For many of us, it feels like times passes twice as fast during mornings than the rest of the day. There’s not enough time! Whether you’re a morning person or not, you have probably wasted a little too much time while getting ready for work, school, or just doing your chores. Well, no more! We want to help you hit the ground running and start your day like a champ!
The following tips are a fantastic way to break the habit of wasting time and get on with your routine as soon as possible. You will feel like you’re taking control of your life once again, and it will help you relax since you will have time to think about what you’re doing instead of being in a mad rush!
Open your email until noon or getting to work
Look, no one is going to ask or send you something actually urgent through email. Yes, it can be something important, but if they didn’t call you or try to contact you more immediately, their message can wait at least until you’re out of the shower. Try to go about your morning routine without opening your email, doing so only after you’re settled into your work. Instead, use your morning time to focus on your well being.
Write a to-do list
Trusting your memory is a risky game when you’ve just woken up. You might start doing something only to remember a few minutes later that, there’s something more urgent that you have to do. And then you remember another thing, and so on until you’re juggling five things at once. Plan the following day each night so you can go to sleep with a clear headspace, and then follow your list in order of importance.
Prepare your lunch the day before
Going out for lunch will not only save you time but money also. Buying lunch every day can cost you around $1,000 a year, money that you can save by preparing lunch the night before. If you have children, make your lunch just after finishing theirs so you can take advantage of already having a bunch of things out of the fridge. This can also help you eat better since it’s homemade and you control what the ingredients are!
Have your outfits ready
We say outfits because you probably use a specific one for working out, so that’s another thing you should prepare beforehand. Regardless of what you have to do the next day, you can always plan what you’re going to wear next or plan out all your outfits for the week on Sundays. As for your exercise outfit, having it ready will actually motivate you to work out that day instead of skipping it, so it’s a good habit with long-time results.
Streamline your breakfast options
It doesn’t matter how simple you make your eggs; if you have to turn the stove on, you’re taking too much time. Give cold breakfasts a try, like greek yogurt and cereal or granola. You can also prepare a big fruit salad or medley once or twice a week and eat a portion each morning, which is one of the best daily routines for a healthy life. Not only are these healthier and more time-effective options, but having regular breakfast when you’re not busy is going to taste so much better!
Have a set place for everything
This one is simple. Never again lose ten minutes of your morning looking for the keys, or tracking a bunch of stuff you’re going to use at work to put into your bag or backpack. If you have a set place for everything, then you won’t lose anything again.
Make your commute a flexible space
People have all sorts of different commutes, so think about yours and how you can transform it into something different. Are you a passenger in a carpool? Maybe you can eat (a non-messy) breakfast then. Do you use the subway or train? Then use that time to check your email, social media, or read the news.
Absolutely no snoozing
The snooze button is the worst enemy of a productive morning routine! When you wake up then fall back asleep, you’re essentially restarting your body’s sleep cycle, so waking up for good is just going to get harder, and you’ll end up groggier than ever. The alarm means it’s time to get up, no ifs, ands, or buts. And if you’re always tired after waking up, try going to sleep earlier! Mornings are not supposed to be a chore, so be gentle with yourself and get all the rest you need at night.
The coffee situation
Coffee is not just a drink for some people, but the very lifeforce that runs through their bodies. Well, if you definitely can’t go without it each morning, there are two very sensible solutions. The first is to invest in a coffee maker with an auto-brew setting so you can just set the timer and have it ready when you wake up. The other option is switching to iced coffee, which you can prepare the night before and just grab it from the fridge ready to serve.
Since you have so much to plan and prepare each afternoon, you might think that your regular chores will suffer as a result, but that’s not a problem when you have someone to take care of them for you!
