I’m that person who can never seem to be on time. The person you tell to be ready an hour before you
actually want them to be so that when they inevitably text you that they are running late you can cackle
to yourself because they were actually on schedule this whole time. Its gotten me into some sticky
situations (think missed finals and catching flights within only seconds.) While I accepted I’ll probably
never be the person who is early to everything, it was clear I still needed to make some changes to my
morning routine so I was on time more often. The general idea is to reduce the number of decisions you
have to make in the morning, making your morning routine as streamlined as possible. Here are some
ways I did just that:
- Choose Your Clothes The Night Before
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There are few feelings as demoralising as staring at a drawer full of clothes and being unable to think of a
single outfit. Add in the time pressure of a class you have to get to in 20 minutes or a train you have to
catch, and the feeing intensifies. The best way to avoid this is to choose your outfit the night before,
without the time pressure. By the time the next morning rolls around you’ll a bit more time to spend on
other things.
- Make Breakfast The Night Before
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Making a few jars of overnight oats at the beginning of the week is a game changer. They are the
definition of a grab and go breakfast and you can make a few different flavours, so it doesn’t get boring.
- Put in a Protective Hairstyle
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A major section of my morning routine was doing my hair, which is great when I make enough time to do
so. But (as we established) I rarely do. Putting in a protective hairstyle, such as box braids, twists or
French braids gives you the option to “wake up and go” for however long you keep the style in.
- Invest In Long-Term Procedures
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Threading my brows every few weeks, for example, means that I don’t have to spend as much time doing
them in the morning, as they’re pretty much done for me.
- Have An Idea of What You Want to Accomplish
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The biggest time waster in my morning is the 20 minutes I spend in bed deciding to get out of it, or
trying to work out my plan for the morning (and my day overall). I’ve found that going to bed with a clear
plan for how I’ll be spending my day helps me wake up with a greater sense of purpose; I know exactly
what tasks I need to accomplish for the day ahead so I’m a lot less likely to waste time scrolling through
Twitter or laying in bed staring at the ceiling.