Getting Ready For An 8 AM

I've avoided it for five semesters, but I finally got cursed during my final semester with something that college students dread: a class at eight in the morning. An 8 AM. Hell on earth. I had one 8AM class my first semester of college, but it was only one day a week (on Monday though...) and was, therefore, manageable. But not only do I have an 8 AM class this semester. It's also three days a week. I'm lucky they're only fifty minute sessions but still. 

I'm used to having to get up early for work. I leave for work at nine, so I tend to get up around six to make that happen. My general rule of thumb for myself is to set my alarm for three hours before I have to leave, in hopes that I'll have at least two and a half of those hours to do everything I need to do in the morning. Now, my morning routine is vastly different than many others, I'm sure. My makeup does take longer than most, I'm sure, but my morning also involves breakfast, picking out an outfit, writing my blog post and potentially catching up with school work. My morning is not just a wake up, get ready and go type of deal. I also hate rushing around. The last thing I want my morning to involve is stress because it will throw off my whole day. A stressful morning will only lead to a disastrous day and I'm not about that life.

This is generally how my morning goes on the days I have my 8 AM class:

5:00 AM 

My alarm goes off. It is still "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. I resist the urge to hit snooze because I probably only got four or five hours of sleep and I'm tired. I might snooze once. I generally tell myself not to.

5:05-5:10ish AM

I finally roll out of bed. I generally resemble somewhat of a mythical beast. I plop down in my desk chair and start to pluck my eyebrows.

5:20-5:30ish AM

I wash my face. Sometimes I exfoliate if I used some sort of topical acne treatment that dries out my skin. I might use a toner too, just for fun. It always depends on the day and season. I follow that with my moisturizer and let it sit in for quite a few minutes or until it fully sinks into my skin.

5:45ish AM

I start my makeup routine. I do pretty much the same thing every day, so it doesn't take that much time, but it takes enough time. My eyeliner is usually the thing that has the potential to take the longest. I try not to mess it up. I usually fail.

6:15 AM

This is when I'm finally done with my makeup, generally. I'll style my hair after, usually taking ten to fifteen minutes to attempt to somewhat curl it and then I just end up over-tousling it and the wind ruins it on my way to class so there's really no point for me to curl my hair but I still do it anyways.

6:30 AM

I go to the kitchen to make my breakfast. It's always a bagel and coffee. Always. I retreat back to my bedroom to eat and mull over Youtube videos or something.

7:00 AM

This is when I do my finishing touches. I get ready, I put in my contacts and put on my mascara and lipstick. I triple check to make sure I have everything for class and work. I rush around even if I gave myself ample time to get ready because I'm the worst.

7:30 AM

I leave with my roommate to go to class. It's always easier to get myself to go places when I have a buddy there with me.

Now, that's a pretty simplified timeline of my morning but that's generally what happens. My biggest tips for getting ready for an 8 AM without rushing around is to pre-plan. I pre-write my blog posts and queue them for the next morning. I pick out my outfit ahead of time. I make sure I leave no work to be done in the morning before classes. I dedicate my morning strictly to getting ready for class and nothing more. If I leave something to be done that morning, I just end up freaking out about having no time and there's no way I'd get up before five in the morning. It's already torture enough waking up hours before the sun does. No way I'd get up earlier than that.

Another key to getting ready for an 8AM is to avoid hitting snooze. Just get up, honestly. Those extra five or ten minutes aren't going to make a difference. Catch up on social media later, while you're waiting for your class to start or even while you're eating breakfast. Prioritize what actually needs to get done over the little things like Instagram, Twitter, and anything else that we can't help but check in the morning.

I'm not saying you have to get up two and a half hours before you leave someplace. Just because I have an elaborate morning routine doesn't mean that anyone else has to. But I do suggest simplifying your morning when you know you have to be out and about early. It's not worth rushing around and starting your day off on the wrong foot.

Have you ever had to deal with an 8 AM class?