The Time I Tried to be a ‘Morning Person’ (and Failed Miserably)




We’ve all seen them. Those infuriatingly chipper morning people who practically skip out of bed, already buzzing with energy before the sun’s even considered rising. They sip their lemon water while doing sun salutations, all while I’m prying my eyelids open with sheer willpower.

The Pact (and My Pep Talk)

It all started innocently enough. My friend, let’s call her Sunshine Sally, convinced me that joining the “5 a.m. club” would change my life. “Think of the productivity!” she’d chirp, her eyes sparkling with the promise of a thousand sunrises. I, being susceptible to peer pressure and the allure of a more productive me, agreed.

night before my grand experiment, I prepped like I was going into battle. Alarm set across the room? Check. Motivational podcast queued up? Check. Outfit laid out that screamed “I’m ready to seize the day!” (or at least whispered it)? Check and check. I even gave myself a pep talk in the mirror, complete with finger guns and a truly embarrassing level of enthusiasm. “Tomorrow,” I declared to my reflection, “we rise and grind!”

The Reality: The Morning Struggle Was Real

Spoiler alert: “we” did not rise and grind. Oh, the alarm went off alright, a jarring, electronic shriek that sent me diving under the covers. The motivational podcast? Yeah, that played to the tune of my increasingly aggressive snoring.

The first few days were rough, a blurry montage of hitting snooze, stumbling around in the dark, and consuming copious amounts of coffee. My usual morning grogginess, which I affectionately refer to as my “pre-caffeinated coma,” had intensified tenfold. I’m pretty sure I scared the barista at my local coffee shop with my bloodshot eyes and general aura of despair.

The Epic Fail (and My Return to Night Owl Life)

The final nail in the “morning person” coffin came a week into my experiment. I woke up (if you can call it that) with my head resting on a half-eaten bowl of cereal, still wearing yesterday’s clothes. Apparently, in my sleep-deprived state, I’d attempted to make breakfast, given up, and crawled back into bed.