5 Time-Saving Morning Hacks
Even though I consider myself a morning person, I can admit that mornings can be….well….mildly chaotic! There’s a lot to do before you get your day started, so today I’m sharing FIVE SIMPLE WAYS to save time in the morning. Whether you work from home or have an hour-long commute, these tips will help make your mornings something to enjoy— not stress over!
1. Breakfast Prep
I’m not proud to admit this, but breakfast has always been the meal I’m most likely to skip because the morning can be such a hectic time—especially when I was trying to make those morning classes in school! Prepping your breakfast is a great way to ensure you’ll have time to get your day started on a good note. One of my favourite things to pre-make for the morning are frozen smoothie packs— I like to add in all my frozen smoothie ingredients into a reusable silicone pouch (these ones from stasher are one of my favs) and store them in the freezer. In the morning, all I have to do is empty my smoothie pack into my blender and add in my liquids!
For a food option, overnight oats are super simple but incredibly delicious. The night before, I put ¼ cup of oats into a mason jar with a tablespoon of chia seeds, ¼-½ cup of nut milk, a splash of maple syrup, and some fruit for flavour….then I give it a stir and put it in the fridge overnight so it’s ready for me in the morning! There’s plenty of different ingredients that can be added to overnight oats, so I highly recommend browsing Pinterest for inspo. I usually make 3-4 servings at once so I don’t need to make a new batch every night.
2. Choose Your Outfit In Advance
We’ve all been there— you’re running late for a class/meeting, but you’re struggling to put an outfit together….clothes are being tossed on the floor….the pants you thought were clean are stained…..panic starts to set in. I’m shivering just at the thought!
As someone who tries to keep my mornings as calm as possible, I find solving the outfit situation the night before makes the morning run so much more smoothly; at night I can try outfits on without the pressure of time and I can ensure every piece I want to wear is hung up and ready-to-go the next day. If nothing else, this is a MUST DO the night before an important event/presentation.
While getting my outfit ready, I also use this time to pack my bag with everything I need— laptop, wallet, any special documents, etc. Again, if you do this task in the morning while in a rush, the chances are high that you’ll end up forgetting something important. The face-palm moment is not a fun one to have, haha!
3. Resist The Snooze
I am guilty of clicking snooze on my alarm in the morning….sometimes I’m guilty of clicking it two or three times, lol! I usually use my phone as an alarm clock so it’s tempting to keep it right next to me on my bedside table, but if I have to make sure I am up by a certain hour, I find placing my phone out of arm’s reach the way to go. Getting out of bed is the hardest part about waking up in the morning, so placing my phone in an area of my room where I have to walk to reach it helps me avoid an accidental sleep-in.
4. Wash Your Hair At Night
There was a time in my life where I always showered in the morning, but that changed in university once I was thrust into the world of morning lectures. For some, I know showering in the morning helps them wake up and get energized….but for me, morning showers come with a huge time commitment. Aside from the shower itself, it also means I have to invest 30-40 additional minutes into blow-drying and styling my hair. By simply showering at night, that 30-40 minutes on my hair in the morning can be reduced to 10 minutes! What a win!
You can take things a step further and try out some overnight hairstyles with braids, curlers, etc. If you’ve never done them before, they can be super fun to try out— but definitely avoid experimenting the night before an important day. No one wants to deal with a bad hair day when you have to do a big presentation or attend an important event, haha!
5. Charge Your Devices While You Sleep
Whenever you know you’re going to be on-the-go the next day, making sure your devices are being charged while you sleep can be a lifesaver. Sometimes I only need to worry about my phone (which is no big deal), but on shoots days where I need my camera or workdays when I need access to my iPad and Apple Pencil, there can end up being a decent amount of devices to bring with me….my morning self always appreciates it when I take extra time to make sure everything has been juiced up to capacity!
There you have it: five time-saving hacks to make your mornings more peaceful! If you liked what you read, be sure to check out my blog post on my favourite simple healthy habits that have BIG impact. And don’t forget to share your favourite time-saving hack in the comments below. Until next time, Xo. — C.
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