Hey everybody!
I know we’re just starting to get back in the swing of things here at Clemson, but one thing most students are still struggling with is getting to their 8 A.M.’s on time! But, fear not, I have come up with eight tips to help you conquer that 8 A.M.!
Now, I think we have all learned that being in class at 8 A.M in high school is completely different and in college it feels like a hundred times harder to get to. There are certainly always students that forever come in ten to fifteen minutes late just hoping their professor will count them present. I know you’ve seen these students, the ones full speed, marathon running to class, no makeup, maybe have their hair brushed, completely winded, sweating and needing to chug a full Gatorade when they finally do make it to class. Now, I’m in no way making fun of the people that come in late, things happen, and at least they’re making the effort to still come to class. I can even speak from experience to being one of those students because I never made it to one 8 A.M. my freshman year on time! I got so tired of having everyone give me “the look” as I disrupted a class of a hundred to go sit down in my assigned seat on the front row. Piece of advice: if you’re late to a statistics class, you’ll in most cases have to do “the walk of shame” to your seat. Not fun! So, this year, I got my act together and learned how to be on time. These upcoming tips solved my punctuality problem, so I’m very confident they can help you overcome yours too!
Tip #1: Bathe or Shower at Night
You may start to notice a recurring theme from most of these tips. That theme you ask? Do all that you can do the night before! I’ve found it to be particularly helpful to take my shower at night! Following this tip saves me up to 30 minutes in the morning! Those thirty minutes are valuable and having it freed up allows for the opportunity to sleep in later or just slowly go through your morning routine while relaxing and not feeling rushed.
Tip #2: Pick Out Your Outfit and Iron at Night
I have wasted so much time in the morning trying to figure out what shirt I want to wear. Then, I had to go through all these pants, skirts and shorts to find the best match. Then, you still have to find shoes! Time can get away from you when picking out an outfit, so it’s best to just take that time at night when you’re not on a time crunch and figure out what you want to wear. Also, if you’re the kind of person that irons, make sure to save that time in the morning and do it at night! I’m a neat freak when it comes to wrinkles; I have to iron out every single one. So, if you’re like me, iron, hang up your shirt and lay out your shorts/pants and shoes the night before. It keeps you from frantically having to grab the first clothes you see in the morning and just helps to make you look more pressed and ready to go.
Tip #3: Pack Up Book Bag/Purse at Night
I think this tip is very important because one thing you definitely don’t want to leave behind in the mornings is the actual material you need for class! Take the extra five minutes the night before and make sure you have a pencil with some lead, your calculator, your lecture notes, your paper to turn in, your laptop, charger, etc. Also, remember to plug in your laptop and charge it up overnight so you don’t get to campus and have a dead computer. You probably won’t be so lucky to be sitting near an outlet. Now, I use to carry this big ole purse around as well but it got to be extra weight. So, I consolidated and started just taking my wallet in my book bag. If you still are dedicated to carrying your purse around though pack it at night too! Make sure you have your sunglasses, wallet, keys, headphones, etc. put together in your purse where you can easily access them. The goal here is to be able to just pick up your book bag and/or purse in the morning and walk out the door without having to search for things and double check everything. Know you have what you need the night before!
Tip #4: Don’t Waste Time Eating Breakfast at Home
People have always said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but, to most college students, the meal breakfast does not exist. I myself get really “hangry” when I don’t eat and having to get up that early just makes it worse. What I have found that works really well for me is taking my breakfast to class. This way I don’t waste time sitting at home eating my food and I can catch the bus without worrying about being late. Most professors of 8 A.M.’s understand that students get hungry, so they normally are okay if you just bring your breakfast with you to class and eat it quietly. Foods I have found to be good to bring to class are items such as Pop-Tarts, cereal/granola bars and even yogurt. Another important sub-bullet under this tip is to invest in Ziploc Bags! Ziploc bags have so many different purposes for college students. One of which is being a great way to seal your breakfast. Pop some silverware (if needed), your food, and a paper towel in your bag. Then, seal it up, throw it in your book bag and you’re on your way! I personally buy the gallon size Ziploc bags so I can throw a juice in there if I’m not carrying a water bottle, but get whatever size suits you best. Finally, remember to multitask. For example, put your Pop-Tart in the toaster while you’re brushing your teeth and then come back and get it. Don’t waste time waiting around when you could be getting ready and getting breakfast together at the same time.
