When writing this article, I decided on several occasions that I would work on it “in the morning.” Yet every word you’re reading was written in the late afternoon or evening, if not past midnight. No one actually wants to get work done in the morning, it’s just what we tell ourselves when we don’t want to work at night. So we promise ourselves, swear up and down that we’ll wake up early in the morning and finish that assignment, edit that report, or do that one part of the project. But no one wakes up early, and no work gets done.

     Despite the apparent impossibility of it, you can make your mornings more productive. It’s not realistic to expect a perfectly organized morning routine, but you can learn to help yourself and others before the noon bells ring.

Waking Up:

     The hardest part of waking up is just that, waking up. We are ever tempted to hit the snooze button, close our eyes for “2 more seconds,” or turn the light on while staring at our phones. But to get anything done at the beginning of the day, you have to start the day. The best option is likely to set multiple alarms so you can’t snooze for long. You may even want to put your alarm clock or phone far away from your bed so you have to get moving to get peace.

     If you’re not a morning person, these ideas might get you out of bed, but not in a good mood. So look for little things to make your mornings more fun so you can be happy and productive. Make your alarm your favorite song, queue up an episode of a show you like the night before, read your horoscope, check TikTok to see if Noodles is having a bones day; whatever you like, just something that puts a smile on your face so you can start the day with a spring in your step.

Energy Boosting:

     No matter what the 90s comedy routines or early 2000s webcomics tell you, coffee is not a necessity for life. But it does help.

     Coffee isn’t the only energy-boosting drink in the world though. For your morning pick me up, you might prefer tea or an energy drink, maybe something as simple as Gatorade or juice, or even just a cold glass of water. Whatever it may be, your mornings will be more productive if you give yourself an energy boost. It doesn’t have to be a traditional coffee or breakfast; maybe soda helps you wake up, maybe you like mac and cheese instead of scrambled eggs. Point is; if you really want to get going in the morning, find something that’ll give you an energy boost.

Plans and Goals:

     A major issue with making morning plans is that they are unrealistic. No one can write a whole essay in the 2 hours before school starts, no one can read an entire book during their half-hour commute, and nobody can review pages of reports 15 minutes after getting out of bed. It’s just not logical, but there are better ways to get things done. For one, don’t procrastinate. No matter how many tips and tricks you use, anything done before 7 am is not your best work. Instead, use the morning as a time to get extra work done, rather than cramming in work last second. It may help you to set reminders on your phone or leave notes for yourself letting you know what you want to get done in the morning. A daily planner may also help with this.

     As in all things, being productive in the morning comes down to realism. If you say you’re going to get piles of work done before you brush your teeth, you’re gonna psyche yourself out and forget to even do that. But if you say you’re going to get one page of work done, or read one chapter, study one lesson, then you will both make progress in your school, work, and hobbies, but also set a tone that will leave you feeling refreshed and prepared for the day.

     Mornings are tough, but so’s life. And if having a morning of getting work done makes it a little easier, there’s no harm in putting a little effort in. So turn off that alarm, down a Monster Energy, and get moving early so you have more time for fun during the day. Because isn’t that all work is? Something we put a lot of effort into now so we can slack off later?