How To Finally Become A Morning Person This Year—And Make It a Habit

If the biggest daily struggle is simply getting up in the morning, you’re not alone. Morning people are a breed of their own—energetic from the moment they wake up, there’s a spring in their step with little to no caffeine involved. That’s why Dream Bigger podcast host Siffat Haider is tackling this highly requested topic as part of the annual Glow Up series.

“My audience wanted to understand how to become a morning person,” Haider shares. “And let me tell you, I was not born a morning person at all—but I’ve put together certain systems that have turned me into one.” Keep reading for Siffat’s proven strategies for transforming your morning routine, once and for all.

1. Start with a good wind down routine

The secret to a successful morning actually starts the night before. “It all starts with your evening routine,” Haider explains. “Because if you’re not well rested enough, then you are simply not going to be able to wake up in the morning and feel energetic.” Start by working backwards: Examine how you feel when you wake up and how your nighttime habits might be affecting your morning energy.

2. Set office hours, but for your phone

Consider setting a digital curfew. “We all have office hours for work, rather than just always being on the clock. And I feel like our phones are just so readily available that we feel like it’s okay to be on it 24/7,” she shares. “Before you know it, you’ve scrolled on TikTok for two hours before bed.” 

By setting this boundary, it’s easier to avoid getting overstimulated before bed, which allows for better quality of sleep. Choose a time—Haider swears by 10 p.m.— and make it a hard stop on all texts, Slacks, emails, and social scrolling until the morning. “This has single handedly been one of the best habits I’ve implemented.”

3. Stick to a bedtime

While it may feel like a throwback to childhood, having a consistent bedtime is a great way to establish a routine and make sure you’re getting adequate sleep. “Somewhere along the way, as we became adults, bedtimes have become this flexible thing where you go to bed at all different times depending on the day,” Haider explains. “And then you wake up in the morning and you’re wondering why you have to snooze your alarm—it’s because you’re tired.”

For Haider, 10:30 p.m. is the sweet spot. She notes, however, the importance of giving yourself grace for social plans and unexpected schedule changes: “No matter what, my hard bedtime is 11 p.m. at the latest.”

4. Find activities to help you bookend your day

Once your phone is away, find a few screen-free ways to wind down in the evening, like reading or low intensity workouts. “I have found that I sleep so much better when I read before bed,” Haider shares. “It is the best way for me to detach from what is currently going on and transition into bedtime.”

5. Wake up at the same time every day, after a full night’s sleep

By sticking to a firm bedtime, this will help keep your wake up time in check. Set an alarm based on getting at least eight hours of sleep. “I don’t think we place enough emphasis on how important good sleep really is,” Haider shares. “Make sure that you’re not compromising on the hours that you’re sleeping, because having high quality sleep is much more important than having a strong morning routine.”

6. Avoid social jet lag

Haider notes that social jet lag can be hard to avoid, as most of us experience it in one way or another. “Let’s say on a weekday you have work at nine, so you wake up at seven or eight. Then on the weekend you have a late night and you end up waking up at 11 a.m.,” Haider explains. “That’s like a big discrepancy in terms of when you’re normally waking up versus your weekend wake up time. And that has a downstream effect on when you’re sleeping on the weekend, leaving you in a perpetually tired state and trying to catch up on sleep.”

To avoid this, take your weekend patterns into account as well. “Your weekend wake up time should be 90 minutes to two hours after your weekday wake up time,” Siffat recommends.

7. Create a morning routine you love

The best way to get out of bed is to have something to look forward to. “When I first started trying to become a morning person, I would go to a café near me and just drink coffee and journal,” Haider shares. “I was always the first person at my local café and it was before the rest of the world was awake, and this would just get me so excited to wake up in the morning.” 

Whether it’s a special coffee shop or your favorite spin class, find that spark of joy and add it to your daily routine.

8. Adjust your routine for the seasons of life

Perhaps most importantly, Haider emphasizes having flexibility with your morning routine and switching it up as needed. “Life comes in seasons and certain seasons are more social or more grounded in wellness than others,” she explains. 

Instead of abandoning your morning routine when life gets busy, keep some balance by identifying one or two non-negotiables for every morning. 

“My two non-negotiables are journaling and a walk in the morning, so I won’t ever skip those two things, Haider shares. “Even if I only have 30 minutes in the morning, I can still get those two things in. So you don’t need to beat yourself up if you don’t have two hours for a morning routine.”