Waking up and heading into work after the Labour Day long weekend is anything but easy. Especially if you aren’t a morning person.
As you begin to settle back into September routines, here are some quick tips to help make early mornings a little bit easier….
1) Night Before Prep
Although this takes up a few minutes every night, it will save you close to 30 minutes every morning.
Take a look at the weather forecast and plan your outfit the night before – lay your clothes out, down to the pair of shoes you plan to wear.
If you have a workout scheduled for the morning, lay out your workout clothes too. Or if you have an afternoon workout scheduled, pack your gym bag.
And finally, prepare your lunch and save yourself from scrambling every morning. I’m still working on this, as I usually put half my lunch together at night and then throw the other half together while I’m still in a sleepy fog.
2) Get a Good Sleep. Actually.
Most people think that they get more sleep than they really do. I used to think that my bedtime was 10pm but really, I don’t ever fall asleep until 1-2 hours after. All of a sudden, my eight hour sleep is shaved to six hours and my zombie-like demeanour every morning is explained.
The best way to get a good sleep – most adults needs about seven to eight hours of sleep a night – is to allow yourself to fully unwind before your head hits the pillow.
What not do: Watch T.V. or browse websites right before bed.
What to do: Take a hot bath or a hot shower before bed. When you step out of a hot bath or shower your body temperature will drop which, according to science, encourages the body to transition to a sleepy state. Next, jot down anything that is on your mind – if you had a stressful day at the office this will really help to collect your thoughts and clear your mind. Lastly, if you aren’t already relaxed, try meditating with the lights off. Click here for some bedtime meditation tips.
3) Change Up Your Alarm
Most people use their phones as their alarm. This can cause become a real problem for those of us who like to hit snooze (like me). Instead, invest in an alarm clock that you can place on the other side of your room. You’ll have to get up to turn it off and a true alarm clock will often be much more jarring to wake up to than the alarm on your phone. If alarm clocks are too old school for you, try this cool app that forces you out of bed.
4) Create a Morning Playlist
Waking up to some feel-good music is a great way to start the day. Here are a few songs to get you started:
Don’t Panic – Coldplay
Beautiful Day – U2
Coming of Age- Foster the People
Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea
Float On – Modest Mouse
New Slang- The Shins
Good Day- Nappy Roots
5)Make Some Time For Yourself
With all the time you saved by prepping the night before, now you can spend a few moments every morning doing something you love. This will inspire you to get out of bed in the first place. Whether you love sipping on a good cup of joe every morning or taking a few minutes to browse your favourite blogs (oh, hey there!), you will come to cherish that extra time – a few stolen “you” moments before the day really begins.
Recent Comments