How to Get Ready for Work Quickly
The Wall Street Journal just had an article advising men how to get ready for work quickly, and I thought it might be interesting to discuss here: what are your best tricks to save time in the morning if you're running late?
Some general tips from the WSJ article, some of which are kind of amusing:
- only wear one color, or stick to neutrals
- “don't waste time on laces” – the author has kicked aside his brogues for slip-on Chelsea boots
- along similar lines, they quote someone who doesn't wear anything with “shirt buttons, belt loops, or shoelaces to fumble.” (How much time are these men spending on buttoning and lacing things?)
- steam your clothes by hanging them while you shower.
- one LA stylist advises “to stave off dishevelment . . . put on your clothes in this order: underwear and socks first, followed by pants, shoes and tops.” (Golden advice here!) His theory is that the top should be last so if you have to bend over to lace your shoes, you don't get a crease in your button-up.
- “shove your head briefly under the bathroom tap, then comb those strands into place before, once they're dryish, applying pomade.”
I mean… I wasn't aware men spend so much time buttoning and lacing things, or that they needed advice to put on underwear first. But hey.
So let's discuss from our angle…
My Best Tips on How to Get Ready for Work Quickly
I'm just going to go ahead and steal some tricks from the WSJ: when in doubt where to start, put your underwear on first. One less decision, BOOM. (You're welcome.)
Develop a uniform. If you work in a place where suits are acceptable on regular days, this is a great uniform — you look put together and professional but don't have to think about it at all. Another option here: a dress (one and done!), or a monotone look (black, navy, beige — although note that sometimes there can be shade differences between the colors that are better if they look intentional).
(Obviously: make sure your uniform doesn't include laces or buttons because, you know, efficiency.)
Default to an easy hairstyle. For me this would probably just be leaving my hair long and loose, but we've rounded up some great (and easy!!) updos for work if that isn't an option. My favorite is the inverted chestnut bun. (We had a great discussion a few years ago about how long people spend on their hair for work — the overwhelming answer was, not a ton of time!)
Keep in mind the makeup you have at the office. This is a great reason to keep some easy makeup products at the office — not only can you touch yourself up before going from desk to dinner, but you can also fill in some gaps if your morning routine had to be on the shorter side. We've also had great discussions where readers shared their short makeup routines.
The trickiest part, of course, is your cleansing routine — I almost always shower at night these days, so this wouldn't be an issue for me…. Also, note that things like dry shampoo are actually more effective if you put them on your hair before bed.
For my $.02, if you want to get your hair wet without a shower, I would skip the bathroom tap – I tend to use a combination of a mister and a large mixing bowl (like the plastic kind you get in Walmart for $3) — add some water to the bottom of the bowl, then dunk your head. You're saving water and more comfortable than trying to shove your head under the bathroom tap. (This is similar to the Curly Girl “bowl method.“)
Readers, those are my tips — what are yours?
Psst: here's our last discussion on morning routines!
Stock photo via Deposit Photos / Maridav.
Men have it so freaking easy. That’s all I have to say about that.
My AM routine is only about 5-10 minutes longer than my partner’s. I could slim it down further if I wanted to.
Ok…. so brag? What are you saying about the rest of us?
Youth and genetic gifts. Wish I had them!
I know I’m unusual for a woman, but my morning routine has never taken longer than 5-10 minutes. I shower at night and I don’t wear makeup or style my hair, so I just get dressed, brush my hair and put on sunscreen.
I try and shower in the morning to avoid having schmutz on my hair left over from the evening before.
Admittedly, I don’t wear laced shoes to work but I can’t imagine that is the straw that breaks the camels back, ha!
I lay out my clothes and pack my lunch into its Tupperware the night before, which is very helpful.
I have a bunch of work dresses, which I love because there’s no putting together an outfit involved! On mornings when I’m in a rush and didn’t lay out clothes, I always go for a dress. I also keep a blazer, a cardigan and 3-4 pairs of shoes at the office so I only need to get dressed at home.
I wear the same jewelry and I never take it off, so that keeps things easy.
My makeup is the same 90% of the time and only takes 3 minutes for me to do (tinted moisturizer, eyeliner, mascara, brow gel, lip stain). If I’m in a rush I can skip my skincare, though that is also quick (Cetaphil cleanser, eye cream, HA, and SPF moisturizer).
