07/ 05/ 2007
Beating those early morning blues
Getting up and getting started in the morning can be a real drag, right? Especially the day after a holiday from work.
Early mornings can be a drag. But if you plan your mornings right, you can use those early hours to get a head start on the rest of your day. Here, then, is a potpourri of suggestions you can use to help banish those early morning blues forever.
The night before
- A good morning begins the evening before. Avoid stress during the hours leading up to bedtime. Excessive evening stress diminishes a good night's sleep.
- Prepare your morning routine the evening before. This might involve nothing more than planning simple breakfast menus, laying out clothing or setting the table for breakfast.
- Prepare a to-do list for the following day.
- Avoid heavy foods, alcohol and caffeine before bedtime. They inhibit good sleep and can make you groggy the next day.
- Get the same amount of sleep every night. This usually means going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, even on weekends.
- Get the right amount of sleep. If you're not sure how much sleep you need, vary your bedtime over a period of four or five weeks. When you find yourself feeling refreshed throughout the day, you've probably discovered your optimum sleep time. Researchers, incidentally, say that most people need about seven hours of sleep a night.
Starting the day
- Rise by the alarm clock. If the alarm isn't enough to get you up and going, hook your alarm to a tape of early morning sounds, a favorite radio station or even a pre-recorded tape of your favorite sayings. Try placing the alarm clock across the room or in the corridor to force yourself out of bed.
- Since most people have an easier time rising when it's light, hook your alarm up to a light or dimmer switch that turns on as the day draws near.
- If you're not a "morning person," give yourself extra time to rise and shine.
- Perform some simple exercises after getting out of bed. Stretching exercises or running in place, for instance, will help boost your energy level.
- Assign simple tasks to every family member. One member might take out the trash, for example. Another might clean the kitchen after breakfast.
- Make your early morning time work for you and your family by placing instructional tapes or novels-on-cassette in the bathroom or car.
- If your morning schedule varies from day to day, be sure that you post the schedule in a prominent place and make adjustments in your morning routine as necessary. For instance, if a child has to be in school early on Wednesdays, that's a signal to begin the day a bit earlier than usual.
- If you've got to confront any problems or urgent needs—like coaching your child for a test or making an appointment for later in the day—handle them as quickly as possible.
- Don't leave morning cleanup until later. Do the breakfast dishes after breakfast, pick up wayward clothes and give the furniture a light dusting if needed.
- Glean the morning news from one of the popular early morning television news shows. You'll keep up to date on local and national affairs and get ideas to talk about during casual conversation throughout the day.
- Check the traffic and weather conditions through radio or television. You'll avoid traffic snarls and remember that all-important rain gear as a result.
- Make the morning a pleasurable time for your children by leaving simple cartoons, drawings or notes for them at the breakfast table.
- Designate one place in your living room or foyer as a "collection point" for lunches, school papers, errand notes and other items that you or members of your family might need before leaving the house.
- Try to leave at least a few minutes of "reserve time" at the start of the day. You'll be able to spend this time on unanticipated problems, enjoy a second cup of coffee or ponder the activities of the day.
Eating right
- Always eat a good breakfast. Many researchers say that a healthy breakfast boosts performance throughout the day. And there's a lot of evidence that an ample, well-balanced breakfast prevents food binges during the day and helps stabilize weight.
- If you have trouble squeezing time in for breakfast, try simple combinations like granola and yogurt, cereal and bananas, smoothies and breakfast sandwiches.
- Don't hesitate to use leftovers for breakfast to save time. Foods like pizza and chicken, while not traditional breakfast fare, give you the energy boost you need in the morning.
- Get your breakfast ingredients ready the evening before.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So keep a nutrition chart handy to make sure you're drawing nutrients from every food group.
- Make simple preparations for dinner: Take things out of the freezer and arrange dinner items on the kitchen shelf.
Preparing for work
- Use your travel time to listen to tapes/CDs in the car.
- If you have unpleasant tasks facing you at work, mentally rehearse your handling of these tasks—and then get them out of the way as soon as you get to the office.
- Ditto for trivia. Get your telephone calls, filing and other minutiae cleared up at the start of the day.
- Make a list of the people you must see or talk with during the day—and set time aside to make contact.
- Be sure that your to-do list and appointment calendar are up-to-date.
- Post important reminders on a bulletin board in your home or office and check it at the beginning of each day.
- Clear your desk of papers and problems, and you'll feel more prepared to deal with the tasks confronting you during the day. If you find yourself swamped with projects from days past, block out time for these.
In today's hectic world, getting a head start on the day is indeed a challenge. But meeting this challenge isn't as hard as it seems. A few minutes invested in early morning planning and preparation can pay real dividends, resulting in higher energy, increased confidence and a tremendous sense of accomplishment throughout the day that follows.
