How to save time in the morning
I’m generally a morning person, but even just the other day I noticed that it was a bit more difficult to wake up for work in the morning. Whether that was related to the shorter amount of daylight or simply that I wasn’t quite ready for my long weekend to be over, I’m not sure. Regardless, it’s good practice to make your mornings as stress-free as possible so that you can begin your day on the right foot. Here are some classic, simply ways to save time in the morning and improve your mood before you even step out the door:
1) Get things ready the night before. Do as much as you can to make your morning a breeze. This might include making your lunch the night before, getting your clothes laid out, putting your bag beside the front door and completing any household tasks, such as doing the dishes, before you go to bed. Sometimes I’ll even leave my go-mug and a teabag out on the counter so that making tea is a snap.
Now there's a critter who looks awfully comfy.
2) Wake up five minutes earlier. This was something that I really learned as a child. I remember the mother dear used to have to wake the sistertraveller and I up several times in the morning when we were in elementary school, so that by the time we were all out of bed, everything was very rushed and we were all cranky. Then, when I was in grade 5 or 6, she began waking us up by rubbing our backs and saying “good morning,” in a relaxed way (rather than a frenzied “quick get up you’re going to miss the bus!” way). The key to this is simply setting the alarm a little earlier so that you can have a more relaxed morning. If you know you always hit the snooze button, then set your alarm five minutes earlier – that way you can still hit the snooze button and you’ll get out of bed on time.
3) Multi-task. Put on the kettle while you make your bed, get dressed while your breakfast is cooking and glance through any last-minute paperwork for the day while you’re brushing your teeth (make sure you’re still in pajamas while brushing teeth, because inevitably you’ll get toothpaste all down your front). Do a few things at once and you’ll save all kinds of time.
4) Prioritize. Do you need to put on makeup or is it more important that you get all of your documents together? Is checking Facebook as necessary as tidying up your house before you leave? Decide what gets priority and do everything in that order.
5) Keep an eye on the clock. I’ll often set my phone nearby when I’m eating breakfast or putting in earrings so I can check the time regularly and make sure I’m still on track. Otherwise it’s too easy to get caught up in something, completely forget about the time and then realize that you should have gone out the door 10 minutes ago.
What do you do to save time in the morning before you go to work?
#1 is a key for me – doing things the night before…when I remember to do them!!
Ha, yes, that’s an integral step 😉
Also agree with number 1. The night before I get my lunch ready, set the dishwasher going, get my clothes ready for the next day, and pack my bag. Then in the morning I just grab my lunch out of the fridge, and I’m ready to go…
It’s nice when everything falls into place so smoothly like that.
I agree, #1 is super important! Having things ready ahead of time gives me the ease to actually get a better night’s rest…and maybe wake up earlier too.
Great list Sagan.
Number three has a logic flaw: I assure you I am more likely to dribble things down my front while eating than while brushing my teeth!
The invention of snooze alarms has changed my life: I simply do not wake up fast. It’s wonderful not to fear falling completely back to sleep.
Aha! So it does. You get the gist of the idea though 😉