Putting the "good" in good morning

"I enjoy my 8:30 class in BioSci!” said no student ever. Mornings are the bane of my existence, and if the hours between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. didn’t exist, I think we could probably achieve world peace. 

That being said, mornings are still a time of day we all need to deal with, but no one says they have to be awful. The following is a couple of tips to make your mornings somewhat more bearable. 

Plan ahead

Plan your outfit and your breakfast ahead of time. It’s actually really easy to do. You don’t even need to lay out your outfits, you just need to make that decision so that in the morning, you’re good to go. 

The same goes for your breakfast — just by deciding what to eat, you’re making sure you aren’t facing the ever-so-important “eggs vs. cereal” debate the next day. 

Pack your bag

Your backpack probably holds your laptop, notebooks, pencils, chargers, food and everything in between. Throw them all into your bag before you go to bed so that you’re not doing a last minute search for the essentials when you have three minutes left before class starts. 

“But I like to watch Netflix before bed!” you say. And to be honest, so do I. I still pack everything else in my bag so that in the morning I only have to worry about finding my laptop instead of 14 other things. 

Lay out coffee ingredients 

If you’re like most humans and you need coffee before you can even begin to contemplate going to class, set out everything you need to make yourself a cup in the morning.  Fill your kettle with water, set out a cup and a spoon. That way when the morning arrives, all you need to do is flick a switch and stir some things before you’ve got yourself a nice brew. 

Alternatively, get an automatic coffee machine that does all the work for you. 

Get some sleep

I know, it’s an unheard of proposition for students everywhere, but getting enough sleep truly does make mornings more bearable.

Getting enough sleep means you wake up feeling refreshed as opposed to feeling like you should be an extra on The Walking Dead. Seven to nine hours is recommended not just by scientists, but by me, your resident morning conqueror. 

Make a morning playlist

Make a playlist specifically for your morning routine. Give yourself four songs to shower, three songs to eat breakfast, two songs to do your makeup, and so on. It’s a nicer way to keep track of time, and music will always brighten your mood.  

Shower at night

Showering at night means you can skip that step in the morning, giving yourself an extra half an hour to sleep in. It also relaxes you before bed so that you sleep better, and there’s truly no greater feeling than getting into bed feeling clean. 

Also, showering before bed makes sure you don’t bring the dirt of the day into bed with you, which also keeps your sheets cleaner for longer.