Mornings are, well...the worst -- at least for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the sunrises and fresh coffee, bacon and checking out the newest Buzzfeed articles. But when it comes to actually FUNCTIONING in the morning, that's when my very strong dislike of the early AM comes out. I know I'm not alone in this way of thinking so here are some ways that have helped me incorporate the "good" into my morning.
1. Use the Starbucks mobile app
Starbucks is great, am I right? From teas to coffees to everything in between, Starbucks has you covered. And that even includes an AMAZING feature on their app called "mobile pay." I’m pretty sure whoever created this feature had sleepy, zombie-like students in mind. Or even maybe people who are clumsy (me) and happen to spill their breakfast all over their shirt before heading out the door adding another solid five minutes to their already late schedule. Anyway, no matter who it was created for; lazy, sleepy and clumsy people rejoice! Just connect either a credit card or gift card to the app, order what you want (customizations included), pick your location and order it! And the best part: it remembers your last orders! So if you get the same drink over and over like me (peach green tea lemonade, lite on the ice), it will already be set, customizations and all. It will give you an approximate time it will be ready, and all you have to do is walk in, go up to the bar, and say you have a drink waiting for you that you ordered ahead. It’s like magic. So waltz out of that Starbucks with your frappe in hand knowing that you just shaved off five to eight minutes waiting in line and then waiting for your drink!
2. Plan out your outfit the night before
If you’re one of those people that can pick an outfit and stick to it the first time, then you deserve an award. And if you’re anything like me… Well, I leave my house leaving an explosion of shirts, jeans, shoes and basically everything else in my closet behind in my room to “deal with later.” To those people who can stick to the first time outfit, take a couple minutes before you head to bed to throw together an ensemble and consolidate it all on one or two hangers if you can. That way, in the morning, you can just grab and change. To the people like me who like many options, choose two different outfits the night before. I learned this when I was very young from my Aunt Mindy. Even back then I was indecisive and her words of advice stuck with me and they still help me to this day. My indecisiveness is still there when I wake up, but I'm just forced to have less options to choose from. If only my Aunt Mindy could see me now…
3. Have your bag(s) set
This advice sounds like we’re all back in elementary school waiting for the bus to come. But way back then, weren’t you glad that your bag was already set and packed the night before? Fast-forwarding to modern times when we all dream of being back in the easier days of elementary school, get all of your supplies ready and in your bag where you know where they are. Keys? Middle pocket – check. Wallet? Side pocket – check. Sunglasses? Inside pocket – check. Extra tampon? Hidden pocket – check. As we all look towards the upcoming school year, there will be nights of unfortunate long study sessions. Make sure that when you’re finished, you PUT YOUR BOOK IN YOUR BAG instead of saying “Eh, I’ll remember tomorrow morning on my way out the door to class.” You won’t. You won’t remember. Just put the book in the bag. You’ll thank me.
4. Pre-pack meals
Meals on the go are my biggest downfall. Breakfast is tricky because I usually hit the snooze button one too many times, which leads to me grabbing at random things in my fridge and before I know it, I’m staring at a stick of butter, some grated Parmesan cheese, and an old jar of salsa for lunch. If only I had packed the night before. There are these awesome Tupperware containers you can find at Target or Walmart that have separate compartments and wait for it… FOLD IN ON ITSELF FOR EASY STORAGE! Practical AND saves space. They make my sister very very happy. And I completely understand why. There’s spots for fruit, veggies, meat, soup, salad… Basically is like one of those picky children’s plates when they don’t like their food to touch except deeper compartments and with a lid. WOW. So the night before, grill up some chicken, cut up a banana, toss a mini salad, and throw it all in its mini cubbies. Ba-da-bing ba-da-boom; when you reach in the fridge in the morning, you get a full meal in one container instead of unsalvageable items for a makeshift lunch.
5. Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room
Although this doesn’t exactly pertain to physically getting ready in the morning, it will help you wake up. I’ve tried keeping my alarm on my nightstand. Let’s just say that’s how I missed a couple agendas. Because when that awful sound goes off in the morning, it’s so easy to just sneak your arm out from your cocoon of happiness and warmth and just whack that snooze button. But when you need to leave your temporary abode of love and comfort to stop that ringing, the coldness of reality hits and the cooler air helps you wake up faster. This is hard for me to do, believe me. There is no place I’d rather be than my happy little cocoon of blankets and rainbows. But I also need to get paid and unless one of those scientists pays me to stay in bed all day, I’m not gonna make the dough by staying idle in my happy place.
Mornings suck. Being late sucks. But there are ways that you can sometimes avoid that to the best of your abilities. Working 3 jobs over the summer, I need this advice more than anyone. And trust me. My Starbucks Mobile Pay is already pre-set, my double outfits are set out the night before (Thanks again, Aunt Mindy), I make sure that all of the stuff I need for the next day is stuffed in my purse, I try my best to plan out meals, and the alarm part… Well, let’s just say that’s a work in progress. Everyone has their weaknesses, right?
Sleepy college students, overworked people, morning zombies: Unite. Maybe if we all give the above steps a try, we’ll get a glimpse of this thing called “good morning” that everyone is always talking about.
