10 Morning Routine Hacks: I Cut My Time from 60 to 20 Minutes

Sometimes it’s crazy how much time we waste in the mornings! For example, I sometimes spend 10 minutes staring at my closet like a zombie thinking I have nothing to wear, or when I’m already ready to leave, desperately searching everywhere for my keys. That’s why I’m sharing some useful life hacks that I’ve come up with to save time in the mornings.

With these, you can easily save up to 40 minutes, and think about all the things you can do with those 40 minutes. Think about the productive morning you can have! In my case, yoga and meditation. But it could also be working out, having a relaxed breakfast, or simply sleeping more and being better rested.

Here are these everyday life hacks, including clothing and hair hacks—I’m sure many of them have never occurred to you!

Hack 1: Clothing Hack, Create a Photo Album With Your Favorite Outfits

Right now, choose your favorite clothing combinations and take photos of them (you don’t have to put them on, you can lay them on your bed and snap a photo). If you have time, create a bunch of combinations.

Then upload them to an album, and in the morning you just choose from your album and it’ll take you a minute max. Huge time saver—you’ll easily save 5-7 minutes of standing in front of your closet thinking “I have nothing to wear.”

Hack 2: Hair Hack to Wash Your Hair Every 2-4 Days

Ok, this depends a lot on the climate you’re in, whether you work out, and your hair type. But still, even if you’re sure you NEED to wash your hair every day or every two days, this usually isn’t the case. Let me tell you one of my favorite hair hacks: Your hair and scalp get used to your routine. If you’ve been washing it every day for a while, it’s still going to get oily and greasy if you skip a day, because it’s gotten used to it.

Try stretching washes to every 2 days and you’ll see how after a couple of weeks your hair adjusts (and the more time passes, the more it adjusts). Then you can stretch it to 3 days. I managed to stretch it without problems to 4 days and was perfect like that for 2 years (until I started working out).

For me this is the MOST IMPORTANT hack! I have long hair and between washing and drying it takes me approximately 20 extra minutes minimum. Washing it every 2 days I was spending 60 HOURS A YEAR. Washing it every 4 days I cut it in half, saving 30 hours a year—that’s more than a full day of my life per year.

Hack 3: Use a Shower Cap

And if you’re going to shower but not wash your hair, use a shower cap. It sounds silly, but you really do save time not standing sideways under the shower stream trying to avoid getting your hair wet. Plus, your hair will also look better maintaining its style, and not partially wet.

Hack 4: The Two-Minute Breakfast Jar System

On Sunday night, grab 5 mason jars and prep your breakfasts for the week. Something super easy. They can be overnight oats, chia pudding, or yogurt with fruit. Each morning you just have to grab one and either eat it at home, or take it with you for later. This way you not only save time going out to buy some pastry, but you eat better and save money.

Hack 5: Phone Charger + Keys = Never Forget Again

At night, before sleeping, wrap your keys in your charger cable. Since I imagine you take your charger with you, you’ll take your keys too. That eliminates the risk of spending 10 minutes in the morning desperately searching for your keys.

Hack 6: Cold Brew Ice Cubes For For Your Breakfast Coffee

If your morning routine includes coffee, use a silicone ice cube tray and fill it with coffee or cold brew. In the mornings, if you want a cold coffee, throw in a couple of coffee ice cubes. That way you won’t have watery, flavorless coffee, but a delicious iced coffee. Ok, this isn’t a trick to save time, but it is a super hack for a better morning that takes no extra time at all.

Hack 7: The “Landing Strip” Basket by Your Bed

Prepare a small basket the night before and put all those little things you need in the mornings but are sometimes here and there: jewelry you want to wear, hair ties, bobby pins, watch, etc. Have it all ready and that’ll save you from frantically searching everywhere for your bobby pins in the morning. That easily saves you about 5 minutes.

Hack 8: The “Reverse Alarm” Method

Set your alarm for the absolute latest possible time. That way, you wake up with a sense of urgency like “ok, now!” instead of postponing your alarm 5 more minutes several times. This way you actually sleep all those extra minutes instead of wasting them doing nothing in the morning, and you get up ready to get ready quickly and efficiently.

Hack 9: Dry Shampoo at Night Instead of Morning

Use dry shampoo at night before sleeping instead of in the mornings. In fact, this way it’ll have time to absorb all the oil from your hair overnight and your hair will feel amazing in the morning, plus you save the time of doing it in the morning. This saves you at least 5 minutes.

Hack 10: The Toothbrush Timer Multitask

Brush your teeth in the shower! This will save you at least a couple of minutes of doing it in front of the mirror while not doing anything else.

More Everyday Life Hacks

If you liked these everyday hacks and they gave you good ideas, choose at least THREE and apply them this week! See how it goes and if you feel they improve your mornings, add some more for the next week.

And if you’re looking for more ideas, I invite you to read my other posts for many more creative and interesting life hacks and time management tips.

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