Wake up feeling refreshed
No one likes Mondays. No one likes mornings. Put them together and you have a recipe for hatred, disdain and disgust. Unfortunately, we will face this every week for the rest of our lives, so you might as well make the most of your morning.
Here are seven tips and tricks that will help you take advantage of Monday mornings when the opportunity to see the sun rise and finish your homework on time isn’t enough of a reason to get out of bed.
- Lie to yourself
Title your morning alarm with motivational statements that the sleep-deprived version of yourself will believe at that ungodly hour on Monday morning. For example, if you wake up to an alarm that tells you, “If you get out of bed on time today, calories don’t count!” you may find yourself already out of bed to eat your morning donut. Other options include, “If you get out of bed on time today you will get straight A’s this quarter” and “If you only hit snooze once this morning you will come back a famous celebrity in a second life.” The chance to wake up flawless should be enough to get your day started.
- Get a buddy
If you’re a decent human being and the thought of letting someone down bothers you, then this may be the trick for you! Plan to meet someone for breakfast, a workout, study session or whatever it may be that you need to do that morning. Not only would meeting a friend early in the morning brighten your day, but the weight of letting someone else down should help motivate you to get out of bed. No one likes a flake.
- Treat yourself
Make a deal with yourself that if you get up on time you can have a special treat. Perhaps a frilly coffee drink for breakfast — or simply that you will have breakfast at all. If you aren’t the breakfast type though, reward yourself with a power nap or time to mentally unwind later in the day.
- Punish yourself
Those of you who will treat yourselves regardless of meeting a goal may benefit from a harsher method. If you still press snooze for an extra hour, force yourself to get to class in silence instead of listening to your favorite playlist on your morning commute. If you don’t get up on time on Monday morning, force yourself to get up even earlier on Tuesday to work out. Think of these penalties as time-outs for the college student. Use this time to think about why you couldn’t pull yourself out of bed and how you can improve next time.
- Make a list
Create a list of all the things you could be doing instead of sleeping past your alarm. When your alarm goes off, start repeating these out loud to remind yourself why you set the alarm in the first place. For example, tell yourself that if you get up on time today, you could pet a dog before class, call your mom or throw a frisbee with friends. Practical options — not missing your bus, taking a shower or making sure you dress well — could also work.
- Get creatively creepy
Get a second pillow and tape a photo of your idol telling you that “you can do it” or “I believe in you.” You won’t want to disappoint your favorite fashion icon, pop star, or supreme court justice by hitting snooze once your alarm goes off. If Beyoncé believes in you, you should too! This should give you that extra boost of motivation you need to get up and face the day.
BONUS:
- Remind yourself that it’s about the journey
Sometimes we are so focused on our academic goals that we lose sight of what’s going on around us. Wake yourself up with an encouragement to seize the day; by sleeping those extra five minutes — or two hours — you are missing out on time you could be doing something worthwhile. Get out there and start your week off on the right foot!
Written by: Elizabeth Marin — features@theaggie.org
