From Snooze to Success: A Morning Routine That Works in College (Plus Coffee Recipes!)

By Cali Minkie

Fall 2025

If waking up feels like a battle, you’re not alone. I know firsthand how difficult it can be to wake up early. I used to wake up feeling rushed, stressed, and not prepared for my day ahead. I used to listen to podcasts and look up everyone else’s morning routines, so I could become a morning person. Nothing seemed to work for me. However, once I started building small and focusing on what I wanted my morning routine to look like and why, instead of comparing to others, things started to get easier.

As a college student, waking up in the morning can be a challenge. As someone who has struggled to feel motivated in the mornings, a routine can make a significant difference. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but by following simple, consistent habits, you can start your day feeling calm, focused, and prepared. Because I know it can be a big change, I am going to break it down step by step. Here is what we are going to talk about today:

Benefits of a morning routine
Steps to get started
Tips to build your routine
Ways to make it unique and personal
Strategies to stay consistent

Let’s get to it!

Before You Get Up Early—Here’s What a Morning Routine Actually Means

To start off on the same page, let’s first define what a routine is. According to Mary Johnson, a Licensed Professional Counselor at North Central College, “a routine is anything consistent that you’re doing on a daily basis . . . you don’t necessarily think super hard about it. It’s just second nature.” This proves that a routine shouldn’t stress you out; it should actually make your life so much easier. A morning routine, specifically, can help you feel prepared and ready for your busy day ahead!

How a Morning Routine Can Transform Your Day

Now that we understand what a routine is, we can talk about the benefits. No matter what your morning routine looks like, it will:

Support mental health
Promote stability in daily activities
Increase energy and productivity

Even though a routine won’t solve everything, it can still offer meaningful support. When we know what to expect throughout our day, it can help support mental health. Johnson describes how, as human beings, having structure can help manage and decrease anxiety when you have control over your schedule. Further, the National Library of Medicine describes how consistent routines can help reduce the negative effects of stress on mental health. A routine can also offer stability. As Dr. Daniel VanHorn, a Psychology and Neuroscience professor at North Central College, explains, “People can overcome incredible adversities... because they have automatized and made it a routine. . . It makes really hard things and those that feel like they are impossible, more manageable and doable.”

Not only can a routine help you feel better, but it can also help you feel more alert. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “a morning routine can increase your energy, productivity, and positivity.” For example, when your morning is already planned out, you avoid decision fatigue, which allows you to save your energy for more demanding tasks throughout the day and increase overall productivity.

Where to Start: How to Get Up Early and Create the Best Morning Routine

Now that we know the benefits of a morning routine, you’re probably wondering, how do I start? By following these tips, you can figure out what is best for you in the mornings.

Define your personal goals

Everyone has their own goals when it comes to what they want to accomplish in the morning. This could be anything from movement to organization to even quiet time. Because of this, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on what you want our morning to look like and why.

Know yourself and be realistic

Not everyone will have the same morning routine. For me personally, even just changing my wake-up time was difficult, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to wake up at 5 am every morning. Because of this, be realistic and be patient with what you expect from yourself.

Ensure you’re getting a good night’s sleep

It all begins with the nighttime routine. Johnson describes how a good nighttime routine sets you up for more restful sleep, which in turn enables you to be well-rested in the morning and ready to start your morning routine the next day. This is especially important for those who struggle to wake up early.

Not only can a routine help you feel better, but it can also help you feel more alert . . . When your morning is already planned out, you avoid decision fatigue, which allows you to save your energy for more demanding tasks throughout the day and increase overall productivity.

Next Steps: Building the Best Morning Routine for Success

After figuring out what will fit into your morning routine, make sure to keep in mind the following tips. Personally, I know how tempting it can be to want to jump right in. However, remember that building a routine takes time and effort.

Start with small changes gradually over time

Research from the National Library of Medicine about the importance of creating habits says, “too much change, too fast, is likely to end without positive results.” So, figure out one or two changes to your morning routine you want to make first. Once you have gotten the hang of things, you can implement more changes.

Experiment with the timing

Everyone will have different schedules and different pockets of time, especially as college students. This is what makes it challenging. Maybe you will discover you can wake up at 7:00 am, but not 6:45 am. Everyone’s routine will look different – there’s no one-size-fits-all.

Build consistency over time

According to Dr. VanHorn, starting a routine will be difficult in the beginning because it will be effortful to make changes to your current routine. Although once you are consistent, it will become easier over time. So, start each day building off the next, and soon it will be something you don’t even have to think about. This is especially important for college students because they may not have the same morning classes each day. However, I would recommend trying to wake up at similar times each day to keep it as consistent as possible.

Example Ideas and Tips for the Best Morning Routine

Time for the exciting part! Here are some example ideas for how to create your morning routine. Even though your morning routine will need to fit your specific needs, these examples can be beneficial for everyone.

Start Your Day Gently

It’s easier to start your day when you aren’t feeling jarred to get out of bed. Personally, I found that using an alarm clock that wakes me up gradually helps a ton. This way, you are already starting off feeling calm and relaxed, setting a positive tone for your day.

