You know how it goes; weekday mornings are generally a blur of snoozing your alarm clock, choosing what to wear, checking your work emails and wondering whether your tea is going to be too hot to down in one before you leave the house. Throw in a wilful child/dog/cat or multiples of the above and you have a healthy dose of chaos to deal with on top. Unless you’re one of those people that springs out of bed at 6am, full of the joys of life, then mornings are probably stressful, blurry and punctuated by lockjaw-inducing yawns. Fret not, dear reader, I am here with some suggestions of how to get that morning routine down to a finely tuned art. You might not like some of them, but you don’t get anything in life for free…
WAKE UP, GET UP
I hate myself a little bit for writing this and I am guilty of not taking my own advice, but this one is crucial. Whether you wake up naturally, with a wake-up light, or via alarm clock (electronic or human), probably one of the best ways to start your day is to take a leaf out of those morning people’s book and spring out of bed. Ok, you don’t have to spring, but just make sure you’re sticking a leg out and following it with the other one less than 60 seconds after you open your eyes. Whether you have the chance to lie in or not, the sad fact is that even if you doze off, those minutes are not going to do you any real good in terms of sleep. If you find that even opening your eyes feels like a feat of engineering, consider your bed time and whether it needs to be earlier. Personally I’ve learned that anything above 7 hours of sleep a night does not buy me extra energy, so if my eyes flick open at 6am it’s because my body is done sleeping. The great thing about this approach is that you are setting the intent to start your day. And hey, if the rest of the household is still asleep, why not treat yourself to a few extra minutes in the shower, or a cosy cup of tea whilst staring out of the window?
THE WORK WARDROBE
My brain is almost completely incapable of decision-making prior to around 8.30am and my entire morning tends to run on autopilot, which is not necessarily a good thing. I even have to put my clothes out the night before, otherwise I put together the weirdest outfits! Although picking your outfit the night before is a great idea, I was recently introduced to the concept of the work wardrobe. I appreciate I’m probably a bit late to this party, but the idea struck me as genius. The key thing that blew my mind is that, with more and more companies opting for a smart casual dress code, or no dress code at all, we are suddenly faced with too much choice every morning. Therein lies the problem; there is no division between what you wear to work and what you wear at home. So, unless your work has a super smart dress code and you’re in a shirt and suit 24/7, it’s worth considering a separate capsule work wardrobe to limit your choices. If you want to incorporate your style, you still can. Maybe have a set of statement necklaces, or ties, or colourful socks. Lay it out the night before and bingo, one less decision to make in the morning. You’re welcome.
FEED THE BODY, FEED THE MIND
I highly recommend making your lunch the night before and taking it with you to work. Batch cooking at the weekend can also be a great way of ensuring your lunch is ready to go with no effort. Have you ever added up how much you spend on lunch, coffees and snacks throughout an average work day/week/month? I did this a few years ago when I was working in central London and the monthly figure was terrifying. I know it’s one of those things that can be seen as a bit ‘naff’ but making your own lunch not only saves you money, it also ensures you’re eating delicious healthy food (unless you’re making yourself hot dogs or something, in which case I don’t think I can help you). The other great thing about taking your own lunch is that if you are on a diet, or trying to make healthier choices, your lunch decision is made for you and that is going to help reduce temptation. Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating having your lunch al desko and spending your lunch break working. Even if you don’t need to go out to buy lunch, you still need to get away from your desk or get out for a short walk. This is a great way to help to boost your productivity for the rest of the day.
LOOK FOR EFFICIENCIES
This is a tough one to describe as it will really depend on your own personal circumstances, but spend some time thinking about your morning routine and imagine you had 15 minutes less to achieve the same tasks. What would you do differently? What could be done in parallel? What could be done the night before, later in the day or in the evening instead? If you live with someone, what could they do differently? Here are some examples of ways I have trimmed down the morning routine:
Simplifying my make up routine - I had a free make up consultation at Boots a few months ago and have changed how I wear my make up, trimming down the time it takes to apply and also giving me some 2 minute ‘light’ options for when those other minutes are needed elsewhere. If you take public transport to work, could you do all or some of your make-up after leaving the house instead?
Laying out my son’s clothes the night before (after checking the weather forecast!). As well as knowing what I’m going to wear, I also remove decision-making from my son’s wardrobe too. Those morning minutes before nursery drop-off can whizz by, especially if you throw in a toothbrushing-related tantrum, and I love having one less thing to think about.
Having breakfast at work instead of home - I often find this means I’m less hungry come mid-mid-morning as well.
NO SURPRISES
This takes a bit of planning but it is achievable. Spend some time thinking about the things that have tripped you up or caused you to be late recently - were they avoidable? For example, did you forget to renew your season ticket and get stuck in the queue at the station, or get in the car only to find you’re out of fuel? If you’re anything like me, the old grey matter is not at it’s finest first thing in the morning and any major disruptions to the expected flow can really throw me off for the day. Allocate yourself some time on a weekly basis, maybe on a Sunday night, to think about the week and when some of these things could crop up. Could you pop out one evening to get fuel so you’re not having to do it in rush hour? Could you renew your season ticket automatically online? Could you get in the habit of leaving your phone, bag and keys in the same place every night? This is all about being kind to your sleepy morning self and making sure you have the minimum of things to concern yourself with.
So, in summary, I think there are few key themes to take away. Firstly, shake a leg as soon as you’re awake and remember those minutes dozing are not doing you a heap of good. Secondly, don’t give yourself any surprises and prepare the night before: clothes, food, extra things that need to go into work or school. Lastly, remove as much decision-making as you can. Mornings are hard enough, especially when you feel like you’re being raised from the dead. Think about how to give yourself the bare minimum to achieve. Trust me, it’ll turn that frown upside down in no time!