Your outlook on mornings right now may be: Ugh. Just the word, ugh. Some find it dreadful, and others find it easy to wake up before the crack of dawn. You don't have to be this way. Becoming a morning person just means you have some extra time to enjoy before you start your hectic day filled with various activities. It takes 21 days to establish a habit, so why not start today?

The biggest thing that helped me become a morning person was actually changing up my night routine. I used to spend countless hours scrolling through social media and YouTube before falling asleep. It's scientifically proven that staring at a screen before trying to go to sleep only worsens your quality of sleep, and you end up waking up sluggish; unready for the day. When I started implementing reading before I fell asleep, I noticed that I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on whatever task the day brings upon me. Therefore, I try and read before I go to sleep and keep my ridiculous habit of scrolling for hours down pointless social media outlets out of the way.

Now, this may be more of an investment than what you may want to spend on "becoming a morning person," but buying a FitBit was the best thing I could do to monitor my sleep habits. The app that connects to your FitBit tells you: how long you slept, how long you were awake during the night, and what level of sleep you were in. For example, a typical night tells me that I get around 7 hours of sleep per night, with about 60% of that being in light sleep mode. The deeper the sleep, the more refreshed you will feel the next morning. I notice when I implement my prior tip of not using my cell phone before bed, I get a better night's rest. Another FitBit tip I have is to make use of the silent alarm! It will vibrate on your wrist, making waking up a pleasant experience, rather than a hectic alarm blowing your ears off first thing in the morning.

Another helpful tip that I retrieved from Spotify is to curate a morning playlist! I guess I'm music driven, but as soon as I start blasting my morning playlist, I feel relaxed and ready for the day. My mood is blatantly affected by my music choices, so I try and make my playlist as calm as possible. I choose Spotify because once I put a few songs on there, it'll give me recommendations for similar tunes that'll spark up my mood. Here's a link to my playlist if you'd like to check it out: My Morning Playlist.

One of those things mostly everybody dreads doing is making their bed. But, if you make it right when you get up, you'll be less likely to crawl back in under the covers and fall back asleep. Think of how satisfying it will be to have your room organized the minute you wake up. Plus, you'll put yourself in a productive mindset. You've already completed one task of the day as soon as you woke up, won't that grant you the motivation to achieve more throughout the day? Go tackle your to-do list with a productive mindset off the bat!

As I previously mentioned, switching up your night routine was detrimental to changing the way my mornings went. Taking those extra five minutes after I've winded down, washed my face, and brushed my teeth, to make a to-do list for the next morning has made me feel extra productive for the day to follow. And here's a bonus: You could put "Fix My Bed" on your to-do list just so you could check something off first thing in the morning!

Personally, I'm the biggest foodie I know. If there is any type of opportunity for food, I'm there. Make your mornings worth something and make yourself a nourishing breakfast. Take the time to make an omelet, some healthy pancakes, an acai bowl, or whatever suits your needs! Looking forward to something in the morning is the BEST motivator to get out of bed the next morning.

Last but not least, make some time for yourself in the morning. Pick up a good read and read for thirty minutes. Take a few minutes to meditate or stretch your muscles if you're getting ready for a long day in the office. If you wake up early enough, go to the gym! Exert your energy into something that is productive, mindful, and overall good for your mental and physical health. Taking care of yourself comes first, and most people don't find the time in the day to do that with a hectic work or school schedule. I highly recommend taking those extra few minutes in the morning to

When I was younger, I'd wake up around 11 or 12 every morning. I couldn't imagine even the scary number 9 on my alarm clock. If there was a single digit on my alarm clock, I was going right back to sleep. Good night! Now, that sounds impossible. I'd feel like I was wasting the day. Take it day by day, but I promise if you incorporate these tiny habits into your day, you're going to end up loving the morning!