I am not a morning person, so my morning routine is an essential self-care strategy for me. I am a night owl in an early bird’s world. Up until a few years ago, I had successfully avoided doing anything before 8 am for most of my life. From the second grade, I was homeschooled. When I got to high school, I did a DVD curriculum, and I never started a video before 10 am…ever. In college, my Psychology professors didn’t like to teach 8 am classes or on Fridays…score! On the days that I had an 8am english class, my roommate knew not to speak to me until I had a cup of coffee because it would never be a pleasant conversation.
In between college and grad school, I had to get my first “real job,” and I started working as a substitute teacher. Ugh! The early mornings were the worst part of the job. After cruising through two decades of being able to sleep in, I now had to wake up at 6:20 FIVE days a week.
Last week, one of the teachers I work with told me she gets up at four in the morning. I repeat FOUR AM when we have to arrive at work by 8. She told me she needed time to get herself completely ready before getting her kids up. My morning routine starts at 6:55, and I’m out the door by 7:35. When people talk about going to the gym before work, I’m like ‘how?’ I feel like a zombie in the morning. If I were to set the alarm for 5:20, I know that I would hit the snooze button for the next hour. I love being productive in the morning, but sleep is one of my best friends (which is why an episode of insomnia is so awful).
A few years ago, I was reading some fan fiction, and the main character was also not a morning person. In referring to her morning routine, she said that she needed “to wake up softly,” and that statement resonated with me, and I incorporated it into my own life.
How can I wake up softly?
Over the next few months, I shifted my morning routine, so instead of running around to grab everything, I could calmly get ready without rushing and arrive to work on time. Sometimes, I even have a few extra minutes to sit on my porch and drink my coffee. Bliss.
Now, even with my morning routine hacks, I don’t think I will ever reach level Cinderella as a morning person, but my morning routine is a much more pleasant process because I have dealt with my normal morning stressors the night before.
Morning Routine Hacks:
- Lay out your clothes for the week…not just the next day. On Sunday, I look at the weather for the week, and I lay out everything, including my gym clothes. Do this for your kids as well. My mom made my younger siblings do this when they went to public school. She had a set of five plastic drawers. On Sunday, a complete outfit for each of my siblings (including socks!) had to be in each drawer before everyone went to bed.
- Make sure your lunch is made the night before. My ideal lunch- generally- includes a carb, veggie, and a protein source. On Sunday, I make 1 cup of quinoa and separate it into three containers. As I cook dinner, I always make sure to cook enough veggies and an extra piece of fish for my lunch the next day. I put the leftovers on top of the quinoa, and it is ready to go. I’ll mix up the flavors by using different sauces or spices for flavoring, like a taco seasoning packet, teriyaki sauce, salsa, thai chili sauce, spaghetti sauce, etc.
- Open the curtains. I used to have blackout curtains, but I have found it helpful to open my curtains to let in natural light. Many times, I wake up before my alarm because the sun will naturally wake me up.
- Change your alarm ringer. I went from an annoying, shrill alarm ringtone to one that gradually gets louder. I’ve never slept through an alarm, but I’m not as annoyed when it goes off.
- Have a designated place for your keys and your purse. You will save precious moments of sleep if your keys and purse are always in a certain location.
- Set an alarm for 5 minutes before you need to leave. Some days, I just move slower than usual, or I have had extra time to sit and enjoy my coffee. This alarm tells me that I have 5 minutes before I need to leave, so pick up the speed and get out the door. When it goes off, I hit the snooze, and am ready by the time it goes off a second time.
Have any thoughts about improving a morning routine? Share them in the comments!
Great hacks, the key on is a must for me! I get up at 5 before my kids to get some writing done. It is the best time of day for me to write.
Thank you for this. It’s always nice to read other tips and tricks for their morning routine.
Loves all the tips! Also, an annoying alarm sound puts me in a bad mood for most of the day, I have “sensitive” ears, so changing to a softer one definitely makes a big difference 🙂
Waking up with enough time to quietly enjoy a coffee would be such a dream! I’m not a morning person either but having kids has forced me to wake up earlier than I ever thought was possible! I definitely agree with you that it’s important to prepare as much as you can beforehand. Thanks for sharing, I’m going to try these tips!
