Why you need to be a morning person

Have you ever noticed the closer you get to 9:00 am, the commuters become more grouchy? When you're sitting in traffic at 7:00, there aren't as many horns blaring.  My observation is the early crowd is more likely to leave space, wave you in, and forgo cutting the line. On the subway, the early birds are less aggressive and  less rude (assuming they aren't inebriated!)

Are morning people nicer or are people nicer in the morning?

I am not a morning person by nature, and, to be candid, I've always found people who are bright and cheery before 9 a.m. slightly annoying. I don't ever, ever FEEL like getting up early, and, when I do, I'm a bit of bear. (One of my roommates gave me the mug in the picture)

However, what I DO know is that early days give me one big thing: an advantage! multiple advantages!

Sure, reports tell you morning people are happier and healthier than night owls, but those self-reported measurements seemed suspect to me. Or at least they DID until I had to put the kids on a 6:50 A.M. school bus!

Each advantage builds on the previous one, beginning with...

Quiet

Morning people don't have to use words immediately. No one is up to hear them talk.  If you like to ease into your voice, there's a long runway if you're up before the rest of the crowd. As you slowly wade into the day, challenges feel easier to bear.

Focus

When things are quiet, you are better able to focus. Data shows most social media doesn't even get rolling before lunch, so even virtual friends aren't too distracting.  This is why morning people are the ones reading/praying/reflecting and clearing their minds of gunk before the day arrives. (See Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way for more on this!)

Productivity

When quiet happens, focus increases, and productivity comes along for the ride. These are the folks who get to the gym or have dinner plans pulled together before they leave the house. When I'm tempted to hit the snooze button, THIS is the my motivational pull.

Margin

While it seems counter-intuitive to link quiet to margin, that's precisely what happens when you get a jump on your day. As you become more addicted to the morning hours where you're quiet, focused, and productive, you'll say "no" more easily to activities which crowd those  hours out.  Shoot, you'll need your sleep time, so optional evening activities naturally fade away!

Bottom line: When I sleep in, the only person who misses out is me.  I start off behind the pace of the day and lose the benefits of what morning brings.

So how do you become a morning person?

There's only two options: practice willingly - or unwillingly (depending on whether you have to catch a bus!).