How To Be Able To Sleep In Later Every Morning

I've made it my business to prepare myself each night in order to be able to sleep in as long as possible in the morning, even if all that means is an extra five minutes. I am not a morning person, and when it comes to sleep, every little second counts, much more so than the things I could be doing with those seconds if I were awake. When I was a teenager, in the winter, I would shower before bed, put on my school shirt and tights, and go to bed. In the morning all I would have to do was add my blazer, kilt and shoes, and I was out the door. It was literally a two-minute morning routine, allowing me to sleep until mere moments before I needed to be on the school bus. If you ask me, it was genius.

So really, all you need to do to maximize your time in the bed every morning is employ some clever methods in oder to be able to jump up and get straight to it without dawdling. Although I wouldn't suggest not showering in the morning (it might have played for a teenage me but we're all adults here and a morning shower is essential). So if you're like me and live by the general principle of "f*ck the worm—I'll be the late bird and have whatever's left", then these tips for preparing for the morning the night before should be of use to you.

1. Wash your hair

If you have a medium amount to a lot of hair, washing it is time-consuming, not in the least because after you've shampooed and conditioned, you have to also blow-dry and style. At a minimum, that's got to be at least 20 minutes that you could save yourself in the morning by doing it the night before. That way, in the morning, all you'll need are a few touch-ups (or if you're an angel whose hair stays perfect even when you sleep on it, then you can just get up and go), giving you that extra 20 minutes to lie in! It's math, people.

2. Pick your outfit

A lot of time can be spent digging through a wardrobe, trying on this and that, being dissatisfied, and starting again. You can save yourself the trauma of morning outfit indecision, and the time-consuming nature of fickly hating everything in your wardrobe, by deciding what you're going to wear the night before. If the weather is uncertain, just have two options ready to go and voila! All you need to do when you rise is shower and dress—no thinking required!

3. Iron your outfit!

Once you've picked your outfit (or two outfit options), make sure everything is pressed and lint rolled. There's nothing worse than feeling like you're on top of everything only to find you're a crinkly mess when you get dressed. Shave precious minutes off your conscious hours by making sure your clothes are clean, pressed, and lint-free the night before.

4. Eat breakfast on the run

It goes without saying that you should always have breakfast. They don't call it the most important meal of the day for no reason, do they? But if you can eat and walk, then you're in luck! You can save yourself valuable time in the morning by forgoing a sit down breakfast of eggs or cereal and taking your toast, granola bar, banana or nuts on the run. Take your nuts on the run, friends.

5. Make your lunch

If you're the kind of person that wants to avoid buying ridiculously expensive salads or succumbing to the draw of $1 slice at lunch time when you're at work, then you're going to take your own food. It's healthy and economical, and I support it. But there's nothing worse than fumbling around the kitchen in the morning, trying to get your lunch for the day ready, wishing you were still in bed, except maybe for being starving at work and wishing you hadn't chosen to stay in bed rather than get up and make yourself a damn sammich. Whether you're putting leftovers into serving size containers, or making a sandwich, or whatever your preferred homemade lunch meal is, do it the night before. And then sleep in, dreaming of the delicious food you're going to eat in a few hours.

6. Have all your errands in order

When you say things like, "I'll take out the trash in the morning," you're setting yourself up for failure. Do all the little things you think you'll do tomorrow before you go to bed, and your mornings will be infinitely more relaxing. Instead of forcing yourself out of bed to drop off your laundry or do the dishes, get all that stuff out of the way the night before. That way you can hit snooze a few more times with a little less guilt.

Images: Loren Kerns/Flickr; Giphy (6)