The 5 Habits That Will Get You Out the Door Faster

If youre anything like us, you waste at least five minutes every morning looking for your keys or favorite lip gloss before racing out the door. If only you could get into the habit of putting those things in the same place. In her new book Better than Beforeour March book club pick!writer (and pursuer of happiness) Gretchen Rubin digs into the science behind these daily habits, and what it takes to make or break them. She shared her tips for leaving your house on timemaybe even a little early.

1. Prep the Night Before

Rubin says the biggest stressor on early mornings is not getting enough sleep the night before. She suggests setting a bedtime alarm to get more shut-eye, and prepping for the a.m. before you hit the pillow. Pack your bag and pick out your outfit for the next day right after dinner instead of waiting until youre exhausted, so that it becomes second nature.

2. Stop Snoozing

Hitting the snooze button, as tempting as it always is, makes for a frazzled morning: Because you are like, Oh, five more minutes, five more minutes," says Rubin, you are 10 minutes short of what you needed and you forget things. Instead of prolonging your stay in bed incrementally, save yourself the mad scramble by placing your alarm clock far from reach or by going to sleep earlier (see above!).

3. Take a Reality Check

Chances are your morning shower takes longer than the six minutes you think it does. Time yourself to see how long it really takes to wash and dry your hair, make breakfast, and get your kids readya process Rubin calls monitoring. If your shower actually lasts 20 minutes, do it the night before. Or if you know that making school lunches takes 15 minutes, budget that time into when you set your morning alarm.

4. Sweeten Your Commute

Traffic and crowded subway trains are no funwhich is a big reason why people often put them off by running late. In order to make your commute something you want to start on time, Rubin recommends pairing it with something enjoyable, like a podcast or audiobook. If earbuds arent your thing, agreeing to carpool or take the same train with a friend will make you both accountable for being on time.

5. Set a Recurring Early Meeting

The best cure for strolling into work 15 minutes late is a cant-miss meeting at the other end of your commute. If you want to arrive by 9 a.m., set a morning check-in with a coworker to ensure you wont flakeeven if its just coffee. Knowing that you could potentially be wasting someone elses time with your tardiness will help motivate you to get in on time.

Follow Birchbox on Facebook to join a Q&A with Gretchen Rubin on March 30.