Our ideal daily morning routine is one that is unrushed. We love a chance to wake up naturally, enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee with some breakfast and a chapter of a good book, maybe do a little bit of yoga or exercise and have all the time needed to pick out a good outfit and do our makeup.

We get that this isn’t reality. In fact, for our founder — a mother of a 4 and 6 year old — most mornings are nothing like this!

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have an unstressful morning. It’s all about efficiency and preparation to make your morning as smooth as possible — here’s some of our favorite tips for getting ourselves out the door.

SHOWERING

Shower the night before

This is probably the easiest way to save time in the morning. Plus, who doesn’t like getting into bed feeling clean? However, we understand that a lot of people enjoy showering in the morning as a way to wake up and tame bedhead. If that’s the case…

Time your showers

Yes, this doesn’t sound pleasant. But let’s face it — we’ve all had those days where we spend seemingly hours under the water thinking/singing/you name it. And getting carried away in your morning shower before work isn’t the time to do it. You can put a literal timer on your shower (like 10 minutes), or you can also make a “morning playlist,” where you know that by the end of song four, for example, you should be out of the shower.

Adjust water temperature

Hear us out — if you make the temperature just a little cooler than what you’re comfortable with, you’ll want to get out sooner. To help speed up the process even more, check out Meant’s multitasking products, like the Do-All Wash, Do-All Conditioner and Absolute Balm.

MEAL PREP

Cook on the weekends

This is the easiest way to prepare all your meals at once. Make large batches of food that you can separate into different containers and take from the fridge each morning — we love the recipes from Healthyish and these plant-based protein dinners from kitchn.

Pack food the night before

Prepare your lunchbox for the next morning after dinner. Throw in snacks, fill your water bottle and note which foods you’re taking from the fridge the next morning. This means virtually no thinking the next morning.

Portion out your snacks

To talk more about snacks, prepare your snacks ahead of time by separating into reusable containers to easily grab. And keep a few extra pouches at work or in  the car (emergency snacks) — in case you forget for one day.

HAIR AND MAKEUP

Pick out your clothes the night before

This is one of the oldest tricks out there, but it’s surprising how many people don’t do this. You’ll need to check the weather for the next day, but by picking out clothes the night before you can take however much time needed (and try on as many combinations needed).

Multitask your makeup

If you’re always rushing to do your makeup, limit the number of different products you’re using. Check out cheek and lip tints, highlighter sticks and more.

Do your hair the night before

If you night shower, blow dry and style your hair the night before — it will cut down your styling time in the morning. Or, sleep in a hairstyle to quickly style in the morning, like heatless waves.

What’s your favorite way to save time in the morning? Tell us in the comments below!