As the semester dawns upon us, many of us find ourselves with 8 a.m. classes — perhaps for the first time, perhaps for the fifth. It doesn’t get easier. For those of us who are late sleepers, when our alarm goes off in the morning, we pathetically drag our limp bodies out of our blankets and passionately curse the cruel universe that tortures us so. But the wrath of 8 a.m. classes doesn’t stop there. Oh no — even we early birds feel the desperation of an early morning. 8 a.m. classes rob us of our morning burst of productivity and instead force us to use our morning energy to get ready for the lecture that is taking the place of our gym time.

As much as we despair at the thought of early morning classes, however, we despair ever more at the possibility of missing these classes and falling behind. We at the Clog have put together a list of tricks to make sure you start the day with the sun.

1. Set your alarm for an hour before you have to leave for class.

Although it may seem counterproductive, setting your alarm for an earlier time instead of sleeping in as much as you can will allow your body to fully wake up and help your mind be alert in class. And if you tend to sleep through alarms, set a bunch in progression. If that doesn’t wake your sleepy ass up, you sure as hell know that your angry roommate will!

2. Take a morning shower.

There is nothing you crave more than the warm embrace of your bed immediately after you pull your shivering, shaking body out of it. Avoid getting back into bed and falling straight asleep again by warming up your body with a hot shower. Allow the water to wake you and breathe a new life into your cells.

3. Eat breakfast.

There’s a reason that your parents nag you to eat something the morning of an important day: Being hungry slows you down! Fortify yourself for the class to come by actually nourishing your body in the morning. You’ll be amazed by how much more quickly you are able to sprint to class with the addition of some whole-grain toast and a cup of Earl Grey.

4. Print your homework or whatever documents you need for class the night before.

There are few things more stressful than running to various campus locations to print a document only to find that they haven’t opened yet, their printers are malfunctioning or you’ve forgotten your Cal 1 Card. All the while, your time before class is dwindling. Save yourself from this nightmare and get your homework printed out the night before your early-morning class.

5. Plan your outfit the night before.

Planning a cute outfit can be an absolute hassle — especially when you haven’t done laundry in three weeks and have the additional task of smelling around for the least-stinky article of clothing and liberally spraying Febreze all over it. Cut down on this additional stress and morning prep time by piecing together the perfect outfit the night before.

Image Sources: Anthony Catalano, Steven Depolo, alasam, Mary-Lynn, Liz