Some find happiness in the early morning hours when all is quiet and still; and then, of course, there’s you. Whether you cringe at the sound of your alarm clock or block out the sun’s first rays by placing a pillow directly over your head, one thing’s for certain: you are not a morning person. In the past, you might have wanted to — or had to — change your ways in order to be successful.





Not anymore.



In fact, many experts believe that it’s important to give into your body’s natural rhythms and preferences. If you’re not meant to be a morning person, it’ll tell you. Read on if you need more proof that you can snooze without losing.



Your Body Is Built This Way



As previously mentioned, your body might just be built to wake up later than your peers. In fact, up to 40 percent of the population has night-owl or early-bird predispositions. These traits are just as ingrained as your height or hair color, and there’s not much you can do to change your wiring.



It’s important to remember that this is your body’s natural clock. Rather than forcing yourself to power through miserable mornings — and feeling sluggish for several hours after the fact — you can let yourself live on the schedule that your body is begging for. Doing so could have benefits in terms of your personal levels of productivity, for one.



You Can Be More Productive



A lot of people don’t wake up feeling energized and ready to power through the next eight hours. In fact, it’s more common that people get bursts of energy and, thus, productivity, at different points throughout the day.



If you’re not a morning person, don’t try to be productive when you’re just not feeling it. If you are a ceramics artisan who always feels a boost of creativity and energy in the late morning and early evening, embrace it. It’s clear that you should schedule your working hours for when you’re feeling the most inspired and energized, and save more banal tasks, such as pricing, for when you’re feeling a lull. This goes for any other profession, too: do your most important assignments when you know you’ll be your most alert. If you aren’t alert in the morning, don’t try to be for the sake of a “normal” schedule.



Your Boss Might Just Understand



If your workplace engages in flexible scheduling, then you should be even more accepting of your night-owl DNA. Simply tell your boss how you feel and that you’d prefer to come in later in order to achieve your personal productivity peak. As long as you make it clear that you’re doing it in order to be better at your job, your boss will most likely give you the okay. Of course, this set-up will require some flexibility, as most meetings and events tend to be scheduled during “normal” working hours — and some might still be in the morning. But if you make it clear that you pull your weight no matter when you’re working, it should make your boss happy that you’ve set a new clock for yourself.



But if You Really Want to Change…



Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, you still might want to ditch your night-owl ways in favor of a more traditional daily schedule. The key to doing so is to make the shift gradually. Start by waking up at a consistent time each morning, even on the weekends. (Even a two-day break in your early-morning schedule can reset your internal clock.) Other experts prescribe a snooze button-free wake-up, an early-morning shower to energize you, and a bit of sunlight to lock it in. The most important thing, though, is to make sure whichever schedule you choose, that you’re working with your body and not fighting against it; if you do it right, life will be pleasant whether you consider yourself a night owl or the earliest of early birds.