Getting up in the morning

August 17, 2008 6:13 AM

Does anyone have tips for a speedier getting-up routine in the morning?

It seems each day at least half an hour is spent flossing, brushing, shaving, showering, etc. I absolutely hate doing these same tasks day in, day out, and I was wondering if anyone had ways of speeding up the process?

I've started to shave in the evenings just before bed as I'm more 'accurate' than first thing in the morning with bleary eyes, and the rule seems to be that what takes five minutes in the evening takes at least ten minutes in the morning.

Are there any devices and/or tricks you use to be up and ready in the minimum amount of time? (I'm just glad I don't have to apply make-up!)

posted by stenoboy to health & fitness (21 comments total)

Put out your clothes in the evening. Have a very organized bathroom. Do two things at once: brush teeth while hair is getting wet, for example.
posted by k8t at 6:21 AM on August 17, 2008

For me shaving, brushing etc is part of the morning ritual, I don't feel fully prepared to meet the outside world without having done all that, so I just wake up a little earlier :)
posted by the_ancient_mariner at 6:23 AM on August 17, 2008

When I have a job that necessitates early rising (not a morning person doesn't even begin to describe it) I over the course of a couple weeks work my morning routine down to a science. If I wake up at this time, it takes me EXACTLY 9 minutes to shower, EXACTLY 2 minutes to put on my shoes, etc etc etc.. If I remember correctly I would wake up at 6:47, be out of the house by 7:13 to catch the train at 7:18. It's a bit of a daredevil way of going about it, but it works.
posted by mediocre at 6:24 AM on August 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

I brush my teeth in the shower while the water is getting warm.
posted by proj at 6:26 AM on August 17, 2008

- Definitely lay out everything and do as much as you can the evening before.
- Go to bed earlier than you think you should. You'll be much happier.
- Maintain the same or similar schedule every day if you can. Monday's will be easier if you do this.
- Jump out of bed when your alarm goes off - no snooze button.
- On the weekends: iron shirts, shine shoes, and do laundry so you won't have to deal with it during the week.
- Keep the evening preparation as simple as you can, as it's no fun to feel like you're always in some state of getting ready for work.
- Side note: I've had excellent luck with the (women's version) of Brooks Brothers non-iron shirts. No hassle.
posted by belau at 6:50 AM on August 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

Lots of people in other cultures bathe before going to bed instead of the morning after, and that saves time and is relaxing the night before for a good night's sleep. If hair is a concern, wetting it in the sink in the morning and styling it then still takes less time.
posted by Ky at 6:53 AM on August 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm not worth anything till I've had my morning coffee, so that's part of my routine. I have a coffee maker with a timer on it and make it the night before. It's really nice waking up to a fresh pot of coffee already made and waiting for you.
posted by NoraCharles at 6:58 AM on August 17, 2008

On weekend mornings when I have to be out of the house at oh dark thirty for horse show ad duty I shower the night before, have my clothes out and ready to go, and do a quick electric shave in the morning. I'm ready to go in less than 10 minutes. It helps that my hair is short enough that 8 hours on the pillow has no effect on how it looks.

Or, you could become a hippie and not worry about the shaving and showering ;)
posted by COD at 7:20 AM on August 17, 2008

If you shave your head you needn't wash your hair.
If you grow a beard you needn't shave every day.
If you go commando, and wear sandals, that's three less items of clothing you need to fuck about with.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:44 AM on August 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

Lots of people in other cultures bathe before going to bed instead of the morning after, and that saves time and is relaxing the night before for a good night's sleep. If hair is a concern, wetting it in the sink in the morning and styling it then still takes less time.

Possibly a derail, but is this definitely considered something people of "other cultures" do?? I have always taken my showers at night, as has everyone in my family. When I was in a college dorm situation and sharing a shower with 7 other women, they wanted to create a shower schedule for the morning, and I do remember being the only one who took my showers at night, but no one acted like it was particularly strange. Can someone shed some light on this?

And, to prevent this comment from being totally worthless to the asker -- I recommend taking your shower the night before! I think it keeps your sheets cleaner anyway... and obviously saves a lot of time in the morning.
posted by srrh at 8:10 AM on August 17, 2008

I shave in the shower. Gives me a closer shave and saves me a couple of minutes.
Gym bag is packed the night before.
I keep a shoe 'quick-shine' sponge in my office at work so I can touch up my shoes AFTER the commute.
posted by matty at 8:28 AM on August 17, 2008

It seems each day at least half an hour is spent flossing, brushing, shaving, showering, etc.

I think a big part of it is that you're tired. I used to get up at 6am every day, and it took me an hour to get ready... Which consisted of about 20 minutes worth of preparation and 40 minutes of struggling to stay awake/alert. (The shower was particularly bad, as it's soothing and totally conducive to just standing there.)

I found that if I slept in an extra 20 minutes or so, I'd have to 'rush' a little more, and I was still ready by the same time. Whether the extra sleep mattered, or it was just that I rushed, I don't know.

But yeah, get everything ready at night, so that your morning routine is just speeding through steps that you prepared the night before.

If you floss at night, is there a reason to floss in the morning? (And flossing at night is certainly preferable, since it's eight hours less of stuff on your teeth.) Brushing, most certainly an important part of a morning routine.
posted by fogster at 8:53 AM on August 17, 2008

I shave in the shower. Gives me a closer shave and saves me a couple of minutes.

Oh, seconded. This assumes, though, that you're able to do it without a mirror, or that you have a 'shower mirror.' But I always found that shaving in the shower just made more sense.
posted by fogster at 8:55 AM on August 17, 2008

Possibly a derail, but is this definitely considered something people of "other cultures" do?? I have always taken my showers at night, as has everyone in my family. When I was in a college dorm situation and sharing a shower with 7 other women, they wanted to create a shower schedule for the morning, and I do remember being the only one who took my showers at night, but no one acted like it was particularly strange. Can someone shed some light on this?

