Probably the most dreaded time of the day, for the majority of people, is the morning. We wish to stay in our comfy bed, but the alarm clock doesn’t agree. Several failed snooze attempts and a glance at the clock later, we realize we are late, again.

Most people go through this routine daily. We struggle to take a fresh, active start in the morning but usually end up barely making on time. Getting up late inevitably means getting behind schedule for work.

But what if we tell you that isn’t true? What if we say that we have some pretty smart ways to save time in the mornings and make sure you reach work on time? In the read ahead, we outline some easy ways to save you some time in the morning when you are running late:

1. Iron Clothes for The Next Day:

Waking up late and then wasting time on ironing clothes is a bad call. Make sure you pick out your outfit a day before and iron it. Ironing clothesin the morning will only waste time. Also, who likes doing as boring a chore as ironing right after waking up? Nobody.

You can also select a day in the week for ironing all your clothes for work. Select your outfits for the entire week, iron them and hang them in the cupboard.

2. Don’t Check Your Phone:

With the constant presence of mobile phones in our lives, it is the first thing we look at right after we open our eyes in the morning. Going through the phone while laying in bed is everyone’s guilty pleasure. Sometimes this habit is so addictive, you must check the phone even when you know you are running late.

To make sure you don’t waste anytime in the morning, cut down on this habit. Make sure when you wake up, you get out of bed instantly and hit the shower. This way you will ensure no time is wasted scrolling uselessly through your phone.

3. Have a ‘Running-Late’ Face Routine:

This one’s for the ladies. It gets super confusing to dress up when getting late. You want to be on time but of course, can’t look bad either. For days when there is little or no time in the morning, pick out a few essential facial cleansing and makeup items. These items should be the ones you could use to easily prep your face and run to work.

4. Skip a Lengthy Breakfast:

That doesn’t mean you skip breakfast altogether. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should never be skipped. However, you can make yourself an easy but nutritious breakfast and have it on the go. Some simple yet nutritious breakfast ideas would be to cook an easy oatmeal bowl with berries, chia-pudding with pineapples, granola bars, etc. Make sure you plan at nigh what to have in breakfast the next day so that time is not wasted in guessing what to make.

5. Have a Morning Playlist:

Music has an instant effect on the mood. Play some upbeat, fast music and see how your body responds by being more hyped and excited. One way to save time in the morning is to avoid laziness. Dragging yourself up and sitting on the corner of the bed, motivating yourself to get up will only waste more time.

Select a morning playlist with your favorite cheerful songs and kick away the slouchy, lazy mood. Having a get-up-and-go attitude will let you get more things done in less time.

6. Let Some Sunlight In:

The sunlight is known to wake a person’s brain better than the lights in our rooms. So, make sure when you wake up, pull away the blinds to let in some of that bright sunshine. This will help brighten up your mood and get rid of the laziness.

One other idea is to sleep withthe curtains slightly open. This way as the sun comes up it will automatically shine some light through your window. This will also help wake you up on time. It will just be your natural alarm clock, one that you can’t snooze.

7. Exercise in Bed:

If you are someone who wants to incorporate working out in their routine but can’t because of time restraints, simple, easy stretches right after you wake up are your best bet. Use your bed as an exercise mat and do some simple stretches. This will also pump up your mood for the day and chuck out some of that morning weariness.

Avoiding extensive workout routines in the mornings will save you time. You can instead incorporate some simple and easy workout ideas while being at work to stay active and healthy.

8. Make Lunch the Night Before:

Be it for yourself or the kids, pick out some easy lunch ideas that can be cooked in a jiffy without wasting time. We, however, advise you skip making the lunch in the morning altogether.

Make lunch for yourself the night before, keep it in a box and refrigerate it. In the morning, right before you leave, just chuck it in your bag and go.

Spending time in the morning cooking up a lunch meal will only eat up your essential time.

9. Pack Your Bag Beforehand:

Scrambling around the place, searching for the keys or your wallet will take up a lot of your time. It may seem something petty but is a time killer especially when you are late, and the panic wave has hit.

Make sure all your mandatory stuff is in a bag, so that all you must do is get ready, pick the bag and leave. There shouldn’t be any unnecessary time wasted searching for items that can easily be sorted a day before.

10. Sleep Early:

This has to be the most important tip. You are bound to wake up late and slouchy if you sleep late the night before. Waking up with a tired mind will only make your mornings worse. Set up a very strict sleeping routine and make sure you are in bed by that time. This is inevitable for an active and fast morning routine.

As dreaded as mornings are, they can be made pleasant and cheerful by making use of some smart tips. Make sure your all your work is done beforehand, so that in the morning you only get to dress up, eat and go to work. This will help you feel more relaxed and make your mornings more enjoyable.