Streamlining Morning Routines

Do you like to streamline your morning routine? I do.
This thread is where we share our tips for simplifying our mornings.
What do you do?
How does this improve your mornings?

A few things that I do:
1 - wake up naturally
2 - pass on coffee in favor of a liter of water
3 - take rapid showers
4 - pick out clothing in advance
5 - get a no-fuss professional haircut
6 - make lunches in advance

1 - It sounds counterintuitive, but it really makes a big difference for me to wake up naturally. I am far more alert and functional in the morning if I allow my body to complete its sleep cycle rather than waking up to some arbitrary time by an alarm. It makes up for as much as a half-hour difference in wake-up time. My body is trained to wake up at around 5:30 or 6am naturally. My daughter also has this same internal clock, so if for some reason I'm likely to sleep in, she will wake me up anyway - mama senses make waking up by her clock almost as effective as waking up on my own internal clock. If I have something really important in the morning that I can't miss then I'll usually still set an alarm, just so I don't wake up in the middle of the night worried about it. But honestly, I haven't used an alarm in a while and I'm a happier person because of it.

2 - Yeah, I know you depend on coffee. But honestly, it's a horrible habit that does more harm for you than good. Kick it. Get your body really moving in the morning by properly hydrating yourself. Water makes me feel invigorated, makes my bowel movements painless, and gets rid of minor sinus congestion.

3 - The biggest and most useful one is taking a rapid shower. The skill comes in handy not just in the mornings, but also when I'm suddenly and inexplicably covered from head to toe in baby poop, spitup, and other mommy-messes - and I need to rush out the door to a performance where I need to look halfway presentable. I chose a shampoo that also works quite well as a soap for the rest of my body so I can quite literally wash from head to toe in one fell swoop with the suds from hair-washing.

4 - I pick out a few outfits over the weekend and put them on hangers so I can grab & go throughout the week.

5 - I can't express how much I enjoy looking professional when I do absolutely nothing to my hair. Find someone who can do a great job with your natural hair, and go with it.

6 - If I make all of my lunches for the week on Sunday, I can just grab and go in the morning. Way less worry.

 

I shower at night to take care of all the things that take a bit more time--shaving my legs, washing my hair, etc. I don't wash my hair if I shower in the mornings because it takes FOREVER to dry, and I don't want to spend my morning time giving myself a blowout. It's next to impossible to get my natural hair to look professional without some kind of styling implement or effort on my part, regardless of cut, as it's thick, coarse, curly in some spots, but straight in others. My morning shower is usually a combo of soaping up, washing my face, and brushing my teeth in under 5 minutes (I have a timer).

I enjoy coffee too much to give it up, so I have a programmable coffeemaker, and I set it up before I go to bed. Waking up to a fresh pot is lovely.

I also wake up naturally. I usually wake up somewhere from 5:45-6.

I sometimes make my breakfast the night before. I whip up a smoothie, put it in a mason jar, and leave it in the fridge for the next morning.

I also pack my bag for work the night before.

I have a great makeup routine for no-makeup makeup that takes less than 5 minutes to get done and only a handful of products (NYX eye primer, MAC Paints in Untitled, concealer, CoverGirl Clump Crusher, and Revlon Matte Balm in Elusive). Easy-peasy. It also makes a great base if I redo my makeup for night later in the day.

I buy microwave Indian meals from Trader Joe's for lunches, or take leftovers.

I make sure I have outfits for the week ready to go on Sunday night.

I am like Mister Rogers--when I get home from work, I change clothes. I hang up my cardigans in the closet to be worn again, and fold up my dress slacks on my bedroom chair to be worn again. I usually wear these items twice before washing. Doing this means that they are wrinkle-free for a second wear.

 

I often shower at night for the same reasons as above. Usually when I need to have a quick morning routine it is when I am in a hotel, so my clothes are already laid out. Usually one of my first steps after checking into a room is to hang up my clothes, or at least drape them over furniture so they aren't wrinkled.

If I shower the night before, I can be up and out in under 20 minutes when necessary. I usually try to give myself 45-60 though, just so I can have a few minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee or ease into the morning.

 

To be fair, I've never been a coffee person, and my husband who is very much a coffee-drinker refuses to try drinking copious amounts of water in the morning. I won't blame anyone for keeping up with their coffee habit.

I never really feel clean the next day when I shower at night. I do it occasionally, but it just doesn't work. It's probably because I cuddle with a morning-showering man. I wake up feeling like I smell of his BO (whether I actually do or don't is immaterial).

 

I usually have a cup of coffee and a liter of water in the morning. Most hotels I stay at give you two free bottles at check in. I actually have my Hilton Rewards set up to give me the two bottles of water on each stay instead of a handful of bonus points.

At home I always have a 32oz water handy.

Though coffee is usually part of my routine, I typically only drink a cup a day most days. Maybe 1-2 days per week I'll have a second cup. I very rarely exceed that. In general I try to do no caffeine after noon.

 

I shower at night and in the morning. I've found that a a short shower at night helps me sleep and frankly, takes the same amount of time that washing my face does. I'll shower a little longer at night if I'm shaving my legs. If I'm washing my hair, I usually wash it in the afternoon as soon as I get home from work, and take that as my evening shower.

I have to moderate my fluid intake. Since I had kidney stones a few years back, I can no longer hold it like I used to. My job means that I sometimes can't take a bathroom break for a couple of hours, and I certainly don't get to get up and go whenever the urge strikes. I usually have a cup of coffee at home, another at work, and then switch to water or green tea for the rest of the day, but I have to be conscientious about how much I consume.