Leave 15 Minutes Early and Other Morning Routine Tips
For a full-time writer on a productivity blog, I’m pretty bad at mornings. So when we asked Lifehacker Facebook fans about their best tricks to ease the morning , I was thrilled with the responses. We have great tips!
Popular tricks include a programmable coffee maker, repeating alarms, and getting your clothes out at night. Here are the best tips from the thread.
Federico Valentin Duran Fernandez mentally prepares the night before:
I fall asleep thinking about some interesting task that I have to do the next day, and then wake up with anticipation of this task, which motivates me to move from bed to the bus stop to the table.
Ashley Coffman focuses on the awards of the day:
When I find it difficult to get up and motivate, I think of at least three good things that I have to wait for that day. Sometimes it’s as easy as pizza for lunch or a new episode of your favorite show.
Ken Dewey sets up a series of dire alarms but should never hear them:
I have Screaming Goat as my alarm … it’s set for fifteen minutes from 4:30 am to 6:30 am … I can usually wake up five or ten minutes before the first ear bone breaks. scream. I wake up completely when I turn on the alarm clock app to turn off each of the alarms.
Kat Brian also has a multi-alarm for family morning routine:
A series of alarms that go off every 30 minutes that I track my morning progress. Breakfast and clothes for the first 30 minutes, then hair and makeup for the next 30 minutes. 30 minutes of playing with the child, etc. Then a completely different alarm clock for 10 minutes before I have to leave the house.
A ten-minute warning is a godsend, since everyone knows that at this moment they have 10 minutes to pack up and meet me in the car. The little one checks his bag, I get the latest instructions from another adult, I spend 3 minutes frantically looking for his keys, etc. =) It works for me.
Elizabeth Bush has an alarm clock straight out of the puzzle:
The first alarm won’t turn off without scanning the QR code that I keep in the bathroom. Then I set a few alarms for a while while I get going, so I know if I’m in the right place in my routine or if I’m running late.
PolBob Trembler has even cooler ones:
I have an alarm clock that obliges me to go to a very bright light source. All LED lights are on the other side of the house. If I don’t have time, the alarm will ring even louder in the speakers.
And Tamara Kane is targeting her anxiety to a specific demographic group of households:
Meme music that will wake up my children. This is the only thing that works.
Steve Heffelfinger gets up on time if he goes to bed on time:
I put my phone down when I go to bed. That’s 30-45 minutes of sleep, which I didn’t get in the last year.
Lisa Rain starts early to calm down:
I get up early and give myself plenty of time to pack myself up and walk out the door. I’m not a morning person and I hate being rushed.
Ryan Ferguson found the best way to wake up gradually:
Long ago I removed the repeat button from my life. This is the devil.
Has switched to one of these wake-up lights, which is slowly getting brighter – it works really well.
Ben Hart has complete control over his lighting:
Blackout curtains, a cheap outlet timer, a couple of extension cords, and a lamp. It doesn’t matter if I have to get up at 04:00, the artificial sunrise at 03:30 works wonders.
Kanberk Hankan casts out his demons:
I lie on the bed farting my ass, killing all the good smells that have been around for a while until there is no more gas left inside. Then I start my day in harmony.
Diosa Negra has found the perfect time for her nightlife setting:
When preparing dinner the night before, I lay out my clothes the next morning, prepare my bag, and prepare dinner.
Matt Fran does nothing before replacing his morning coffee:
I drink a concentrated caffeinated drink before I even get out of bed. I have one concoction prepared the night before on my bedside table. In a couple of minutes I am charging and ready to go.
Guido Hulscher has a pretty good example:
I hesitate to say it, but … morning sex.
Joseph Plata eats a full breakfast in one bowl:
Microwave 1 minute oatmeal with a little water for 1-1 / 2 minutes, then add a few tablespoons of egg whites, stir, add coffee and chocolate milk, stir, enjoy.
Mark May Hem goes outside:
I get up 10 minutes early and go outside regardless of the weather. My neighborhood is better when no one gets up.
Sean Patrick creates margins to be on time:
Set a vacation time 15 minutes before going out and stick to it. You will, of course, be mindful of the things that cost you your time at the last minute, but you will not be late.
Jessica Moore-Lucas starts her day with a show:
I get up about 45 minutes earlier than the rest of my family, fiddling around and listening to podcasts while I wake up. When it came time to get the kids to school, I woke up long enough to improve my mood, so it’s just their irritability at play, not mine.
Heather Moss has a song:
I listen to music that I love to sing along with. It wakes me up faster than anything else and lifts my spirits as I get ready for work.
Something is missing? Do you know the name of this cool warning light? Tell us!