1. Preparation is key
- Make accessories easy to find in your closet (scarves, belts, etc…)
- Get umbrellas, keys, gloves, and hats by the door in a basket
- Pack your bag and briefcase before bed
- Write down your evening and morning routine
- Consider having your shower at night
2. Do a catalogue of your clothes
Prepare a catalogue of your clothes. Take pictures of all your clothes, including tops, skirts, pants, dresses and shoes, and upload them to your computer. Then organise your clothes, and mix and match different pieces of clothing in order to get the most suitable outfits. Once you have found the perfect outfits, file them, so that you can pick them easily in the morning. This will allow you to save time in the morning and decide in advance what you will wear. So you won’t waste 20 minutes to find the best matches between clothes. You can also use applications on your smartphone. I currently use ‘I Wear’ from the Apple store, and it’s amazing how helpful it is.
3. Apply your make-up faster
Keep an extra set of your make-up (foundation, eye-liner, eye-shadow, and blush) in another smaller bag. Bring this bag with you and do your make-up once at work.Rely on multi-tasking cosmetics to minimize preparation time. For instance, stick foundation on as concealer and foundation, thanks to its thickness. Swipe over the face and blend with fingers. Get cheek-and-lip tint to add colour quickly, or use lip colour; you can apply on tcheeks or eyes and you can also employ tinted moisturizer.
4. Pack your lunch the night before
Pack your lunch the night before to allow you to save at least 10 minutes. Selecting the food, packing, putting it in a container – the whole process – take time. Of course, you think that it will only takes 2 minutes to put your banana, chips, and sandwiches in a bag but that usually takes time. So try to pack everything overnight so you just need to grab your bag in the morning.
5. Buy a great bag and keep it organized.
Make sure that your work bag is big enough to carry everything you need, not the tiny little bag that can only contain your make-up and your big wallet. Try to get a bag with small pockets; it’s convenient to store keys, phone and badges, all items that tend to be buried in bags. Use a small bag to store your make-up and your lunch or other important items. If you’re fashion conscious, you can get a colourful bag – you don’t need to go for the usual brown or black; an orange, pink or red big bag will enhance your outfit. We all know that when we have an organised bag, we feel that our life is in order.
Image courtesy Creative Common
Lisiane Ndong 