Not a morning person? Yeah, me neither. As much as I wish I was, it doesn’t help when it comes to 8:30’s. The last thing I want to be doing is hearing that annoying alarm while it’s still dark outside and my bed feels like the only form of comfort. But, luckily for myself, and you the reader, I have been able to create 8 solid tips and tricks for eliminating 8:30 complications.
1 . Alarmy – The Alarm Clock App that Works
How it wakes you up:
When it comes to getting you out of bed, Alarmy offers three different options:
1. Photo Mode: register a place or object of which you have to take a picture of to turn off the alarm.
2. Shake Mode: when the alarm starts ringing, shake your phone fifty times to make it go off.
3. Math Problem Mode: The app will pose you with a math equation or problem which you have to solve
Efficiency: I have tried all three options and they work very well but if you are as lazy as me, then I recommend the Photo Mode. I set my picture as my bathroom sink so it forces me right out of bed and straight into starting my morning routine. (Fun fact: splashing water on your eyes helps you wake up)
2 . Jam Out
Nothing gets me energized as much as some great tunes. Creating a morning playlist with your favorite jam out music is ideal to waking up. Not only does it help your mind and body wake up, but allows you to start off your day in a great mood. It creates an atmosphere that breaks the mindset of a dreaded lonely morning in which I’m sure we all wouldn’t mind not having to go through.
3 . Preset your outfit the night before
I always lose track of time when it comes to deciding what I will be wearing for that entire day and it definitely adds to why I would get to class late. Getting your outfit ready and actually trying it on prior to doing it in the morning allows you to eliminate all that time retrying outfits and hustling to look decent. Whatever you can do to make your morning easier the night before, do it.
(p.s. The easier your morning is, the later you can sleep in)
4 . Eat breakfast like a king
For some odd reason whenever I wake up early, my stomach fiends for food and it growls like crazy. Perhaps I’m the only one that goes through that but, I know that whatever you do or do not consume in the morning affects the rest of that day. So warning, the next sentence is 100% coming from the mom in me, but try not to skip breakfast. I know I know, you hear the same thing all the time, but from personal experience, nothing is worse than spending a boring 8:30 class on a growling stomach and half asleep. So at least try to consume some kind of food in the morning before your 8:30 and you’ll thank yourself later. It’ll also call for eating less in the day too and who knows, maybe even result in some weight loss in a healthy manner.
5 . No technology
Stop checking your socials the minute you wake up! Lord knows we’ve all checked our phones the minute we wake up but, I strongly advise you not to. Telling yourself you’re just going to check your phone for a minute before getting out of bed is a WHOLE LIE. It’s a trap, next thing you know you’ve spent about 15 minutes on your phone and have cut into precious getting-ready time. Stay away from your phone unless you’ve completed your morning routine and you’re waiting to pass time.
6 . Manage your time
If you’ve made it this far into taking 8:30’s seriously, then understand organization and time management is critical. Time loves to magically speed up on us whenever we need to get ready so with that in mind, you will need to plan out your routine in order to stick to schedule. Restrict each task to a certain duration, this way you will be getting everything done with no rush and you won’t be losing track of time either. This also includes knowing how long it takes you to get ready. You will have to know how much time you need to give yourself in order to wake up at a reasonable hour in which you can get ready without worrying about being late.
7 . Parking
With time management in mind, for those who are commuters, parking is a pain in the butt. I’ve had times I’ve been on time for an 8:30 a.m. but got into class late due to no parking. This is definitely a factor that needs to be taken into consideration when planning out how you will be managing your morning. It is also advised to be realistic and not go for the first few rows in the front when you see the parking lot is full, don’t waste time checking unrealistic spots.
8 . Go to sleep on time the night before
Now, with all this being said, I sure hope you’re not planning to execute these tips and tricks while going to bed at 3 a.m. almost every night. We’ve all been guilty of going to sleep way too late, but do not let it become a habit. Momma Jen is out again to seriously stress the importance of going to sleep and getting enough rest for your next day. It really does make all the difference whether you choose to believe it or not. So allow your 8:30’s to become your hidden gem to a healthy stable adult routine. At the end of the day, we need to begin to prioritize the lifestyle that lies ahead of us which can be as simple as taking your 8:30 a.m. courses seriously.