college

Back to School : The Ten Minute Morning

I always had seemingly endless amounts of energy during the first week of school. The first week of school is always about minimal homework, catching up with friends, and getting your room organizing. You’ve probably already planned outfits for the first week of school!
It probably goes something like this…
During the first week of school, you woke up for your 8am class with no trouble at all. In fact, you waited for your alarm to go off. You had time to answer a few emails, read through some blogs, shower and style your hair to perfection…and swing by the coffeeshop before class.
But then the honeymoon period is over. Now instead of staying up until 2am watching movies with the friends in your dorm, you’re digging into textbook reading in the library. You’ve exhausted your FDOs (first day outfits) and your dorm room is already a mess. Oh, and that class you were so excited to take? It’s actually not that interesting.
Now, you hit snooze four times and sacrifice straightening your hair. You grow frustrated searching for something to wear. (How did all the clothes end up on the floor?) You give up and go for a well worn sweatshirt. Makeup? Forget it. You sweep all the papers and textbooks and notebooks on your desk into your tote and run (literally) out the door.
After the first week of school excitement has worn off, here’s a guide for an enjoyable, but quick, ten minute morning.

Before you start studying the night before, hop in the shower. Wash your face and brush your teeth. This way, the minute you finish whatever reading or assignment you’re working on you can go straight to bed. Brushing your teeth will also dissuade you from eating unhealthily. (When you’re in the habit of eating and reading or eating and studying it can be super hard to break!) Twist your hair in a towel or a bun and let it dry naturally overnight. This way you save time in the morning. Do a quick french braid in the morning (or a bun) and secure with a hair tie like these.
Skip your regular makeup routine and go for something easy and simple. The Tarte Cheek Stain is a perfect way to achieve some color on your cheeks without wasting time in the morning. You’ll be glowing throughout the day and know one will know you’ve been running on three hours of sleep!
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When you’re done studying at night, pack your tote. Here is a post with my suggestions on how to pack a tote bag for school. You will save time in the morning and you will ensure that you don’t leave something behind. In the morning you can do a brief double check to make sure you have everything you need without having to do the actual packing. I always left my tote by the door so I could just grab it on my way out.
Wear comfortable shoes. Ballet flats look nice and they’re also comfortable. If you are running a smidge late, you can do some brisk walking. Limping across campus in really cute (but really painful) shoes is going to cost you precious minutes in the morning. These BP black ballet flats are only $60.
Skinny jeans are definitely the way to go for a quick morning. No need to shave your legs (!) and you’ll be comfortable all day long. Plus, they go with just about everything and look great with your ballet flats. You don’t have to spend time matching a skirt to a top.
Button ups are the perfect match for jeans. Roll the sleeves up for a casual look or throw on a sweater if it’s a little chilly outside (or in your classroom). You can achieve the “I took a long time to get ready this morning” look without actually spending the time getting ready. Major win, in my opinion!!!
Share your tips for getting ready quickly in the morning in a comment!
xoxo
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12 Comments

Bailey Humphrey

I actually throw my hair in a low ponytail, in fact I even do it on days where I have all of the time in the world but my hair just won't cooperate. But it doesn't make your outfit look sloppy. I actually have just gotten some of those hair ties and they are the bomb. I sometimes will just wear a t-shirt and jack rogers with my skinny jeans if I am in a rush!

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Living Quarters on a Dime

Love your tips!!! My daughter is only a Junior in HS, but I like to think I'm getting ahead of the game by reading your blog and making mental notes : )

Great job, keep up the good work.

So glad I found your site for myself and for my daughters sake!

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Megan

This is such a lifesaver! I always find myself in this debacle mid-semester.. 15 minutes more of sleep or 15 minutes more of getting ready! Sleep usually wins!

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Julia D.

Love these ideas! I'm a huge fan of preparing the night before, but I didn't really think of getting ready for bed (at least to some extent, otherwise I find you get tired and can't concentrate) before sitting down to work for the night. I'll be trying that in the upcoming year. My main trick is to put my alarm across the room from me so I HAVE to get out of bed to turn it off.

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Taylor

This is going to sound terrible, but last year (my junior year of high school) my outfit basically everyday was skinny jeans, ballet flats, and a casual blouse/polo/etc! My love of sleep sometimes (read: almost always) overrides my love of fashion!

xx, Taylor
http://pearlsandponies.blogspot.com/

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