Every night when I go to bed, I tell myself tomorrow’s the day I become a morning person and wake up two hours early. I fantasize about all the things I could do with the extra time: Bike down to the pool and go for a swim! Write a blog post! Do some yoga! Read a few chapters of a book! Make a home-cooked breakfast! Get to the shop early and start on my to do-lists! Make more to-do lists!
But every morning, my feet hit the floor about thirty minutes before I have to leave the house. Whether I oversleep or spend too much time under the covers scrolling through Instagram, I just can’t seem to get the hang of “seizing the day” before it’s absolutely necessary.
Maybe I’ll figure it out in the next decade.
In the meantime, here are some of my best habits for making the most of limited time in the morning.
Wash and dry your hair at night. Nothing sets me back in the morning like having to squeeze in extra time for a shampoo and blow-out before work. To buy myself more time in the AM, I lather up every other night, work an air-drying styling cream into the lengths to tame frizz, and make sure my hair is completely dry before I go to bed. Then in the morning, I only need about five minutes to smooth it with my flat iron or add a few messy waves. I’m currently using this texture spray followed up by a medium-hold flexible hairspray to lock the style in all day.
Set a phone/tablet deadline. I love to wake up and scroll through social media first thing in the morning, but it can quickly escalate into a ‘holy-sh*t-I’ve-been-on-Instagram-for-30-minutes’ situation. Same goes for Hautelook browsing and blog reading. I cut myself off at the same time every morning, and then it’s just Spotify, Audible or a mood-boosting podcast as background while I get ready.
Master your ‘five minute face’. My everyday look: a natural-finish foundation or multi-tasking CC cream/tinted moisturizer; bronzer blended along the tops of my cheeks, temples and hairline and swept onto my eyelids for quick definition; defined brows (I’m loving this tinted fiber gel that fills and sets in a quick swipe); a cream highlight on the high-points of my face; a light dusting of a peachy-beige blush; lots of black mascara; and a long-wearing nude lip liner with balm dabbed on top. Every woman needs an everyday ‘signature’ beauty routine that makes her feel confident and put-together in minimal time, and it’s different for everyone: one of my girlfriends can do perfect winged liner in 30 seconds, and another wears next-to-nothing and always looks fresh faced and beautiful. Just remember, now is not the time to try the new contouring technique you watched on YouTube last night or play with new products; stick to what you know and save the experimentation for when you have at least an hour to dedicate to your makeup.
Figure out your uniform. My weekday OOTDs are basically variations of three simple combos: 1.) high-waist skinny jeans + boxy tee/boyfriend shirt; 2.) doubled-up denim, or 3.) a monochromatic outfit; usually all black, blue or olive green. Find a few outfits you love that are practical for your lifestyle, and stock your closet with pieces that fit into those ‘recipes’ in different colors, prints, and textures. Having a few go-to everyday uniforms majorly cuts down on the time you spend picking out outfits in the morning.
Keep your closet organized and tidy. Of course, none of that matters if you can’t find your clothes! I try to set aside a few hours every Sunday to tackle the laundry and put everything back in my closet so I’m ready for the week. When I’m feeling extra productive, I iron my button-downs and dresses before I hang them so I can just grab and go, or pull together a few outfits and hang them together so I don’t have to think about what to wear in the morning. For inspiration, check out these 20 ideas for organizing your bedroom closet.
Make breakfast simple. I keep my freezer stocked with frozen coffee cubes for quick and easy iced coffee — I love insulated Corkcicle tumblers to keep drinks ice cold all day — then I quickly spread some peanut or almond butter on multigrain rice cakes and grab a banana on my way out the door.
For more helpful habits, check out WWW’s 5 things you should do every Sunday to reset for the week ahead!
{Featured Image Source: Inslee Haynes }
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on the blog on 9/28/15. It’s three years later and I’m still trying to become a morning person. I updated the original post to include my current favorite products and changes to my routine.
What do you think?