I love your tips especially the one with arranging your weekly clothes on the Sunday. This would save me so much time everyday. Awesome tip. I should try this out! X
Nadine Cathleen | Karateandcaviar.com
I love this post and all your tips because I’m definitely not a morning person & I am always late for my appointments cause I kept wanting to sleep more. Just a little more I keep telling myself. It’s a bad habit that I simply can’t kicked.
I totally agree with changing your alarm ringer! That annoying one totally always startled me awake. Now I have one that’s more soothing, and it’s so much better!
It really does help start the day with a smoother transition.
Morning hacks are one of my favorite articles to read! Thank you!
No problem! Hope you found some useful information! Thanks for stopping by.
These are great tips! When I worked in an office, I would always lay my clothes out, pack my lunch, prepare my coffee maker and set the timer for it to start, and then have an alarm set 15, 10, and 5 minutes earlier than when I needed to leave. It helped me not feel rushed and I kept an eye on the time.
I have kids so nothing is too soft these days…but staying organized is key! Love these tips.
I need to set an alarm for 5 minutes before I need to leave, so I’m on time! Love that life “hack!” Thanks for sharing!
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Yeah, I would be late to work everyday if it wasn’t for that alarm.
I love love my morning routine. It’s my favorite time of the day and almost guaranteed to be uninterrupted.
Great post! These are some great hacks I am going to have to try in the near future. As i am getting older, early mornings are getting much harder!
Soooo good! Love these tips for a calmer peaceful start! Putting keys and purse in the same spot is key, it helps not to frantically be rushing around looking for the essentials. Fab post!
Thanks for stopping by! My keys bowl saves me minutes everyday.
I am not a morning person either, but once my son was born I had to get up much earlier in the mornings. This is a great advice! I think I will try having my son help with the night before routines. Thank you for the ideas!
Good tips – thanks for sharing! I always say to myself, “I guess I could get up at 5!” UGH!
Yeah, I say the same thing, but turn off the alarm as soon as it goes off.
Great tips! I am going to try that outfit planning, i usually only do it for the day after 🙂
These are so great!! I’m with you, I had the luxury of sleeping in for years and getting up to get the kids to school and work can be difficult! I definitely need to start implementing these.
Great ideas! Mornings can be tough!
I like to set an alarm for a few minutes before I leave, as well. It gives my kids an alert that they better have their shoes on because we’re walking out the door!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
These are great tips! I love waking up softly. I have been teaching myself to become a morning person so I can work before my kids wake up, but seriously, the only way I can do it is if I have an awesome reward lined up for when I get out of bed!
These are great tips! What i’d love is if i could mute my kiddos for 10 minutes while i drink coffee lol
These are great tips! Thanks for sharing !
I love these! Getting up earlier and keeping with a morning routine is going to be one of my New Year’s resolutions for sure!
Great Tips! I set my alarm clock in the house and my clock in the car to be 5 minutes later that it actually is so that I give myself that extra 5 minute padding just in case. That way I am actually aiming to leave 5 minutes early, but have that extra 5 min just in case I really need it.
Same here! I have that alarm clock set to give me a little extra breathing room to get to work on time.
I do almost all of these! I usually only take out my clothes one day in advance but I have done a week at a time on occasion. I definitely love the soft alarm clock. I’ve been doing this for about ten years!
I can so relate to you and your love of sleep! I hate getting up early and it is such a struggle! These are great tips and very helpful. I will have to try the especially the alarm 5 minutes before leaving the house.
I also am not a morning person. In the perfect world I wouldn’t have to talk to people before 11 a.m. lol I do set an alarm 5 minutes before I need to leave the house. As a “get ready lady!” But the best thing I’ve been doing lately is setting my alarm and bed time by my sleep cycle, so my body isn’t mid-cycle when my alarm goes off. it’s game changing.
Great tips! The thing that helps me the most is opening the curtains and my hubby bringing me a warm cup of joe. Thanks for sharing!
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