How to design the ideal morning routine if you're a night owl

Maybe you're a night owl and you need the evening time to do your best work of the day.

But more likely, Vanderkam said, you're spending your nights on Netflix, Instagram, or some other non-essential task.

Relaxation is important, of course. But, if you're hoping to start reading or exercising more regularly, you shouldn't spend your Tuesday night re-watching The Office for the umpteenth time until 2 a.m..

"Look at how you're spending your time before sleep, and ask yourself, 'Am I happy with that?'" Vanderkam told Business Insider. "If you are, awesome, but if you're not, then go to bed a little bit earlier."

Maybe you want to read more novels, meditate, or build arm strength. Don't pick a habit that you think should be doing — find one that actually makes you excited.

"If you feel like this is just some dumb project, you're not going to be terribly motivated," Barker told Business Insider.

Being super-motivated is especially important for night owls. While they tend to be more creative than morning people, they also tend to be less intrinsically motivated, Barker said.

If your morning routine has at least one meaningful activity, it's a win. And that "doesn't have to take three hours," Vanderkam said.

If you want to add more exercise, don't feel like you need to go on an hour-long run. Do the seven-minute workout. And while meditating for 30 minutes can be highly-beneficial, so can five minutes of silence.

Also, there's a surprising benefit to being a little sleepy during your morning routine, Barker said. When we're tired, we're "fuzzy" in the head — therefore, more creative. Sort of like "write drunk, edit sober."

"In the morning typically they are going to be more creative and less analytical," Barker told Business Insider. They should ask themselves in the morning, "What are the creative problems that I need to solve first? Not the rigorous, logical tasks."

So perhaps morning might be the best time for night owls to get started on that Pulitzer Prize-winning novel — or just writing a page in a journal for similar mental benefits.