I’m a lazy individual, and I have no problem admitting to that. I hate waking up for my 8 AM writing class, my favorite place to be is my bed, and the idea of writing out a lab for chemistry makes me internally groan with displeasure. Luckily, I have perfected the art of hacking my morning so I have to put in minimal effort when I’m barely considered a functioning human because coffee hasn’t entered my system yet. Here are my top 10 hacks for making your mornings just a little easier:
1. Pick out your outfit the night before.
Doing everything you can the night before can make your morning run much smoother. No one wants to have to figure out which jeans match their shirt when you’re trying not to wake up your roommate, and you’re still half asleep. Pick out your outfit the night before when you’re really awake and can plan it. This also includes any jewelry you want to wear (I’ve forgotten to put my watch on countless times because I’m half asleep when I get dressed).
2. Check the weather the night before.
This goes with number one. Make sure your outfit is weather appropriate. We’ve all made the mistake of walking out of the dorms into the rain without your umbrella, so make sure you know what kind of clothing you’ll need.
3. Put out your makeup the night before.
Are you seeing the pattern yet? If you’re like me or my roommate, then you have a pretty basic makeup routine that you stick to for every day use, and that means you know what products you like to use to achieve your “every day look” so set out those products the night before. Even if you don’t wear makeup set out the moisturizer you use or your chapstick.
4. Set reminders if you need to do something in the morning.
Whether it’s printing a paper, taking vitamins, or packing my lab coat, I always set reminders for the morning if something needs to get done. The worst thing is walking into class and remembering you needed that essay printed, and now you can’t do it.
5. Shower the night before.
For some people a shower is a good way to wake up. For me, being in a warm shower makes me feel very cozy. I don’t want to get out and face the cold. The warmth reminds me of my bed, which in turn makes me very tired, and I end up staying in the shower way longer than I should.
6. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier than you actually have to get up.
No one wants to get out of bed when their alarm goes off. You hit snooze a couple times and before you know it, it’s 7:45, and you haven’t even gotten out of bed for your 8 AM class across campus. I always set my alarm for 15 minutes earlier than when I actually need to get out of bed. That way I have that built in “snooze time” so when I get up I still have plenty of time to get ready without rushing.
7. Take into account travel time (i.e. elevator, walking).
Elevators in the dorms 15 minutes before classes start are packed and stop on every floor, meaning you could be waiting for the elevator for 5 minutes and then waiting to get to the floor you need to be on for another 5 minutes. Taking travel time into account is really important for a more stress-free morning. Leave yourself five extra minutes to get where you have to go so you’re not rushing to get ready in the morning, because rushing means stress and stress means grumpy.
8. Make sure you have some type of food available.
I’m not usually hungry right when I wake up, so I wait until I’m done with class for the day at 12 to eat, but there are those days when I have class until 2 or I’m just really hungry. Keep a stash of grab-and-go food in your dorm like Pop Tarts or protein bars. You can still alleviate your hunger, but you also don’t have to wake up early to go to the dining hall in the morning.
9. Drink water right when you wake up.
Drinking something cold when you wake up kinda kick starts your body and helps it realize it’s time to wake up and be a part of the world.
10. Have an enjoyable alarm.
Waking up to an alarm that’s an obnoxious beeping or ringing will make anyone want to shove their head under a pillow and put you in a bad mood for the day. How you wake up can be very telling of how your day is going to go, so having a good, upbeat song or an alarm that’s not shrill can make waking up that much more enjoyable.
I’m lazy and not a morning person, but these hacks help make my mornings smoother, less stressful, and overall make my day better. This obviously isn’t foolproof; everyone sleeps through an alarm, wakes up sick, doesn’t get enough sleep, or is just grumpy for some reason, but the majority of the time these hacks make mornings a bit more bearable (except Monday. Nothing makes Mondays bearable).