Hydrate to Jumpstart Your Morning

After waking up, hydrating is one of the simplest ways to improve both energy and focus. A 2005 study in the American Journal of Physiology found increased tiredness and reduced alertness in dehydrated participants. Not only does it affect our energy levels, but drinking water also improves cognitive performance and boosts mood.

It’s important to hydrate not just in the morning, but throughout the day. Depending on your activity levels, some may need to hydrate even more. As an athlete, I sometimes find it challenging to drink enough water, but by starting off my morning drinking water, I find it easier to continue to drink water throughout the day.

Fuel Your Morning

After hydrating, eating a healthy meal can have a big impact on how you feel. According to a study done in 2018, those who eat breakfast in the morning have significantly higher energy levels than those who don’t eat breakfast.

You may be thinking, What if I don’t have enough time for breakfast? I am personally guilty of not having enough breakfast in the mornings or skipping it completely, but this led to not having enough energy for the day, and overall, not feeling productive. Once I started a routine of meal prepping overnight oats the night before, it was easy to just grab my breakfast and go. Other ideas include Greek yogurt with fruit or granola, chia seed pudding, or hard-boiled eggs. It’s all about the preparation!

Get Moving with a Morning Workout

Another important part of a morning routine is to get in some movement – however that looks for you! Research about the benefits of exercise in the morning shows that exercise leads to increased alertness, more overall energy, a better mood, and the ability to cope with stressors throughout the day. Something as simple as a short walk or light stretching can make a big difference in helping your body and mind feel awake.

Soak Up Some Sunshine

Next, get some sunshine! Being exposed to sunlight can make you feel better as well as allow you to sleep more easily at night. According to a study done in 2008, when people are exposed to sunlight or bright light in the mornings, their bodies release serotonin, resulting in positive moods and a calm, focused mental outlook, as well as signaling the body to produce melatonin for nighttime sleep. Because getting sufficient sunlight can be difficult, especially in the winter, artificial light such as a sunlight lamp can be beneficial. I personally use a sunlight alarm clock, which serves both as a gentle wake-up and a source of morning light exposure.

Plan Your Morning in Advance

After starting your morning off gently and on track with hydration, nutrition, exercise, and sunshine, it’s important to plan out your day. By making a list of important things I want to achieve, I find it easier to stay on track. According to Julia Benes, a student at North Central College who is currently a student-teacher and an assistant cross-country coach, writing down the things she wants to accomplish helps her visualize her day.

Although being a college student can be busy, it's also important to carve out time for yourself. Writing down time for self-care, such as watching your favorite show or taking time to call friends and family, should also be written down in your to-do list or planner along with your responsibilities for the day, says Johnson.

What to Avoid in Your Morning Routine

Now that we’ve covered what supports a healthy morning routine, it’s just as important to understand the habits that can hold you back. If you do these now – it’s okay. I’ve personally done all of these things, and I have noticed the negative effects firsthand.

Refrain from hitting the snooze

Although it may be tempting, hitting the snooze button can actually make getting up harder. A 2025 study found that after monitoring over 3 million nights of sleep, 55% of longer sleep sessions ended with participants hitting the snooze. Of those who hit the snooze alarm, it was pressed on average 2.4 times, totaling about 10.8 minutes. For me personally, when I hit the snooze button, it makes it harder to get out of bed, and leaves me feeling rushed to get out the door on time.

Avoid screen time immediately when waking up

According to a Forbes article, looking at your phone immediately after waking up triggers stress. Instead of grabbing your phone right away, plan to do something else. Some ideas might be to drink a glass of water, listen to a podcast you enjoy, or do some deep breathing.

Don’t skip breakfast

It’s important to plan out enough time to have breakfast in the mornings. A 2020 study from The National Library of Medicine found that skipping breakfast reduces your daily energy and can have negative health effects.

Benes offers first-hand experience to this. She says, “When I started student teaching, I was kind of rushing out the door and not prioritizing breakfast well enough. I would get to like the 4th or 5th period of the day, and I would feel pretty low on energy… Overall, I feel less stressed in general when I have a good breakfast.”

How to Tailor the Best Morning Routine for Your Own Success

Authors at The National Library of Medicine say, “Forming a routine can take a long time and is highly variable between individuals.” However, don’t let that stop you! Once you tailor your routine specific to your goals, likes, dislikes, and schedule it will become something you actually want to work at.

Boost your morning mood

Each morning, it is important to choose something that helps boost your mood and get you prepared and pumped for the day. Benes describes how she listens to her favorite music on her way to student-teaching. Whether it’s making your favorite latte or watching 10 minutes of your favorite show, do something that you look forward to each day!

Make your routine fit your schedule, not the other way around

Depending on how your schedule looks each day, you can tailor how your routine looks. For days when you have to get up earlier, make your routine shorter. For days you have a little more time, make your routine longer. Even a 10-minute routine can make a difference!

Refresh your routine over time

Your routine can evolve depending on your schedule and what you find works for you. It’s important to try different things, but notice when they are working for you and when they aren’t. This is especially true for college students. Practically every semester, you will have to refresh your routine to fit your new schedule and goals for the semester.