Eh, I've never known a "typical American" who showered at night, but I'm going by experiences in two colleges, my own family (immigrant parents), and lots of international students. I think the vast majority of Americans always shower in the morning as opposed to night, but I'm sure there are plenty of other factors at work, of course. Women who need to tame their hair will usually do the morning thing, that I've noticed, but my mom just wets her hair in the sink to "re-tame" it.

There are two mentalities going on here, though: My brother always showers in the morning "to wake up." My parents always shower at night "to wash off the day and relax" (and all my relatives in Asia except one do/think the same thing). It doesn't necessarily work for people to switch if they have that visceral need. Myself, I don't mind either way--so I shower at night to save that 15-ish minutes in the morning if I need to get up before the sun. For me, showering takes the longest out of the usual morning rituals.
posted by Ky at 9:17 AM on August 17, 2008

I shower at night, get my clothes out, and lunch semi-assembled in the fridge. I make sure I know where my car key, cell phone, etc. are for a quick grab in the a.m.. In the morning I dress, wash my face, brush my teeth and apply minimal make up. Put the lunch in a thermal bag and out I go . . .
posted by 6:1 at 10:03 AM on August 17, 2008

I shower at night. It's so much nicer to go to bed clean. It's very hard for me not to linger in the shower in the morning, so it always ends up taking more time than it ought.

Also: flossing in the morning seems excessive. Flossing at night is better for dental health, and if you do that already, you don't need to do it again in the morning, unless you're a midnight snacker.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:26 AM on August 17, 2008

I absolutely hate doing these same tasks day in, day out, and I was wondering if anyone had ways of speeding up the process?

Is it that you need the process to go faster because you'd rather sleep longer/leave sooner/have more time to do things before leaving, or do you just want to speed it up because it's boring and repetitious? Because NPR's Morning Edition has been my constant dawn companion for decades, and while it's not guaranteed to be riveting, most of the time it offers something decent to occupy the mind while performing the mindless routine self-maintenance. If you don't currently listen to the radio while showering and performing the morning toilette, give it a try.

I tend to take long showers, but I don't have to, and neither do you. My excuse is that of Ky's brother: "to wake up," but in actuality I don't think it really helps me to wake up. It's just pleasant and lethargic at a time when I want to be lethargic. Try to practice mindful showering, ensuring that you're not just standing there, but are methodically cleaning yourself according to a plan. I'm always a bit surprised at how little time it really takes to shower, if I'm paying attention and being purposeful.

You don't mention hair, but you may well be able to wash it less frequently than you're doing now. I used to be a daily shampooer, but have managed to extend that out to every four or five days now. Not through being a steenky hippie, but just because the less you wash it, the less your scalp needs to produce oils, so the less you have to wash it, etc. Obviously if other factors are nastifying your hair, like bar smoke, serious workout sweat, etc. you'll want to shampoo anyway, but otherwise, not having to wash, dry, style and productify your hair -- if you have hair that wants it -- is a big morning time-win. Alternatively, if you can live with very short hair, cutting your own hair once a week with electric clippers will keep its daily maintenance requirements to a minimum.

Some electric toothbrushes like the Sonicare have built-in timers that beep to let you know when you've spent 30 sec. on one quadrant of your mouth and that it's time to move on to the next. This may not be a time-saver for you, depending on how long you brush, but it will help ensure that you brush for the recommended period of time, rather than any more or less.

Growing a beard, if you can, will likely not obviate the need for all shaving -- please, do clean up the neck, at least -- but will certainly let you shave much much less.
posted by mumkin at 10:51 AM on August 17, 2008

I totally understand why shaving in the shower saves time, but showers use 7-10 gpm, and shaving for 3 minutes would equate to 21-30 gallons of water, versus shaving in the sink, which might add 2-3 minutes to your routine, but save almost 95% of that water.

I'm not sure that you can be an environmentalist and a speedy person in the morning. And to save that much water (especially if you shave everyday) is a no brainer.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 11:53 AM on August 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

I HATE doing anything in the morning, choosing to crawl out of bed, put my clothes on, and go. So, flossing, brushing, showering? I do all of that before bed. It doesn't take long and it's not hard to adjust your schedule to that. (Or un-adjust from it, if you so desire.) I prefer flossing and brushing before bed anyhow, as cleaning your teeth is more effective the more you can hold off eating or drinking afterwards.

Shaving I tend to do every other day after getting home from work. (It hurts to do it more regularly than that.) Or sometime in the evening while waiting for dinner to finish cooking, something to come on television, etc.
posted by greenland at 12:05 PM on August 17, 2008

Do you really need a shower every day? Unless you're actually dirty or in a very hot environment and getting sweaty daily, you probably don't.

In fact, with a sink of warm water and a small towel, you could cut the need for showering down dramatically without sacrificing personal hygiene, and it's quicker.

I had to do this for a couple of weeks some years ago when we had no gas available for heating water, and I didn't look dirty or stink.

I also try to pile up everything I need in one bundle, or leave my coat pockets loaded up so that slipping into my coat, I am instantly equipped with my phone, wallet, keys etc.
posted by tomble at 5:12 PM on August 17, 2008

I'm showered, dressed, out the door in about 10-12 minutes.

I'm a girl.

Knowing what you're going to wear ahead of time is huge. I didn't think it took that long to figure out what I'm wearing, but it really shaves quite a bit of time off to just be able to jump into clothes.
posted by desuetude at 6:25 PM on August 17, 2008