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Are you one of those folks who takes forever to get out of the house in the morning? Is your “getting ready” routine so complicated that you have to start a good two hours before you need to leave in order to be on time? Do you annoy your friends and housemates, because you’re constantly running late? Perhaps its time to find a simpler morning solution.

Examine Your Wardrobe

One source of the problem could be wardrobe clutter. If the clothes you love are hidden in a sea of outfits you never wear, it’s going to slow you down in the morning — and having too many options makes it harder to decide what to wear. So the first step is to trim down to only those items you love, wear all the time, and really enjoy.

Start by pulling out everything that no longer fits and asking yourself when you plan to be that size again. You may feel tremendous pressure to be a stick insect, but those too-small clothes only make you feel bad about yourself. And I’m not talking about “someday” —  if you’re going to keep something that doesn’t fit, you need to have a reasonable goal set for yourself (wishful thinking only creates more clutter). If it isn’t going to happen within the next couple of months, it might be time to let go of that size six clothing and accept yourself as a beautiful and confident size ten! Also imagine the day that you do shrink back down to the size you were in college — will those outfits still be in style? Will that still be your style? Probably not.

Now take a look at what’s left (accessories/shoes/hats/purses/jewelry included). I’ll bet that your closet still contains some outfits that simply never see the light of day. When it’s time to answer the burning question of “what am I going to wear today?” you pass these skirts and pants and blouses over again and again. Why? Well, there’s obviously something about them that just doesn’t click with you Maybe you hate the color of that lime green jacket, or that skirt is annoying because it always rides up when you sit down, or those shoes pinch after you’ve had them on for more than an hour, or that pleated pair of pants just makes you feel fat. That’s fine — lose them. Life is too short to wear clothes you hate. Everything you own should be flattering, comfortable, and make you feel fabulous. If not, why keep it in your closet?

Finally, some items in your wardrobe are currently unwearable because they require “service.” You might have a pair of pants that needs hemmed or a blouse whose seam has come undone or a pair of shoes whose heels have come loose — set up a “repair/alteration” basket for these injured souls. If you have clothes that need to be professionally cleaned (especially those with stains that require special treatment — like that favorite suit that got a spill on it at a networking lunch, and you haven’t been able to wear it since), set up a basket for “dry cleaning”. Then before the week is through, tote your baskets to ONE location that offers both services — get everything taken care of at the same time, and start off next week fresh with a closet full of functional clothes.

Discover Your Natural Beauty

It’s easy in this country to become a slave to the cosmetics industry. Advertising tries its best to convince us that if we don’t have a 16-step skincare routine, spend an hour a day creating the perfect hairstyle, and engage in a weekly full-body home spa treatment, we’re unattractive and poorly groomed. Don’t buy into the lie! If all you do in the morning is wash your face, put on some moisturizer, and brush your teeth, you will survive just fine — I promise!

Ladies, let’s have a heart-to-heart, here. When it comes to cosmetics, you have to pick your battles — you don’t need to look like Tammy Faye every time you walk out of the house. For me, the only two real priorities are lipstick and mascara (my lashes are so blonde they practically disappear). I personally haven’t owned blush or foundation or lip liner in years — and I somehow manage to make do with only one shade of  eyeshadow, one eyeliner pencil, and one tube of lipstick. My entire makeup and skincare collection will fit into a single toiletry bag, and I save time and money to boot. To me, that is simplicity.

The problem is that everyone is trying to achieve the current most popular style, but most of us just aren’t built to look like Hollywood’s hottest celebrities. I learned this lesson early on as a child in the 70s, when I found out that Farrah Faucett’s blue eyeshadow and lip gloss and “wings” just didn’t translate as well to my curly hair and freckled face (it was a devastating discovery, and it was then that I decided to go my own way in terms of fashion!) I know, I know — we always want what we don’t have, and modern technology gives us the ability to change our looks on a whim. Folks with straight hair fry their locks with hot rollers and a curling iron, those with kinky hair use gels and blow dryers to flatten their waves, fair-skinned folks spray on fake tans while darker women use creams to lighten their skin — they say that beauty is 50% illusion, but the other 50% is an investment of time, effort, and money! Some people spend hundreds of hours (and thousands of dollars) attempting to look a way that God never intended. I guess, if that’s how you want to use up your precious life energy, it’s your choice — but I have better things to do with my day!

I’m one of those folks who can get ready, from jumping in the shower to walking out the door, in about 15 minutes. This wasn’t always the case, but over the years, I’ve decided that I just don’t want to waste half my day in the bathroom — I would rather be out there experiencing the world than constantly “preparing” for experiencing the world. The trick to a quick and easy morning routine is finding a style that flatters your natural features with as little effort as possible. It was a great day when I stopped fighting my hair and finally got the right haircut — now, all I do is put in a little gel, comb it into place, and let it dry (bye-bye hair dryer!) It also helps if you can stop jumping at every “fad” when it strikes. Just because everyone else is wearing pink lipstick this season, that doesn’t mean it will suit you — find your own color palette and you will always be in style, you’ll spend less money, and you’ll have less clutter on your vanity. Sure it’s fine to have a few funky items in your arsenal for playing dress-up — but if you’re putting together a “special occasion” look 7 days a week, you might be working too hard!

Making Mornings Easier

Finally, take a look at your AM routine and see where you can plan in advance, so your morning isn’t quite so hectic. For example, figuring out what you want to wear the next day and laying out your clothes the night before will help you get ready much faster (especially if you tend to hem and haw, taking forever to decide on an outfit.) Don’t forget your shoes, purse, jewelry — the accessories can take as much time as the clothes for some people! Then get all of your “take-with-you” paraphernalia together, including paperwork, car keys, briefcase, umbrella — whatever you need to take with you to work or school. And if you bring your lunch or a snack from home, pack it the night before, put it in the fridge, and leave yourself a sticky-note on the front door, so you don’t forget it. Just the bit of time you invest in advance will help you experience less stress the next day.

Another important step folks forget is to review their calendar or planner the night before, so there are no nasty surprises the next day. I can’t tell you how many times I either had an early appointment (usually with the dentist) that I forgot, or thought I had a crack-of-dawn meeting  (that I didn’t) and bounded out of bed believing I was late (which will totally throw your day off) — until I learned to look at my damned calendar every night! You will sleep better and get up more refreshed in the morning if you go to bed knowing exactly what appointments and to-dos and projects you have ahead of you in the morning.

And if you’re the sort of person who runs late because you try to do too much before you leave the house, set some boundaries. Maybe you don’t NEED to check your e-mail first thing in the morning — can it wait until you get home? It’s not vital that your house be completely spic and span before you head out to work — I’m pretty sure those couple of breakfast dishes in the sink will be just fine, even if you don’t wash them until this afternoon. If you want to get more done in the morning, set your alarm an hour earlier and be productive to your heart’s content. But also set an alarm telling you when you need to stop and walk out the door — productive stops being efficient when it makes you late for work!