Most collegiettes have had a moment when they sleep through their alarm, wake up 15 minutes before class and rush like crazy to get there, only to walk into a room full of stern looks from the professor and students.
Unfortunately, in college there are no parents knocking on your bedroom door or flipping back the sheets for wake-up calls. So if you’ve experienced chronic lateness to class or any important activity, here are a few tips to help you avoid lateness and hopefully impress everyone with your punctuality.
1. Complete any last-minute activities the night before. For example, taking a shower and laying out your clothes for the next day can easily shave 20 minutes off your morning routine.
2. Set a specific sleep time. I’m usually exhausted when I’m done with classes for the day, but instead of going to my dorm and taking a nap, I do homework or watch movies until around 10 p.m. and then I try to get some sleep. If you get into a routine of sleeping at or around the same time each night, eventually your body will get used to that sleep schedule and you’ll be well rested when morning comes!
3. Invest in a good alarm clock. It’s so easy to forget about this item in the age of smart phones and digital everything. I have an alarm clock/ipod dock that plays the most annoying alarm tone super loudly each morning. I’m sure a few of my dorm neighbors have heard it screeching at 8 a.m. but it really is the only way I can wake up!
For those of you who would rather not dish out the money on an alarm clock, consider downloading an app. One that has received pretty good reviews is ‘I Can’t Wake Up’ which is available for both iPhones and Android based phones. The perk of this app is that it won’t disable the alarm until the user completes certain tasks. Definitely worth checking out!
Next time you have somewhere to be, consider using these tips and you’ll become an early bird in no time!
Photo Credit: Alan Cleaver