The Secret to Waking Up Early, Even if You’re Not a Morning Person

In August of 2013, I made a commitment to myself to start my day by putting my health and fitness first.

No more hitting snooze.
No more waking up with my phone in my hand, checking social media and email before I had barely even opened my eyes.
No complaining about whatever body part was feeling pain that morning — at the time, often my low back.

I created a new game: How fast could I get out the door in the morning?

When I talk to people about morning routines, many people share with me the chief reason they can’t play this game:

I am not a morning person.

Even though this game can apply at any time of day. I never tell people when to wake up.

In fact, I’d like to let you in on a little secret:

I am not a “morning person.”

My chrono-biology is not ideally a fit for early mornings. I am routinely up past midnight. I have a very slow burn, meaning I generally build in energy throughout the day.

My body is best suited to exercise in the 8–10 am range. And it’s not really good for much else before exercise. I need movement to plug in my brain.

My work flow is catalyzed by physical flow.

Back in 2013, I would wake up at 6 am and try to get out the door by 6:30 am.

This was a later start than some of my friends who would wake up at 5 am for mastermind calls and “5 am Clubs.”

You won’t find me at a 7 am BNI meeting. I don’t really like to talk to anyone until I’ve been up for at least a few hours and moved my body.

Over the years, in rare circumstances, I would get up at 5 am — or even 4:30 — when I needed to be at an early meeting. But those moments were few and far between.

As a general rule, I don’t schedule appointments in the morning. It’s my sacred time.

When the pandemic forced us into lockdown, my wake-up times slipped back to 7 or even 8 am. I dragged myself to my yoga mat or to a walk around the block. It was harder to get myself going.

All of that changed this past spring.

I discovered a class at a CrossFit gym near me. It’s offered at only 2 times: 5:45 am and 9:15 am. I first went to the 9:15 time. I went a few more times at the end of April and early May.

In the past, I was never a “class” person, preferring to do my own workouts. But I really liked this class, and I wanted to go more consistently.

Then in mid-May, an early meeting forced me to try the 5:45 am.

I haven’t looked back since.

I have consistently attended the 5:45 am class.

When I started, I woke up at 5 am. In late August, we had some 5:30 am start times, and I woke up at 4:30.

That’s my morning math: 15 minutes earlier required me to wake up 30 minutes earlier.

Since then, 4:30 am has been my new wake up time.

Here’s where most people would tell you “how to become a morning person.”

Most people would headline this “how to become a morning person.”

So please read the next line very slowly, and take it in:

I am still not a “morning person.”

Nothing has changed in my chronobiology, the part of our system that dictates when we are at our best for different tasks and activities.

Dear friend, please know that I do not “bounce out of bed” at 4:30 am (although in fairness I don’t bounce out of bed at any time).

I’m also not “dragging myself to the gym.” I wake up excited to go to this gym and this class.

I’m not going to share with you how to become a morning person if you’re not. I don’t have a solution for changing chronobiology.

What I can share with you is something more useful:

How to wake up early even if you’re not a morning person.

There are many tips for this, but it starts with one crucial piece:

Find something that pulls you. Find something that excites you. That pulls you toward it.

It’s not enough that you feel like you “should” get up early. Or that you “should” go to the gym.

I love my morning training time. But that alone didn’t work for years to get me out of bed at 5 am or earlier with any consistency.

What gets me out of bed early now is not just about fitting in a workout. It’s about going to a place where I feel challenged and inspired, where I feel at home, safe, and supported by community and coaches.

This principle applies beyond waking up, beyond working out. It applies to every facet of life, to everything you want to do consistently and sustainably over time.

When you find something that pulls you, the effort decreases dramatically.