This weekend I was on a great run while listening to a new-ish episode of The Simple Mom Podcast.
In the podcast, my friend Tsh interviewed Arianne of To Think is To Create, and at one point asked Arianne if she was a morning person or a night owl. Arianne’s answer made me stop in my tracks. Explaining how her baby had turned her into a card-carrying morning person, Arianne then said that it turns out she really likes the morning.
One reason?
People are nicer.
She then theorized that folks maybe just haven’t had the chance to have a bad day yet.
This was something I’d never thought of before, and got me thinking long and hard about other reasons to be a morning person (something I’ve long wanted to be.) I got to thinking so much that I came up a few other reasons as I ran. Maybe they’ll just convince me. (Or you.)
Five Reasons to Be A Morning Person
- You get the best of you. If you’re sleeping enough (you are, aren’t you?) and you aren’t suffering from health problems, then you should be rested in the morning. In those first precious hours, you’ll have energy to do what you need to do. Caffeine may just push you over the edge into really productive!
- You get the best of others. People are nicer in the mornings, because they haven’t had the chance to have a bad day yet. (At least, that’s what Arianne said in the podcast.) Although I’d never heard it articulated as such, I’m willing to bet a lot that she’s right.
- You get quiet. Less people are around in the morning — both in your house, and in your office. That means quiet, peaceful time for you to do what you need to do.
- Getting things done early makes you happier all day long. The earlier you get done the necessities, the better you’ll feel the rest of the day, no matter what pops off to surprise you. You’re also far less likely to be off-track at the end of the day, because you’ll have at least gotten something done in the morning.
- You’re likely to get more done at the end of the day. Even if your work-day is the exact same nine hours it might have been had you started at 11 am, by starting earlier you’re likely to get time on your side through the simple art of personal motivation. The more you get done earlier, the more you’re likely get done as the day progresses. By the end of the day, you’ll be far more along than you would’ve been had you started later.
Can you think of other reasons to be a morning person? Do they convince you to get up earlier? Or do you accomplish more as a night owl?
Claire, thanks for this post. Your #1 resonates with me- I find that there is less friction in the AM and I’m less likely to procrastinate when it’s early.
Sounds good, I guess. Though I worked with someone who was literally no good in the morning until after 3 cups of coffee.
Sounds like they should’ve had them *before* they came into the office — not after!
You know what Claire? I used to be a morning person and I used to be delighted by my time in the early hours.
I’m going to give it a go tomorrow and see if a week of early mornings is a good move for me.
Sorry I have to disagree with 3 of the points. 1. I am not at my best in the morning. My day gets better as the day goes on. 2. I am not nicer in the mornings (just ask my husband); and I don’t drink coffee/caffeine so that doesn’t help. 5. And I am not more productive at the end of the day if I get up earlier. I’m just more tired.
So this didn’t convince me to be a morning person. 🙂
Absolutely agree! I always find, if I get up and crack on, hitting the ground running into breakfast then the day is going to be good. If you can make your mark on it before breakfast then everything afterwards is just a bonus.
That’s exactly why I get up early. That and the news reported that early risers are more likely to die before lunch and late risers are more likely to die at night. So I’m trying to control my ultimate destiny.
HA!
Sorry, but I disagree. I believe that (many, at least) people either ARE or are not “morning” people. The idea that someone should be a morning person because there are “good reasons” is silly (we could list reasons for working late at night or any other schedule. And the premise that by getting a night’s sleep and setting their alarm would make them a morning person is simply not true. I’ve had jobs where I was forced to get up early for years straight, but I never “adjusted” and changed the time of day I function better. I never have been a morning person, no matter how much sleep I got.
I agree Bill,
I think for most people trying hard to adjust to being a morning person is only semi-successful. Personally I find that I have my ‘morning productivity’ much later in the day. The most important and useful piece of advice in this article is to get enough sleep: that makes far more difference than just trying to adjust your body clock. I have worked in a 24/7 shift pattern ranging from 7am starts to 11am starts, and even nights and I find my optimum time is a mid-morning start and a slightly later than normal finish. Lastly, I don’t buy the arguement that you are more productive early in the day: “morning” is that period after you first get up and start work, and that time is determined by time of day you naturally gravitate to. You can try to force it but I think that only works for a minority of people.
ps. Most people I know are definitely *not* happier early in the morning.
Several years ago, I was so sick that I could not sleep. I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning and found out that it was beautiful at that time. Peaceful, quiet. It reminded me of a neighbor I used to have. She was an elderly lady and was always up around 5am. That’s what she told me. She said she got so much done at that time in a calm way. She would get the newspaper, drink her coffee and watch the sunrise. I thought it was amazing and couldn’t wait to do the same. I didn’t until I had that illness I mentioned before. Once I got better, I started to wake up at my usual time 6:30. But I’m doing my best to wake up at 6 am because even then I am able to take my time and reflect on things before I enter my classroom to teach 7th grade students.
Thank you for writing a great post.
Here could be added another title as alternatives. And in this case reason number can be reach much more than five. Do you guess which man I mean? ……….
Yes ! this is Religious Man. I don’t no what about other religion ( think so most of them same , so that has mission for peace with yourself , with ourselves, with others , with world , with God ( Allah)
For instances , Islam calls to make namaz ( pray ) 5 times during the day. And this case make commitment to wake up earlier before the sunrise for first pray ( namaz) This case is not accidental case , because Cod knows better than you what is the more useful for you. Please think about it , and you will find that religious thinking , behave lead to harmony with cosmos , with whole world
She is a creative auther
According to prophet Mohammed “the pleased work is in the early morning”
Before the industrial revolution people used to sleep until around 4 am then wake for a while and then sleep again. Personally I am naturally pretty much nocturnal, I think that is my natural rhythm rather than a ‘sleep cycle disorder’.
Gr*8 Claire,
Not that I hv been a morning person by compulsion. I hv to as I am a Yoga addict (heard of my kind before?). The morning silent meditation even for 5 minutes recharges my batteries for the day. Often, my dear ones chide me for thinking something else. I recommend them to think of the things to do and avoid for the day (which is my favourite if I am unable to focus during meditation).
I’m so envious!
How can I be a morning person when I go to bed in the morning?
I don’t really know how but I feel I have more energy to work in the morning. Thanks for your nice job Claire.
Thank you for that and all your other gifts, Claire. I already was a morning person, but you inspired me to make the best of what I am. Next (when I have caught up sufficiently to have time for the present), I will read The Present Principle.