Can someone please explain to me why the “Snooze” button is even a thing? And while you’re at it, please elaborate on why you spend 45 minutes in the “twilight zone” between hitting the snooze button rather than just sleeping later and getting up the moment your alarm goes off.
Okay, if you’ll stop rationalizing your recurring morning struggles for a moment, I’ll go ahead and tip you off on the real secret to better mornings: create predictable cues for your body to follow. It’s really quite simple and even implementing just a few of these tactics will help you sleep later and get out the door quicker.
Wake Up with the Sun
Believe it or not, your body’s “clock” is largely dependent on light for direction. Similar to how many experts recommend turning off lights and avoiding bright screens close to bed time, it helps to avoid darkness close to “wakeup time.” If you’re lucky enough to have a window in your bedroom, this is as simple as leaving the blinds open before you get in bed. If you don’t have windows, or you wake up before the sun does, try using an alarm clock that mimics the sun as a gradually increasing source of light. You’ll be amazed at how you’ll begin waking up more alert and ready to go.
Eat a Big, Badass Breakfast
Women learned a long time ago that men are slaves to good meals and most types of sex. Unless you’re that mythical unicorn with a girlfriend willing to have sex with you at the same time every morning, you should get in the habit of eating something you love immediately after getting out of bed. My personal favorite is the breakfast taco. NOTE: If you’re anything like me, it will be hard to get into the habit of firing up the stove right after rolling out of bed. So here’s a pro-tip: start by making breakfast tacos ahead of time and storing them in the fridge. Then, all you have to do is wake up and put them in the microwave. When you finally get your body used to eating a big, burly meal early in the morning, you’re stomach will start waking you up before the alarm even goes off.
Get a Programmable Coffee Maker
I once made the mistake of visiting a Bath & Body Works. Upon entering, I was immediately overcome by a smorgasbord of pungent products which (amongst other things) promised better sleep, sex, and state-of-mind. I’m not sure about any of those things, but scent can certainly assist in waking you up. For me, this discovery was made after I became the owner of a programmable automatic coffee maker. Feeling rather clever, I had the idea to program the machine to brew a small batch of coffee about 7 minutes before my alarm clock was set to go off. The results have been unexpectedly awesome. My body now springs to life the moment coffee aroma fills my apartment. Starting at around $20, this is an important investment to make into a better morning routine. Not sure if you’ll share my results exactly, but, hey, at least you’ll wake up with a cup of coffee waiting for you.
Play Cool Music Loudly
Inspired by Will Smith in his classic role from I, Robot, loud, upbeat motown music has been a part of my morning routine for years. I use Pandora’s programmable alarm clock feature (on the app) to stream music to my JamBox. Not sure if this will actually help program your body to wake up in the morning automatically, but it certainly makes everything a lot more fun.
