Morning | Chapter 5, Not a Morning Person

I was not made for the early morning. I do not look forward to throwing off the covers, feet flirting with the freezing floor, the mad dash to the bathroom for warmth.

I would much prefer to take my coffee mid-morning, the smell of roasting beans slowly awakening my stiff muscles and joints as I unfurl my limbs and take that first, luxurious stretch. I like a slow start, the day unfolding quietly, without rush. I’d rather wake to a world already bathed in sunlight than watch the night slowly melt away as I stand at the window.

For years, I’ve felt the pressure to be a “morning person.” I tried to force myself to jump out of bed, already rushing through a list of to-dos, already frantic, already behind. I found myself unhappily pressured to create a fantastic morning routine that had me exercising at 5am or starring into a soggy bowl of cereal while the rest of the neighborhood slept.

Thousands of people swear by the early alarm, getting out of the house, attacking their tasks with gusto. But, and here’s the truth, you aren’t a better person if you wake up really early; there isn’t anything inherently better about waking up at 8am instead of 9am. Your life doesn’t magically carry more meaning if you are awake before the sun and already on the treadmill. What matters is what you do with your time and how it works for you.

I found myself so miserable waking up early that the extra hours in the day only made me cranky. I focused so much on being a “morning person” that I stopped listening to my own body and the way I was built.

I don’t have children yet and I know that I won’t always have the luxury of waking up when it best works for me, but I have found in the past two years that my day is more impacted by what I do when I wake up than by what time the clock shows

I have a much more productive, meaningful, enjoyable day when I start my day a little later, slowly, quietly.

For me this looks like:

~ lying in bed for fifteen minutes after my alarm goes off and gently waking up my body

~ taking five minutes to thoroughly wash and moisturize my face

~ drinking hot water with fresh lemon

~ a five-minute yoga stretch to ease tension in my neck and shoulders

~ checking in with my husband before I jump into email

It’s nothing magical, it’s not in any of those five-things-millionaires-do-before-6am-books, but it works for me, and that’s what matters.

Article by, Reeve Klatt | Photography by, Madeline Long