Waking up
The hardest part about getting up in the morning is actually being awake. I’m pretty notorious for sleeping through my alarms, so trying to wake up and stay awake is the hardest task of the morning. One thing that has helped me a lot is setting multiple alarms at close intervals, so my brain doesn’t have the chance to go back to sleep. Also having an alarm clock other than your phone ensures at least one will go off if your phone malfunctions. Having it on the other side of the room forces you to get out of bed to turn off the alarm, wakes up the brain, and makes it almost impossible to go back to sleep.
If you have a window in your room, try keeping the curtains open so your brain is tricked into waking up when the natural light comes into your room.
I find the best way to get up is by getting a “morning person” in my house to come in and wake me up, but that isn’t realistic in many households.
Rituals
After waking up, we need to find a way to get things done and get out of the house or dorm room. One thing that helps me is having small rituals I do every day to make sure I stay on task and feel alive and ready to take on the day. It’s pretty common for me to forget every single thing I need to do in the morning, since every day requires different things. So, there have been days when I’ve forgotten my glasses or lost my DalCard or even didn’t charge my headphones.
One hack I use to avoid days like that is to write down all the things I need to complete before I leave my house. And I mean everything. From brushing my teeth to packing my bag to remembering to put on socks. If you’re in a panic to rush out the door in the morning, you’re guaranteed to forget something.
The first thing to go on my list if I’m running out of time is breakfast— finding easy things to make in the morning or even preparing breakfast the night before. My go-to breakfasts when I’m in a hurry are muffins, bananas, yogurt bowls, and peanut and butter sandwiches.
I’m not a pleasant person in the morning, so coffee is the Number 1 necessity. Having it as soon as I wake up is the best way for me to get up and ready to go—even if it hasn’t kicked in yet, it gives me a placebo effect that I need to be awake. For those who don’t like the taste of coffee, other healthy alternatives are lemon water, green tea, and matcha.
Getting out
Now that everything has been done to feel ready to face the day it's time to be productive. The best way I find to get up and feel motivated in the morning is to have something scheduled that I have to go to. It’s obviously easiest if there’s school or work scheduled, but sometimes that’s not the case and there has to be something else to fill the mornings. I suggest going out for a walk to get some fresh air. Music is one of my favourite things, so a walk while listening to my morning playlist is one of the only things that makes me love the morning.
I can’t do homework in the morning unless I leave my house, so scheduling a trip to the library or a workroom at school is always helpful. I’ve also made a specific time twice a week this semester to go to the gym, and made it a part of my school schedule.
If all else fails, you could just get a pet so you’re forced to get up in the morning to feed and walk your new best friend.