We all know that waking up in the morning can be a total drag. Who honestly wants to leave those soft and warm covers? Especially for a long day of work and/or school. I feel a fake sickness coming on. Here are a few tips to get you up, awake, and productive!

It all starts with the night before. Preparing yourself the night before is a big key to getting every minute of sleep you can the next morning. It also takes the stress of doing certain things off of your shoulders. One of the best things that helps me get every moment of sleep the next day is to set out my outfit the night before. If you pack a lunch, do this the night before. We should also be getting off of all electronics at least 90 minutes before going to sleep to help us fall asleep and get the best night. That part though is my downfall.

`Don’t press snooze! I know that you think by hitting snooze five times before getting up helps you get every minute of sleep you can, but you are wrong. If you want to get every minute of sleep, then set your alarm for a later time that you can get up without being late. If you don’t think you’ll get up then put your alarm across the room. By hitting snooze and closing your eyes for that extra five minutes, you are actually restarting your sleep cycle, making it harder to wake up. It could make it so you need hours to feel like you’re functioning normally.

Coffee. Ah yes, the obvious morning pick me up. But what most people don’t know is the best way to have coffee in the morning is to first grab a glass or bottle of water. Without hydrating first, coffee can actually just dehydrate your body and the caffeine will have the opposite effect you want it to. Another great tip is to just keep coffee beans near your bed, I have seen someone literally make what they call their coffee sniffer, the smell of the beans even helps to wake you up.

Me time. This could be spent anyway you want it to. Doing yoga, stretching, reading a good book or the bible, writing in a journal, making a to do list for the day, even some time on your phone. I know, crazy right? It isn’t the most productive way to spend your morning but for the same reason that we should get off of our devices at night, the blue light of screens helps you stay awake.

Exercise. Okay we know that by saying your going to get up and go to the gym at 6am, you're totally lying to yourself. Even if it’s just a quick stretch or something, Pinterest is great for quick good morning stretches and workouts. It gets your body moving and your blood pumping for the rest of the day. I know it's hard to squeeze in, but when you skips workouts, you feel less calm, more gross, and sleep will come less easily later that night.

Be positive. We are all guilty of it, but the worst way to start your day is on the wrong side of the bed. Whether you have to say a positive mantra to yourself, put a positive sticky note on your mirror, spend those extra five minutes on your hair and makeup, text good morning! to everyone you know. Whatever works for you, do it. Mind set is the key to most things.

I know that mornings can be overwhelming and it may seem like you’ll never have the time to do any of the things I just said. In reality, none of it is really all that time consuming. But investing time in yourself should be a priority in your life to keep you as happy and healthy as you can be.