Bonjour mes amies! Contrary to what you may see online, we are not all designed to be morning people. There are beaucoup factors that can determine your natural response to when you are most alert and oriented.
Believe it or not, your genetic make up, can determine if you are meant to be an early riser. But for the sake of this blog, I will set aside one of my degrees (Public Health and Safety) and focus on Life | Style | Travel, and Finance.
There’s an awful stigma that only “the early bird gets the worm” or that if you’re not up (avec moi) before the crack of dawn, you’re somehow a slacker.
Frankly, it doesn’t matter what time you rise (s’il vous plaît don’t tell your supervisor that Cappuccinos and Consignment told you that you should decide not to wake up on time for work due to genetics.) If you’re productive avec your time, you can rise at whatever hour is realistic for your daily duties.
Vintage mes amies will remember when my days started at 03:45. Oui mes amies. When I worked full-time and commuted to an office in addition to blogging, I would wake up every morning to record an #ootd (outfit of the day) for Insta prior to catching a train to the office.
So much has changed since then, and for quite some time, I felt like a slacker because I was no longer fully dressed and caffeinated by 04:15.
Whatever time you choose to rise, here are a few of my tried and true tips to always shine:
Plan
It may sound cliché, but planning is the number one method to ensure your next day flows. There will always be unexpected curve balls, but by having your core components (I’ll list below) adequately prepared, you can face those variables sans additional stress.
Plan Your OOTD
Whether you’re working from home or commuting, have your entire “OOTD” physically ready. We have all experienced the mental next-day outfit plan, but only in the morning (after hitting the snooze button multiple times) be unable to find the sock, belt, or proper undergarments needed for the look.
By laying out your entire ensemble, if you so happen to oversleep, trying to locate the back of your earring will not send you into a tizzy. If you have the luxury of working from home and prefer to keep things casual, still take a moment to prepare your change of loungewear, etc.
Plan Your Meals
When I worked in an office, I prepared my breakfast and lunch the night before. I had each meal refrigerated in its appropriate container and ready for transport.
If you are working from home, still prepare your meals or at least know what you would like to prepare for the day. Not being in an office certainly affords a bit of freedom, but if keeping a schedule is of importance to you, continue to plan. I enjoy having freshly prepared meals, so I no longer prepare my meals the night before, but I ensure that I have the necessary ingredients and prep them if need be.
Plan Your Day
I am an overthinker, and for the past few years, I am sad to say that I have not been sleeping well. My mind is ALWAYS going. To assist avec some of my overactive brain, I write down the things I would like to accomplish. The jury is out as to how you should plan your day. Some believe that you achieve the most challenging task of the day first, and others the contrary. If you’re interested to know how I plan for my day, comment below.
Give Thanks
Journaling your gratitude every morning isn’t realistic for everyone. Let’s be honest; many of us barely get out of bed every morning. While physically writing does provide a different tone, speaking your thanks is just as effective.
Begin your morning by expressing how thankful you are to have woken up. If these past few years haven’t taught us anything else, they have reinforced just how precious life is. If you flip the switch and your lights turn on or turn the faucet, and the clean water pours, give thanks. Those are le petit luxes that many of us forget. I often share how less than ten years ago, every morning, I had to microwave, Jujuthecamerakids bathwater. The apartment we were renting often didn’t have hot water.
Every morning I give thanks at just how far we’ve come.
Listen to a motivating song, comforting podcast or your favorite vlogger.
Depending on the morning, I do all three. While recording my daily cappuccino prep video for Instagram stories, I listen to varying artist that instantly lifts my spirits. While replying to comments and emails, I catch up on vlogs. A new mes amies who is dedicated to watching my journey from them beginning recently informed me that every morning she plays/watches one of my weekly vlogs (to date, I have seventy-two) as she’s getting ready for her day because my positive and realistic approach to life encourages her.
I will end this blog by assuring you that your worth is not based on your productivity and what you do before 5:00 AM as compared to others. We are different, and we must always remember to extend ourselves grace.
Ciao for now 💋