The morning routine is perhaps the most difficult aspect of your day to master. Unless you were born a morning person, the kind who jumps out of bed every day at dawn, you probably find it difficult to start the day off on the right foot. Yet having a solid morning routine can transform your entire day, making sure your mornings are pleasant and setting you up for success and productivity. It’s no coincidence that some of the most successful people in our society—Steve Jobs, Anna Wintour, and even Benjamin Franklin— have all had rigid morning routines.
We can’t all be Steve Jobs, though, and if you don’t naturally have enough energy and motivation in the morning to get much done, the idea of starting a new morning routine is likely daunting. Luckily, these days automation can make starting your mornings way easier. Home automation solutions for your morning will not just help you accomplish more in the AM, they can even help increase your energy levels and make you a true morning person. By setting up your home with a few key tech tricks, you can wake up refreshed and have a morning routine that sets you up to achieve all your goals. Here are some of the best home automation solutions to help you start the day right.
Your body is sensitive to natural light, and exposure to light can help your body wake up naturally. Studies have shown that people who are gradually exposed to light before waking up are less sleepy when they get out of bed. With motorized shades or blinds that are set up with a home automation system, you can schedule them to open in the morning, so your body will be much readier to start the day when your alarm goes off.
Why wake up with an annoying, relentless beep when you could wake up with a playlist of your favorite pump-up jams? One recent study demonstrated the power of music over alarm clocks for better mornings, and scientists explain music is less likely to cause sleep inertia, the phenomenon that keeps your body feeling groggy long after you’re awake. With smart speakers like the Amazon Echo or Google Home, you can set an alarm that is much more welcoming for your day, that you’re much less likely to snooze, and that will give your brain a jolt of energy.
Coffee pots have been letting us schedule brews for years, but with advanced automation technology that ability is even more sophisticated. A smart coffee pot can let you initiate a brew from your phone or with your voice-activated assistant, so it’s as fresh as possible when you finally make it to the kitchen. Some of these more modern machines can even make a variety of espresso drinks, too.
Motorized blinds aren’t the only automation solution for your home’s lights. Smart light bulbs can be scheduled to go on and off at various hours, and some even come with different color lights for different times of day. For an optimized morning routine, schedule the lights to go on with cool blue light, which is more energizing than warm light. You can also set your smart bulbs to simulate the sunrise during winter months where the sun doesn’t rise until well after your morning routine has begun.
These days you don’t have to be the CEO of a top company to have a personal assistant on call at 7:00 AM. Smart speakers that double as voice-activated assistants are invaluable and can help you assess what’s on your plate for the day. Ask about what’s on your digital calendar and your assistant will tell you while you drink your coffee or get dressed. You can also ask other questions to help you get ready, like whether it going to rain and what the top news stories are.
These are just a few home automation solutions for transforming your morning routine. To learn more about home automation, check out our e-book guide to automation, Turning Your Dream Home Into a Smart Home. To learn more about motorized and automated window treatments, sign up for a free consultation with one of our experts today.