Are you wondering how you can build the perfect morning routine?
Well guess what, your ideal morning routine actually starts the night before!
There are many ways you can improve your mornings, all by doing a bit of extra prep in the evenings.
We all know the benefits of waking up early, but I personally find that it’s always easier said than done when that early alarm rolls around.
You may even sacrifice elements of your routine for a few extra minutes in bed…
So let’s try and break that habit! If you’re trying to become a morning person with a new and improved routine, the more things you can get done in the evening before, the better.
This is particularly important if you have to be in the office or at school the next day – saving all the time in the mornings you can.
Why not make life that little bit easier and develop a productive evening routine, so that you can build the perfect morning routine in the long run.
Here’s a few tips on how to get started!
Prepare your food and drink
Don’t have enough time for breakfast in the morning? Meal prep the night before!
Trying to save money on lunches out? Meal prep the night before!
Want to cut down on buying coffee? That’s right… Meal prep the night before!
Preparing your food and drink beforehand can be a huge timesaver in the mornings, and can help you save money in the long run too.
If you’re anything like me, deciding what you want to eat can actually be quite stressful. It often leads me to spend more money on things I probably didn’t want anyway.
Prepping beforehand helps to reduce that decision fatigue, and also helps you to opt for healthier options in the week (if that’s your goal).
And most importantly, it will help optimise your morning routine. You can set aside some time to pick out and prepare your lunch, reducing the extra stress in the morning.
Then it’ll all be ready to go by the time you leave the next day!
Choose your outfit
Another aspect that takes me an unnecessarily long time in the mornings is choosing an outfit.
There’s something about the mornings that make me extra indecisive. It’s likely because I don’t have the time to be stressing, so I grab the first thing I find and then feel uncomfortable with what I’m wearing all day.
One way to minimise that added stress in the mornings, is to make an effort to choose and lay out your outfit the evening before.
That way, you’ll know exactly what you’re wearing, and won’t have to struggle to think of and find the different pieces.
There’s more time in the evening to try different things on as well, so you know that you’ll feel comfortable in what you’re wearing, and won’t have to make any rushed decisions the next morning.
It’s a great time saver, and you’ll even feel more confident going about your day!
Pack your bag
You may not have a lot of things to take with you in the day, but even so, packing your bag the night before means there’s one less thing to worry about.
Plus, if you’ve been already been out at the office/at school it’s likely that there won’t be too much you need to take out or add in anyway.
Simply swap out your old lunchbox, ready to add your new one in – packed the night before as well…
Keep your planner, laptop, company ID, or whatever it is you’ll need, already in there.
Unless you’re working from home or using the bag for something else, there shouldn’t be much reason why you need to unpack it, saving you more precious time in the morning.
Then just pop it right by the door so that it’s easy to grab and go as you head out!
Shower at night
A heavily debated topic is, is it better to shower at night or in the morning?
It’s a matter of personal preference. We can get into the pros and cons for both, but if it comes down to saving time in the mornings, showering at night is the way to go.
My own downfall is that I spend far too long in the shower, which means getting up earlier in the morning to accommodate that.
There’s nothing harder than trying to force yourself out of a nice warm bed, to get into a cold shower that takes too long to heat up.
(I know there are benefits to cold showers, but particularly in the winter, I don’t fancy trying them out for myself. Especially first thing in the day.)
So, in the interest of saving time, I’m preferring to save my showers for the evenings. Besides, who wants to get into nice bedsheets, feeling dirty from the day?
They’re also a great opportunity to help wind down from a stressful day, leading to a better sleep, and then feeling more refreshed in the morning. It’s a perfect cycle!
Set your alarm 10 minutes early
Set you alarm early, as it’s amazing what 10 extra minutes in the morning can do.
Especially when you’ve done all these prior things the night before, you’ll now have so much more time the next day!
Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier, and don’t snooze it. This will give you the chance to start your day without feeling rushed.
And who knows? That extra 10 minutes could give you enough time to make a stop at your favourite coffee shop beforehand.
Move your phone out of reach
Lastly, try and move your phone out of reach when you go to bed. Make sure you put it on charge on the other side of the room.
Then when your alarm goes off in the morning (10 minutes earlier), you won’t have the chance to snooze it.
You’ll have to physically get up and go to turn it off.
Once you’re out of bed, you’re ready to begin your new and improved morning routine, knowing that you’ve got plenty of time because you’ve ticked all these things off your list in the evening.
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