I am not a morning person by any means. Hitting the snooze button up until the last second before waking up used to be a crucial part of my morning routine. I’d get to class the exact minute it started with wet hair, no coffee, and no will to engage with other people.
I hated feeling this way, but I just didn’t want to get out of bed at all before I truly had to. Then, I learned how to get up and maximize my morning time before classes or work on the weekends. I feel so much better doing these things, and after the first few days of routine changes, it’s felt very easy and doable.
- Make Time Before Class Or Work
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The first change was to make time before class or work to do something — literally anything. I’ve been waking up at least 30 minutes before I have to start getting ready, and I do anything from just standing on my balcony for a few minutes to practicing a hobby, doing a 15-minute yoga video, or emptying my dishwasher.
Honestly, it doesn’t even have to be productive. For me, just waking up and using my brain for anything big or small before I have to use it for class or work gets me more actively engaged with my lecture or ready to go into work with a more positive mindset.
- Eat Before Caffeine
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I’m so guilty of having just a coffee for breakfast and worrying about the food part later. Eating before having caffeine has helped me feel more regulated on a day-to-day basis. It’s also helped my circadian rhythm wake me up instead of just forcing it on my system with a coffee.
- Small To-Do List
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Something that I’ve loved doing is making a small to-do list! Checking off boxes on to-do lists makes me feel so productive and organized.
I’ll make a to-do list with little things like the classes I have that day, what dinner I’m going to cook, and a small goal or two, like vacuuming or doing my laundry. I normally throw in one fun goal, such as practicing a song on my drums or repotting my plants!
- Cut Morning Doomscrolling
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The time I’ve wasted on Instagram Reels in the morning is insane.
It’s so much harder to get out of bed when I could just scroll a couple more times, so I’ve opted to just not even open the app in the morning. It’s too dangerous, and honestly? It’s added so much free time to my life in general.
- Make Your Bed Before Leaving
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I hate to say it, but people are onto something when they say you should make your bed every day. It takes about 20 seconds, but it makes your room look so much better.
It’s also a great thing to just wake your brain up and start the day off by setting the tone with something productive. I used to hate making my bed because I was just going to mess it up again later, but when I started doing it, I realized how nice it was as a morning ritual.
All these things really have added to my mood in the mornings and help me start my day with a productive and positive attitude!
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