Tip #5: Set Multiple Alarms
Whether you’re someone who can wake up to just one alarm, or if you’re like me and have to set one every five minutes for a whole hour, make sure to set an alarm! It can be the alarm on your cell phone or an old school physical alarm clock, but whatever you choose, don’t forget to set it! I would also advise you to set your alarm in the afternoon or have them preset on your phone to go off every day because if you wait until late at night, you run the possibility you’ll fall asleep before you set it. Another cool thing you can do if you own a smart watch is wear it to bed on days that you have to get up really early. Setting an alarm on your smart watch will not only make a noise but also vibrate your wrist to wake you up! The bedtime function on Iphone’s are helpful too because even if all else fails, one alarm will sound in the morning. Finally, I would suggest you not only set an alarm to wake up, but set an alarm for when you need to leave your dorm, house or apartment. I have one set to go off five minutes before I need to leave so, just in case time gets away from me while I’m getting ready, I’ll know it’s time to finish up and head out the door.
Tip #6: Get Up!
This will be the simplest tip on this list but one of the hardest! It’s so important that when your alarm goes off you actually get up! Hitting the snooze button can get you in a lot of trouble when it comes to early classes. If you hit that snooze button and let time keep ticking by, or just go back to sleep and miss the rest of the alarms entirely, you’ll find yourself waking up halfway through your 8 A.M. Force yourself to get up, because once you’re actually out of bed, it’s not as bad as it seems. Also whatever you do, do NOT get up and then get back into bed! Something I’ve found that helps me from hitting the snooze button is the Five Second Rule. The rule works like this: when you hear the alarm go off, countdown from five and then when you get to one, you stand up. In those five seconds you get to make the choice to override your normal thought process that will kick in on second number six. Cool right?
Tip #7: Have a Routine
Every morning, whether I have an 8 A.M. or not, I get ready the same exact way. Having a routine is key if you want to be able to get ready faster. It helps you know the order of everything you have to do. This way, you don’t waste time figuring out what’s next, get side tracked, or spend too much time on one thing. Knowing what you have to do, and doing it the same way over and over again, will help you estimate how much time it’s going to take you to get ready. Also, if you have a routine, whether you need to get up at 7:15 or 5:30, your body will go into auto pilot mode, no matter how bad the morning hits you and how tired/asleep you still are. In the spirit of doing the same thing every day: put your things in the same place! Have a designated spot for items like deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, hairbrush, perfume, jewelry, etc. This way you won’t waste time frantically trying to find things. If you keep all your morning supplies in the same place or have specific places for things, you’ll know exactly where to go. It also helps keep your room/bathroom clean!
Tip #8: Think 15 Minutes Ahead
A good tip I always try to follow is doing everything fifteen minutes before I actually have to do it. I used to think it was ridiculous to be early for being early, but the people that did it were actually on to something! If you really need to leave your house/dorm at 7:40 to get to class on time, plan to leave at 7:25. I tell you this because I bet you if you say you’re going to walk out the door at 7:25, you probably won’t leave till 7:30 or so. You have to lock your doors, sit in traffic and what if you forget something? Lord help you if you have to park on campus because we all know Clemson’s parking is always full! If you give yourself that extra fifteen minutes, all the little things that normally would make you late will actually make you right on time instead! Also, if you have to take the bus, try to take the earlier one instead of the one that gets you there just in time if you power walk. You can do this! Take that extra time serious, because if you really think fifteen minutes ahead you’ll quit being late!
I hope these eight tips really help you to start being on time to your 8 A.M’s! I definitely feel like following these will help you to feel less rushed in the mornings, which leads to a less stressful day! Also, you pay a lot of money to go to college; don’t waste that money by not going to class, even if it’s too early! I have faith in all of you that you can be to that 8 A.M. early, even if it’s only 7:59! So girls, go forth and conquer your 8 A.M.!