How do you become a "morning person"?

[haranguerer]

Go to bed earlier

[armaghniac]

This will go to a whole new Gaaboard low here but - like most men would you not fall asleep/get very very tired after a drop of the old romance? Maybe ask your good lady to take one for the team for a few weeks, tiring you out and making sure you were out cold by the stroke of midnight, see if you can get a bit of a routine on the go.

That would be young romance, old romance probably wouldn't do the job.

As to the general thread, I'd rather have a pint with EG or wear a Down jersey than be a morning person.

[Armaghgeddon]

I get my girlfriend to tell me about her day...after 2 minutes I am sleeping.

[DrinkingHarp]

..

What successful people do in the morning

.By Jessica Stillman | Inc – Thu, Jun 14, 2012 9:24 AM EDT.. .

The day may have 24 hours of equivalent length but author Laura Vanderkam says not every hour is created equal. Drawing on her own research, surveys of executives, and the latest science on willpower for her forthcoming ebook What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, Vanderkam argues that making smart use of the early morning is a practice most highly successful people share.

From former Pepsi CEO Steve Reinemund's 5 a.m. treadmill sessions, to author Gretchen Rubin's 6 a.m. writing hour, examples of highly accomplished folks who wring the most from their pre-breakfast hours abound in the book. What do they know that the average entrepreneur might not have realized yet?

"Seizing your mornings is the equivalent of that sound financial advice to pay yourself before you pay your bills. If you wait until the end of the month to save what you have left, there will be nothing left over. Likewise, if you wait until the end of the day to do meaningful but not urgent things like exercise, pray, read, ponder how to advance your career or grow your organization, or truly give your family your best, it probably won't happen," Vanderkam writes. "If it has to happen, then it has to happen first," she says.

But what if you're a night owl by inclination and you go pale at the thought of setting the alarm for even five minutes earlier? Vanderkam explained to Inc.com that there is hope for nearly everyone.

"Around 10% to 20% of folks are confirmed night owls. Screwing up your schedule is not wise for these folks--and they may have to choose professions and ways of working and ways of dealing with their families accordingly. Everyone else is in the middle--and my thesis is that there are real advantages to training yourself toward the lark side," she said.

And luckily, you don't have to rely on sheer force of will to make the switch to earlier mornings (though some of that is, no doubt, required). In the book, Vanderkam lays out a five-step process to help you make the change with the minimum of pain:


Track your time: "Part of spending your time better is knowing exactly how you're spending it now," writes Vanderkam, who recommends you, "write down what you're doing as often as you can and in as much detail as you think will be helpful," offering a downloadable spreadsheet to help.

Picture the perfect morning: "Ask yourself what a great morning would look like for you," suggests Vanderkam, who offers plenty of inspiration. Shawn Achor uses the early hours to write a note of appreciation. Manisha Thakor, a personal finance guru, goes in for transcendental meditation. Randeep Rekhi, who is employed full time at a financial services firm, manages his side business, an online wine store, before heading off to work.

Think through the logistics: "Map out a morning schedule. What would have to happen to make this schedule work? What time would you have to get up and (most important) what time do you need to go to bed in order to get enough sleep?"

Build the habit: "This is the most important step," writes Vanderkam before explaining how to gradually shift your schedule, noting and rewarding small wins along the way.

Tune up as necessary: "Life changes. Rituals can change, too."

Check out the short-but-useful ebook to learn more details on becoming more of a morning person, as well as additional ideas on how to put those reclaimed hours to use.

What's your morning ritual?

[Premier Emperor]

Instead of trying to get to bed early, stay up half an hour later every night for a few weeks.
You'll make your way around the clock.
When you're at the stage where your bed time is 11pm, keep going to bed at that time.

[Olly]

This might seem radical but bear with me. I had the same problem as you and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. You'll be miserable, almost suicidal, in the mornings until you die.

I have embraced the darkness and at 7am, every morning without fail, I take a gun and sit in a field away from roads. I wear just a blanket, a real one, not a heavy duvet. I also have a lunchbox full of sandwiches and a 90 mm Gun M1. I shoot anything that moves - birds, squirrels, badgers, cats, dogs you name it. That's the way I roll and after a few weeks the wildlife know to stay still like statues from 7:00 til 7:30 when I cease and return home, shower and go on my errands. Sometimes a postman etc veers off course - he's still game and I'd clip his leg or ear from a good distance. Just once does the trick normally.

Listen, it's probably not legal but I've been going it for 11 years now and the carnage at times might be horrible but it keeps me from the darkness.