I'd just like to share that I'm highly qualified to write this article, because I understand why it's difficult for some people to get to work on time. Frankly, I'm one of those people. I don't like to hurry through my morning, and I especially don't like to hurry out of bed. In fact, I feel something akin to anger when that blasted alarm goes off in the morning, and that's not a good mood to begin the day!

Here are some strategies that I've used to haul my lazy bum out of bed, through my morning routine, and off to work.

1. Teach yourself to wake up without an alarm clock. I know some of you don't believe this is possible. You might say "Oh, but if the alarm doesn't go off, I'll sleep in!" The trick is to go to bed at a decent hour and say to yourself before you go to bed, "I will wake up at 6 a.m." or whatever time you want to get up. I stopped using an alarm clock about a year ago. It's much more pleasant to wake up on my own than to the jangle of an alarm. (If you need to set the alarm at for 6:15 as a precaution, go ahead and do so. However, I've heard that if you do that, your subconscious will let you sleep until the alarm goes off at 6:15.)

2. Have a delicious breakfast worth getting out of bed for. When I believe I'm having cold cereal for breakfast, I don't bother getting out of bed. So I have waffles, or whole grain cereal with lots of raisins, cinnamon, and nuts, or muffins, cheese, and fruit, or something else delicious to make it worth my while getting up.

3. Make your morning routine as simple as possible. I sometimes delude myself into thinking I can get the laundry folded and surf online a little bit before I go to work. I've finally had to get real with myself and accept that all I can manage is whatever I need to do to get myself and my family out the door, and that's it. I've learned to put my clothes out the night before. I've also got myself down to a four minute shower, which is a big feat for me, because I like to bask in the hot water. Figure out where you can chisel time down on tasks like grooming, breakfast, and so on.

4. Have something interesting awaiting you at work. Maybe you can keep some gourmet coffee or special tea at work. Or, if you have trouble settling down to tasks as soon as you get into work, give yourself permission to loaf for five or ten minutes before starting to work. Keep a paperback novel hidden in your desk drawer, and promise yourself you can only read one chapter a day, and you have to read it at work. Give yourself bonus points for every day you arrive to work on time, and promise yourself a reward for when you reach a certain number of points.

I find that when I arrive at work a little early, I'm much more productive the whole day. When I arrive late, I feel like I spend the whole day catching up. However, this knowledge alone isn't enough to bring me joyfully to work on those days when I just want to burrow back down under the covers. Some days I just have to cajole myself by using the tricks outlined above!

Holly Zenith believes that nobody should work in a livelihood they don't like! For inspiration and ideas on finding and following your ideal path, sign up for her mailing list at http://www.hollyzenith.com/sq.html

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