6 Ways to Shave Minutes Off of Your Morning Routine

You slept through your alarm, but you’re still committed to being tidy (we heart you). See our trick for making your bed in 60 seconds, before you get out of it.

Step away from the smartphone (or the laptop). It might seem counterintuitive, but checking email first thing is actually one of the least productive things you can do, because it usually leads to other a.m. pitfalls like texting and endless Instagram scrolling. The trick to staying out of your inbox? Keep your phone in airplane mode until you’re actually in the office (or safely seated on your commuter train).

The easiest way to hide the stress of a frenzied morning is behind a big, flashy smile. Skip the chemical-laden whitening strips and grab a banana peel. Rub the stringy side of the peel directly onto your teeth to create a paste. Leave it on for ten minutes (while you get dressed, frantically look for your keys, etc.) and then work in the paste with a dry toothbrush. Brush your teeth as usual to remove the banana goop, then give the world a toothy grin that says “I’ve got my entire life together.”

So you’re running late to your 9 a.m. presentation, and you just realized your smartest work ensemble is a hot mess of wrinkles. Don’t panic. Lay your creased duds flat on a counter and cover with a damp towel, then gently press down and smooth out the crumples with just your hands.

By now you know better than to skip breakfast, but if you seriously do not have time (even for instant oatmeal), then you should make do with a handful of nuts. Time and again studies keep pointing to nuts as your pantry’s all-star for protein, fiber and brain-boosting nutrients. And you need only ten grams (that’s about five walnuts, nine almonds or 12 pistachios) to reap all the tasty benefits.

Yeah, we know: Enough already about coconut oil. But trust us, this little miracle of nature will be your new lifeblood in the morning. First, stir a teaspoon of the oil into your a.m. coffee (for the heart-healthy fats). Then rub the oil onto your arms, legs and torso (to moisturize yourskin). And finally, slick flyaways back into a high ponytail (for strong, shiny locks). Seriously, what can’t it do?