Look, we’ve all been there. When we go to register for a class, all of our preferred times are full and the only one that has ANY free seats is that dreaded 8 AM class. So whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with this class and have to deal with it. I am in NO WAY a morning person. At all. Actually, it’s strongly suggested that nobody speak to me before I’ve had my coffee. But, I’ve had to deal with 8 AM classes for awhile now, so here are some tips and tricks that have worked for me!
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Find a way to go to sleep and actually stay asleep.
I am the queen of binge watching shows or falling way too deep into random Youtube channels. The amount of time I spend on Youtube is actually pretttttty embarrassing. I have accidently pulled all nighters too many times to count and I know what it feels like to not be able to fall asleep, no matter how hard I try. Melatonin has been a life saver for me. I know that no matter how much energy I have, two or three melatonin pills will knock me out within an hour. Mind you, this is coming from a night owl! I have the most energy at night, so I have to go to extreme measures to go to sleep early. I usually take it with a little snack and it really does make me fall asleep and STAY asleep.
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Have all of your clothes, work, and materials laid out the night before.
BE PREPARED! You don’t want to be running around trying to find a specific shirt (that you swore you washed, hung up, and put away last week) or trying to find that homework you did last night and can’t find. I suggest laying your outfit out the night before and having your bag packed and ready to go each morning. It eliminates time and effort that you just don’t have in the morning.
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Set more than one alarm!
If you know that you’re prone to pushing that snooze button, set multiple so that you’re less likely to sleep through them. I’m not ashamed to say that I have ten alarms set for the days I have my 8 AM. They start at 6 AM because i know I won’t get up until 7 AM. KNOW YOURSELF! It’s better to be more prepared than being twenty minutes late because you slept through your alarm!
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Have something in your morning routine that you’re excited for!
I love coffee and look forward to the mornings because it’s when I crave it the most. I also love washing all the dirt and oil off my face that accumulated overnight. Call me a skincare junkie, but it’s really aesthetically pleasing to see my face super clean and shiny in the morning. Some people look forward to breakfast, some love putting on makeup, and some people may just look forward to listening to music! Having something like this makes your mornings a little more bearable.
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Just know that you don’t have to wake up and do a million things in the morning!
Sometimes, I catch myself trying to clean my shower, fold my blankets, read the news, update my calendar, and blah blah blah, all before I leave my room. These are all unnecessary tasks and can wait until you get back from class! While early morning activities may be easy for some people, it’s not for me and for a lot of other non-morning people. It’s okay to do the absolute bare minimum in the morning. While I always straighten up my room before I go to class to avoid coming home to a messy room, I’ve realized that the mornings are not a time for me to do things that don’t matter.