It doesn't matter who you are or the kind of lifestyle you lead, I think it's fair to assume that we all find mornings a challenge. If I haven't had enough sleep I'm quite honestly the worst person to be around, meaning that mornings are often not my favourite time of day! But as I've gotten older I've realised there's so much you can do to make your morning run more smoothly, and so even if you're still tired your day can get off to a much more positive start. With a little bit of organisation (and simplifying and streamlining tasks) you can set a good start for the rest of your day.

Wake Up Well

Even if you have to wake up at what feels like an unnatural time, doing it in a natural way can help a lot. Alarm clocks that start low and gradually increase in volume (or that gradually fill the room with imitation sunlight) will help you feel much better as the day begins. Personally I find that choosing the right alarm tone can make a huge difference too, anything too harsh has me wanting to throw the thing out of the window the second it goes off! Open the curtains as soon as possible after you get up, and having a shower will make you feel instantly refreshed and more awake.

 Plan Your Outfit

This is definitely something I've learned to do over the years, and ideally your outfit (including shoes and accessories) should all be laid out the night before. The amount of times I used to assume something was hung up in my wardrobe just to wake up late and realise it wasn't where I thought. Full morning meltdowns usually followed where I've been rushing around trying to locate a certain item of clothing or a lost shoe. Do yourself a favour and spend five minutes the night before making sure everything is set out, while you're there you could check that your bag has everything you need for the following day too.

Take Charge of Breakfast

I find the best way to jolt myself fully awake and get rid of that morning fuzzy head feeling is with a hot cup of coffee. Coffee machines take the hassle out of making it, leaving you free to prepare breakfast. Get yourself a high quality bag of beans from a company like Iron and Fire and you're good to go. A good healthy breakfast will get you off on the right foot, you could even pop on the radio while you're preparing and eating it to catch up on the day's news. If you're feeling particularly enthusiastic you could walk or cycle to work which will not only mean you avoid traffic but means you get a bit of exercise into your day too.

Keep Organised

It’s a whole lot easier to get things done if you have familiar systems to help you manage your activities. Some things like washing up, laundry and general tidying will have to be done daily but for other chores you could assign different tasks to set days so you know exactly how your week is going to run. Keep track of things in a diary or on a calendar so you know what you need to do, where you need to go and when- this will help to avoid missed appointments and deadlines too. Keeping your home tidy and organised will make the daily jobs in your routine much easier, and so it's well worth keeping on top of.

Treat Yourself

Making your way through weeks where everything seems much the same can be daunting, but planning regular treats for yourself really livens up your routine. Studies show that people tend to feel lowest on Tuesdays because they don’t have as much energy as on Monday but there’s still most of the week to go. A Tuesday treat, whether it’s a meal out, an evening with friends or a long pampering bath can give you something to look forward to just when you need it. Being organised like this can be time consuming at the outset but it will soon pay off and leave you with a lot more energy for enjoying life. 

What do you do to make your daily regime as simple as possible?