Essential wake-up habits that will keep you energized and productive!

This post is all about improving your morning routine for school.

Having a healthy morning routine for school is probably one of the biggest challenges you’ll face in college.

Let’s face it:

You’ve got more assignments than you can keep up with.

You’re trying to maintain a vibrant social life.

And we can’t forget about your job, team and extracurriculars that eat up your time.

Late nights are a norm. You’re tired in the mornings. You don’t have time to maintain a good morning routine before school.

But what if it wasn’t that hard?

Trust me, I was NOT a morning person before college. Even my freshman year, mornings were my least productive time of day and my biggest weakness. None of the common tips that I found in a million places online ever worked for me.

But now?

I’ve found the exact tips that are ACTUALLY EFFECTIVE for college students who can’t seem to master their morning. I seriously can’t imagine not implementing these tips that I’m about to share with you. Now that I’ve discovered them, I’ll never go back!

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MORNING ROUTINE FOR SCHOOL ESSENTIALS:

1. Stop using your phone as an alarm clock!

First of all, it’s way too easy to hit snooze on your phone (seriously, at one point, I was consistently hitting the snooze button in my sleep and NOT waking up).

Secondly, the temptation to immediately scroll through social media is way too real if it’s already in your hand.

I used to think that scrolling through my phone first thing in the morning would wake me up. Right? Wrong.

Instead, I found an alarm clock that works for me. Does it have the most annoying sound ever? Absolutely. But that’s the magic.

It turns off automatically after a minute of beeping. I don’t even have to get out of bed, but by the time it’s done screaming at me, trust me, I’m up.

So, find an alarm clock that works for you. It makes a world of a difference!

[RELATED POST – How to Wake Up On Time For Your Morning Class]

2. Get some light going

Getting some light on as soon as possible will help you wake up so much quicker.

You can keep a lamp next to your bed that’s easy to flick on, or make yourself get up and walk across the room to turn on the light if that wakes you up more.

But here’s my best recommendation:

My alarm clock also functions as a light, and it turns on automatically for whatever time I set it to. So, I set it to turn on five minutes before my alarm goes off. By the time I wake up, it’s fully on (and it’s bright enough to light up my room). So, waking up just comes naturally.

Light-up alarm clocks are generally quite expensive, but I use this budget-friendly one that is beyond effective. It’s still a bit of an investment, but it’s seriously worth it. I’m not kidding when I tell you that this clock made me a morning person!

3. Spray your face

Spritz your face with some water or a face mist when you wake up! Not only is this refreshing, it gives your body a sensory signal that your rest time is over and it’s time to get up and at ‘em.

With a face spray, you don’t have to actually drag yourself to the bathroom to splash water on your face so that you can wake up. That’s a lot more energy and effort than I have to offer at 7 in the morning.

If you’ve been around the iamlvd community for a while, you’ll know that I am an advocate of spraying your face the minute you wake up.

Here are my favourite face mists that also have a subtle scent to them. I love scented face mists because the more senses you engage, the easier it will be to wake up. (If you’re sensitive to scents, you can always just fill a spray bottle with some water and spritz your face with that.)

4. Hydrate immediately

Obviously, drinking water as soon as you wake up is super healthy.

It’s said to get your metabolism going, and being hydrated just energizes you in general.

This is especially important if you’re a coffee drinker. Get some water in you before you dehydrate yourself with caffeine!

This is also a habit that just energizes you instantly. Wash away that morning breath and get your body engaged!

I like drinking cold water first thing in the morning, so I fill this ThermoFlask up with cold water the night before and keep it next to my bed. In the morning, it’s still cold. If you prefer warm or hot water, this will work the same way. Just fill it with whatever temperature water you prefer, and by the morning, it will still be the temperature of your preference!

5. Set a screen time alarm

You’ve probably heard people say not to get on your phone first thing in the morning.

Why does this matter?

Your day will genuinely be a lot better if you spend the first few minutes (at least) understanding how YOU’RE feeling rather than filling your mind with everyone else’s voices via social media.

So, what I like to do is set a screen time alarm.

If my alarm clock is waking me up at 7am, I’ll set a second alarm on my phone for 7:30 which indicates that I can then pick up my phone.

From 7-7:30, I’m usually journaling, praying, reading the Bible, or — if I’m being honest — staring at the wall.

6. Make some killer coffee

Don’t you love having GOOD coffee that you look forward to drinking?

Invest in a coffee maker that’s easy to use (and small to store, if you’re in a dorm). If you’re a hardcore coffee drinker like me, then having coffee that’s easy to access will be a critical part of your morning routine.

One of the easiest ways to make coffee is with a french press (and it’s most practical for a dorm room, too, in my opinion). They’re extremely inexpensive, and the only other thing you need is a kettle. Oh, and a mug.

Personally, I don’t like Keurig coffees. But they are extremely practical for dorm rooms. And on days where coffee is more of an urgent necessity than a casual pleasure, this is the machine I use and recommend for dorm rooms:

7. Indulge in some morning media

It might be a good playlist, it might be a good podcast. Morning media can make or break your morning.

Have some go-to playlists and podcasts that you can head to every morning. You can listen while you’re washing your face, doing your makeup, making your bed, making your coffee, getting dressed, or doing anything else to prepare for your day.

Music and podcasts really wake up your mind and make your morning fun!

8. Check off one to-do list item immediately

As soon as you’re done with your morning routine, do one thing from your to-do list immediately.

Here’s why:

Getting one essential task done first thing in the morning gives you a sense of accomplishment and skyrockets your productivity.

In my own experience, the most productive days are the days where I get one task done immediately after my morning routine. The snowball effect takes over and before I know it, it’s 5pm and my whole to do list is done. I can relax, have a good evening, avoid a painful all-nighter, and wake up the next day even more energized.

What does this mean for you?

You might consider picking one item every evening that you’re going to do the next day as soon as your morning routine is over. That way, you won’t have to think about what you’re going to do; you can just hit the ground running and set the tone for the rest of your day.

It works. It’s real.

Which of these tips are you going to add to your morning routine checklist?

This post was all about improving your morning routine for school.

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