogs, watching videos, listening podcast… The most common activities that early birds prefer to do in the mornings are;

• meditation
• reading
• writing (dairy or journal)
• exercise (stretch, gym, outside walk, etc.)
• study (mostly for students)
• planning the rest of the day
• breakfast at home
• daily houseworks

No matter what time of the day, some of these actives are just not for me 😄 The best part of the morning for me is to exercise and have enough time not to rush. Other than these, I do not make breakfast at those hours, or don’t meditate or write a diary. And this is totally fine. There is no one rule for it. The important part is to feel happy and healthy by this routine.

The other problem I observed here is that we should not obsess about being productive. This is because productivity changes for everyone. I feel productive enough when I exercise in the morning, or I can have time to do laundry or dishes 😎. I love the quite and calm time to myself. It feels good to have a coffee and just watch the sunrise. At some mornings, when I do not feel to do physical activities, I just watch cartoon and empty my mind 😄

I saved the hardest part for the last ! How can you wake up early without feeling tired or sleepless ?

• Sleep enough

Waking up early doesn’t mean sleeping less. If you want to wake up early, then you must sleep early at night. Otherwise, this routine can’t last more than a week.

• Leave bed quickly

When the alarm is on, you should immediately leave the bed unless you want to go back to sleep. Putting your phone far from the bed or using alarms with duties may really help.

• Coffee

The first thing I do after I wake up is to make coffee. Lately I had stomach issues so I am more careful about it. However, if you are one the lucky ones that have the perfect stomach, coffee is essential 😄

• Clothes

If you are planning to exercise or going out or even just be at home; prepare your clothes at night and must change your pajamas.

• Alarm Applications

There are several applications you can find in the App store or Google play store. These alarms force you to solve a puzzle, remember cards or take a picture of a toothpaste. They basically keep you awake rather than silencing the alarm with one touch and going back to sleep. “Alarmy” is one the used ones, you can check.

According to the my experience, I can say that being morning larks is better for me rather than a night owl right now. It can change in the future, We’ll see….