Your Guide to Surviving 9ams at University

9th Mar 2022

Ah 9ams, everybody’s favourite. There’s something about that 7.30am alarm that’s just incomparable. Fighting the urge to doze off when you eventually make it to the lecture hall. Or…not and just pressing snooze instead. But I’m here to tell you – it does not have to be this way! By the end of this post, I am confident you’ll have all the tools you need to ENJOY your 9ams. Ok, maybe that’s a tad optimistic and I’m setting myself up for failure. But I’m hoping I can at least get you dreading them less…and maybe feeling a tad more alive for their duration. Here’s my tips, which I (sometimes) follow when I feel the inclination to make my morning that tad more enjoyable.

Make sure your alarm doesn’t make you want to scream: a crucial step, but don’t make it an old favourite song either. That just ruins old songs by making them mildly traumatising. No one wants that.
Make that bed: primarily so you don’t get back into it. Your room can be a tip, but if the bed’s made, you’ve already accomplished one thing and drastically reduced the chances of drifting off again.
Make getting ready for the day fun by playing your favourite tunes: or a podcast if you fancy being educational. Whatever floats your boat and gets you set for the day.
Hydrate before you caffeinate: please don’t laugh. I’m onto something here. Coffee is dehydrating – so the water counteracts this. And if you’re sat here saying you don’t need coffee for a 9am, or any time of the day for that matter…I would like to know your secret, as a self-confessed coffee addict.
Don’t skip brekkie: I know, breakfast before a 9am – isn’t that overly ambitious?! Potentially. But I’m a breakfast person with an unhealthy obsession with overnight oats. Which can be prepped the night before – meaning the breakfast-pre-9am thing becomes less overly ambitious. Try it. You may find you feel more alive.

So there we have it. Tried and tested by myself, hopefully confirmed by you. Dreading 9ams has now (hopefully!) become a thing of the past…