It's OK To Not Be A Morning Person

In our family, the door leading from our house to the outside world is known as “The Magic Portal.”*

It got its name when our kids were small and getting out the door in the morning was a real bear. Everybody, parents included, would be dragging our feet, grumpy and cranky, possibly crying, but once we actually passed the threshold, we would be OK.

What’s up with that?

It isn’t just the kids. And it isn’t just a matter of packing lunches and laying out clothes the night before, the advice you see in articles aimed at parents about morning routines. Efficiency tips are great, but they don’t get to the crux of the matter, which is there is a psychological obstacle to leaving the house in the morning.

No, it isn’t just me. Just google “getting started in the morning.” Magazines ranging from Fitness and Women’s Health to Forbes and Inc. to Reader’s Digest  have tackled the subject.

I don’t have any better advice than what’s in those magazine articles. I just think it helps to recognize that it isn’t easy getting out the door in the morning and that’s normal. Also, once you do get going, things will seem better.

*Incidentally, when I googled “magic portal,” I discovered it’s the name of one of the first “brickfilm” movies ever made. Brickfilms are stop-action films made using Legos – and they have a whole culture and community built around them.  The LEGO Movie, made in 2014, contains an allusion to The Magic Portal.

And do you know why I now know this? Because I didn’t have to jump up and run out the door this morning. Just sayin’.