Staying Consistent: How to Make Your Morning Routine Work Every Day

Once you have built your morning routine, it can be challenging to stay consistent. Dr. VanHorn says one way to combat this is by staying accountable. There can be exceptions to a routine, but by trying to keep yourself accountable and encouraging friends and family to keep you accountable, it may be easier to stay consistent.

For college students, it can be especially difficult to maintain a routine during busy times in the semester, like midterms or finals. However, Johnson explains that routines are most important during times of high stress. We often push aside our routines first, but doing so often leads to feeling more overwhelmed and stressed as you try to juggle everything at once, she says.

As mentioned before, a routine will be hard to stick with at first, but by reminding yourself why you want to do a routine in the first place and the benefits, you can encourage yourself to keep going.

How to Get Back on Track When Your Morning Routine Falls Apart

For anyone, but especially college students, there are bound to be bumps in the road. Benes describes that when she has times where things don’t go as planned in her morning routine, she tries to set herself up for success the next day. She describes how this could mean getting organized for the next day, or even doing something for her mental health, such as a walk.

Life can be unpredictable, so when your morning routine falls apart (and it will for everyone), there are some things to keep in mind. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, it is important to find a balance, and your routine should not cause you more stress and anxiety to stick to. They offer some useful tips:

Give yourself a range
Plan some “nothing time”
Stay in the moment
Add time for relationship building

A Little Pick-Me-Up: At-Home Coffee Recipes to Support Your Morning Routine

Sometimes, even with a routine in place, mornings can still feel hard. On the days when getting out of bed feels like a challenge, I like to give myself something small to look forward to that also gives me a little jolt of energy. For me, it’s making a latte at home! Having that simple comfort helps make the morning feel a little more doable.

In all of these recipes, I use Café Bustelo Instant Espresso Powder. This has been a staple in my at-home coffee recipes for the past few years, and it is highly affordable. I definitely recommend using it for these recipes; however, you can also use any other instant espresso powder you prefer or an espresso machine.

Honey Cinnamon Shaken Espresso

This Honey Cinnamon Shaken Espresso recipe was created by Milly Coffee Time on TikTok and has been super popular.

Ingredients

2 tsp of Café Bustelo Instant Espresso Powder
Dash of cinnamon
1 tbsp of honey
½ cup hot water
Ice
Milk of preference
Creamer of preference

Step-by-Step

Pour ½ cup of water into a mason jar. Microwave for about 30 seconds.
Add in Café Bustelo, cinnamon, honey, and ice.
Put on the mason jar lid and shake until frothy.
Add milk of choice almost to the top, and then add a small amount of creamer.

Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso

This shaken espresso is my go-to recipe. I have experimented with different recipes across social media, and this one has stuck! Adjust it to your preference, but here is an idea of where to start.

Ingredients

¼ cup of hot water
2 tsp of Café Bustelo Instant Espresso Powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
Ice
Oat Milk (or milk of preference)

Step-by-Step

Pour ¼ cup of water into a mason jar. Microwave for about 30 seconds.
Measure 2 tsp of Café Bustelo and pour it in with hot water.
Measure 2 tbsp of brown sugar and pour it in with water and instant espresso, and mix.
Add ice to the mason jar, put the lid on, and mix until frothy.
Remove lid, add more ice, and top off with Oat Milk.

Iced Latte

This iced latte recipe is a quick and easy basic, created by TikTok influencer Jessica Rodriguez. This is just a base recipe, so I like to add specialty creamers or seasonal flavorings – pumpkin is my favorite!

Ingredients

Ice
½ cup milk of your preference
2 tbsp creamer of your choice
2 tbsp of Café Bustelo Instant Espresso Powder
2 tbsp of hot water

Step-by-Step

Pour ice into your favorite cup.
Add milk and creamer to the cup with ice.
In a small cup, add Café Bustelo espresso powder and 2 tbsp of hot water. Mix until the powder is dissolved.
Add espresso to the cup with milk and creamer.

Final Thoughts

As I’ve worked on my morning routine over time, it’s gotten easier. My mornings have become something I can handle instead of always feeling rushed and unprepared to start my day, and I feel like it actually fits me instead of forcing myself into something that didn’t. This process showed me that by making small changes and using the tips above, I could start my day feeling a lot better.

In this post, we talked about what a routine really means, how to realistically start a routine, how to make it unique to yourself, how to stay consistent, and lastly, some coffee recipes for when you need an extra jolt of energy. So now, I encourage you to start building your own routine today! You deserve to wake up feeling ready for the day.

Cali Minkie is a senior at North Central College, double-majoring in Psychology and Sociology with a Marketing minor. She’s a captain on the Women’s Track and Field Team and works on campus as a student employee. She has also been involved with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, helping represent and support her teammates. Cali is passionate about a career in social work, especially advocating for survivors and supporting mental health. When she’s not in class or at practice, she loves being outdoors, grabbing coffee or a sweet treat, and spending time with friends and family.