Lazy Girl's Morning Routine

If you’re anything like me then you know the struggle of trying to throw together a professional look in only 30 short minutes after hitting the snooze button a few too many times. Before I perfected my routine, I was notorious for running out the door unshowered, hair in a bun, with no makeup (and I would still be a few minutes late every time LOL). After realizing I needed to get this under control, I have perfected a few time saving tips and tricks that have made my morning routine a breeze.

Step 1: Set a TON of alarms.

I have seven alarms set for an average work day. That’s right, SEVEN! Starting at 6 AM; however, I hardly ever get out of bed that early. I have a series of alarms keeping me on track and aware of how much time I have before I need to leave. That first alarm is just to let my brain know that, hey, it’s almost time to get going so enjoy these last few minutes. I usually snooze that one and check my phone to allow my brain to slowly wake up. After 30 minutes my next alarm goes off for me to actually get up. I have an alarm telling me when to get in the shower, when to start my makeup, when to pack my lunch, etc. That is my guide keeping me from getting distracted with my phone or staying too long in the shower.

Step 2: Wash your hair the night before.

Now, I’m the type of person that can NOT get my day started without showering. I must do it for my day to go right; however, I don’t wash my hair every day. On days that I need to wash my hair, I make sure I do so the night before; that way I can cut out the time of washing, drying, and styling all before work the next day. Doing this will allow your hair to be clean, dry, and ready for styling the following morning.

Step 3: Brush your teeth in the shower.

THIS TIP CHANGED MY LIFE! The silly thing is that it is not at all profound or original, but it really works. I start by turning on my shower and letting it heat up. Because my bathroom is clear on the opposite side of my apartment from the water heater, this takes about a minute. While that’s happening, I get my toothbrush ready with toothpaste and take it into the shower with me. I also have a bottle of Listerine to rinse with in there as well. It is so much cleaner, and I don’t get toothpaste residue in my sink. I can brush my teeth while washing my body and it speeds up the shower process.

Step 3: Lay out your clothes for the week.

The one thing people always tell you is to pick out your clothes a day in advanced, but I’m taking it a step further and saying plan out your whole week. I always do laundry on Sundays and that night I group together what I want to wear and fold it in a drawer. I put pants on the bottom, then I sandwich the panties, socks, accessories, etc. in between that and the shirt on top. That way I can just grab what I planned and head to the shower. This step saves me probably 10-20 minutes each morning.

Step 5: Simplify your lunch.

The one thing that I like to do with my lunch is getting items that can easily be tossed into my bag without too much planning. For example, I love taking yogurt and granola bars. I also like frozen microwave meals (which may not be the healthiest choice, but we’re going for quick not health-conscious), because they are super easy to throw into my lunch bag and go versus prepping a salad or sandwich.

I hope this helps you guys speed up your morning routine and gets you out the door on time to enjoy a productive day!