Life is busy. It’s hectic. And as a mummy, I can testify that when you become a parent, being tired approximately 95% of the time is perfectly normal and acceptable. At one point or another, I think I probably was a morning person, but these days, I often struggle to find the motivation when I first wake up.
The thing is, though, if you can get up in a morning and immediately motivate yourself to get on with those little things that have been driving you mad or you’ve been meaning to do for ages, then you will feel a lot better. It’s good to get things out of the way early doors and then you can breathe, relax and have a more productive and fulfilling day.
Recently, I’ve been making the effort to find that morning motivation and to really adjust my mentality when I first wake up. Those cold, dark, Winter mornings can leave us longing for a lie in, but as I have a little person that loves to wake up and play at 7AM, there’s always a reason for me to be up and at it early doors.
But still, that doesn’t always make things easier. So, how do you become a morning person? And what is the secret to being a morning person? For this blog post, I thought I’d come to you with my top tips on how to be a morning person and become the more successful version of yourself.
Top tips on how to become a morning person
1. Get extra sleep
Going to bed at a reasonable time isn’t always easy. For me, it’s always been that niggling thought in the back of my mind that I wake up, I work and then I make food and it’s back to bed. I’ve always kind of thought that by going to bed a bit later, I get a little bit more ‘me time.’
But since having Eric, my perspective has changed.
I took a full year out for my maternity leave as I wanted to spend as much time with Eric as humanly possible before taking on the commitment of full time work again, and I think that time out really altered my perspective on things.
I’m not there completely, but I think gradually I am learning to accept that every day is different and that some days, I will feel more accomplished than I do others. And that’s OK! I used to punish myself if I didn’t have the time to vacuum the stairs or give the bathrooms a deep clean, but now I try to prioritise my wellness. And getting into bed a little bit earlier really does allow me to recuperate and refresh myself properly.
I honestly do believe that this is absolutely imperative if you want to become a morning person, as there’s just no way you can function properly in the morning if you haven’t had the chance to sleep off the exhaustion from the previous day. I value sleep so much more now that I’m a mummy, and I guess that’s because you sacrifice so much sleep when you become a parent (particularly in those first six months!)
2. Eat breakfast
I’ve always been pretty good at eating breakfast, so this hasn’t ever been a huge issue for me, but I do know that a lot of people struggle to eat first thing in a morning, so I thought I’d pop this in.
I’m going to share a separate blog post about my perspective on food and how my outlook on my body and nutrition has changed over the last year, especially - but for now, I just thought I’d touch on how important it is to eat a healthy, balanced and nutritious breakfast in the morning.
They say (whoever ‘they’ might happen to be), that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I truly believe it is. Breakfast is what gets us going in the morning - it’s our fuel for the day and the thing that gives us that burst of energy we need to make tracks. So, if you’re one of those people that tends not to eat in the morning, then I’d definitely suggest altering your routine a little.
If you genuinely find it hard to eat first thing, that’s fine - you don’t have to eat immediately as you wake up. But try to get something hearty down you within the first hour and a half of waking up.
It’s almost impossible to run on an empty stomach, so when you feel as though you’re ready to eat, have a bowl of porridge with some fruit and nuts or an omelette with lots of spinach and tomatoes. It will take a while to get used to eating in the morning if you aren’t used to it, but I promise you will be more productive as a result.
3. Wash your face first thing
Although I try, I don’t always jump out of bed and shower first thing (mostly because I prioritise getting Eric’s breakfast ready etc.)But I do always get up and give my skin a really thorough double cleanse as soon as I wake up.
I find that cleansing my skin first thing is what wakes me up better than anything else. A good face wash with my favourite cleanser and a muslin cloth not only brightens my complexion, but it also invigorates my soul and gives me that refresh I need to get my mind in gear.
4. Have a coffee
Okay, so some people advise against coffee as caffeine is bad and addictive and everything else - but if you ask me, a little caffeine in moderation really isn’t anything to get worked up about. And let’s face it, some mornings, a coffee is literally the only thing that will get us moving. So, if you’re struggling, give in to coffee - it’s really not a bad thing.
We buy the Douwe Egberts Gold Blend, which as coffee granules go, are pretty good indeed - but when I genuinely need a coffee in the morning, the ground stuff has to come out.
At the moment, I’m loving the Costa Coffee Mocha Ground Coffee. It’s so hearty and the mocha infusion is super satisfying and indulgent. I love it.
5. Make a to do list
I’m a little bit obsessed with lists, so much so, in fact, that I always have at least one on the go. I usually have one in the notes section on my phone and then another one in my diary or notepad.
I’m one of those people that really benefits from that feeling of crossing things off my list. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and I find that if I have a to-do list set out first thing in the morning, the day suddenly feels more doable. Everything I need to do is written down on that piece of paper, and I take comfort in knowing that I’ve taken those ‘to do’s’ out of my mind and moved them elsewhere. Lists give me control and the satisfaction of crossing things off definitely provides me with a sense of motivation first thing in the morning.
6. Use a face mist
One little tip of mine that I always recommend to anyone that finds mornings difficult is to use a face mist. Face mists are super refreshing and ideal for those dark, gloomy mornings in particular. I always feel instantly more awake when I use one and the fact that my skin looks super glowy afterwards is a major Brucey bonus, too.
For those interested, the face mist that I’m currently using and loving is the Temple Spa Toning Essence. I love the smell of this product - it really does remind me of that amazing aroma that envelops the room when you go for a spa day.
7. Have goals and a vision
And finally, one of the things that really helps motivate me in a morning is my overall vision and my personal/family goals. I’ve always been incredibly ambitious and I’ve always maintained that I will have to work hard, get up and go if I want to achieve the things that I dream about - and having this mentality definitely fuels me to get on with things from the moment I wake up in a morning.
I am always so appreciative and grateful for everything that Marc and I have and that we can give to Eric - but I never lose sight of what I’m aiming for and what I want for us as a family in the future. I find it so propelling to have real goals and a list of things that you wish to achieve, as this generates a will to wake up and make things happen. So, if you’re still not a morning person but you really want to be, perhaps it’s time to think about what you want out of life and what you need to do to make those dreams a reality.
I really hope you all enjoyed this blog post and I can’t wait to share more with you all very soon.
Lots of love,
Grace x
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