I am 50/50 on showering at night or in the AM (depending on when I workout), but I can be in and out of the shower in 3-5 minutes (wash hair, condition, clean body). My hair is thin and greasy so I do have to wash it daily. I usually use the Revlon to blow out my hair (on AM shower days) or use my straigtener (on PM shower days) but my hair is fine if it’s air dried so if I’m in a rush it’s fine to let it do it’s thing. I did laser hair removal so I don’t have to worry about if I need to shave.
I give myself 45 minutes to get ready in the morning, but have gone from in bed asleep to showered and ready and out the door in 15 when I’ve overslept.
When I worked more in the office and traveled a lot for work, I developed a uniform of faux wrap v-neck 3/4 sleeve knit dresses, plus some sort of jackety topper (cardigan, jacket, etc.). My work travel took me to a number of Asian countries, so dresses falling at or below the knee with sleeves sufficiently long to cover up shoulders was key for regional modesty standards, and I appreciated being able to scrunch up the dresses in luggage and just shake them out before putting them on. Synthetic material to allow for machine wash, of course, plus if I was caught in a tropical rainstorm (or, to be more gross, perspired profusely), the dress would dry out quickly and remain presentable for the rest of the day. Patterned is better than solid plus a full slip helps to camouflage a not so sleek body. Earrings, rings, and bracelets provide variety. (The hot-as-Hades climate precluded wearing necklaces — too sweaty!) Sandals with block heels were appropriate and comfortable.
I cannot imagine a world in which the relative inconvenience of (1) toweling my body dry thanks to wanting to wash my hair is greater than relative inconvenience of (2) dealing with a mixing bowl in the bathroom.
My biggest timesaver is maintaining a haircut that looks attractive whether fully styled or in a neat pony.
It’s a curly thing. I’m not a curly girl but my daughter is. You have to wet your curls to make them look good.
It’s better to get your hair wet in a bowl than it is to get it wet in a shower? I wasn’t suggesting not getting the hair wet, just questioning the view that getting your body wet (also) in a shower is less convenient than dealing with a mixing bowl.
+1 A mixing bowl just seems like a lot of work and a lot of mess.
it’s a porosity thing – in the shower spray my hair takes 1-2 minutes to get fully wet, and then 4 hours to airdry. if I try to just tsick my head in the shower for a second then it gets very unevenly wet, with some parts REALLY wet and some not wet at all. With the bowl I can make the ends 75% wet, and the middle parts about 30-40% wet (with more help from the mister), which ensures that the hair will dry in 20 minutes.
I can take a lot of time getting ready because I enjoy it, but when I know I have to get ready in a hurry, I can do it in 10 minutes.
I shower at night so I don’t have to in the morning. My hair style doesn’t require styling/hot tools so hair isn’t a factor.
I wash face, put on an essence (light moisturizing layer because I have the kind of skin that feels tight after washing), brush my teeth, take pills, put in eye drops (Restasis), put on rosacea medicine, then do my eye makeup while that’s setting. Eye makeup is a single cream color from Mac or Bobbi Brown + mascara. Sometimes pencil liner. By then the rosacea cream is less wet and I put on sunscreen – face, chest, hands – then powder or tinted moisturizer, blush, and brow gel. I typically just have lip balm on my lips until I’m on my way, I have some sheer lipsticks in my bag.
Getting dressed is easy because I have the same pants in different neutrals, and multiples of the same jeans. I have sort of a uniform of cashmere sweater + jacket or swacket in cool weather, replace cashmere with a silky tank or shell in warmer weather, linen boxy tank in hot weather. Shoes go with my pants most of the time, but I do have some in colors that I wear when I’m wearing the right top.
Having a set color palette is really the key to getting dressed quickly!
I’m a night shower person so that saves a lot of time in the morning. Hair is just back in a bun. I set out my outfit and pack my bag and my lunch the night before. It takes me like 15 minutes to get out of the house!
I went up one size post partum and used it as an opportunity to make getting dressed for work in the morning simpler. I had read about creating a work uniform, but I didn’t fully go in that direction. I just switched to only black bottoms – primarily cigarette pants and pencil skirts. Then I just buy tops that match black and everything coordinates without having to think too hard. It’s faster and I save a few brain cells every morning too (I’m not a morning person).
The key to a streamlined morning routine is to do things the night before: shower (if your hair allows it), set out clothes, prep breakfast, pack lunch. Then in the morning you brush teeth, put on clothes, throw hair into a bun, 2 minute makeup routine, grab food, brew coffee, coffee in travel tumbler, and out the door.
I am always amazed by the people who can go without showering or washing their hair every morning. I feel so sticky and gross after sleeping.
To each their own… I shudder at the thought of getting into my clean bed without a shower first. If I go to bed always clean, in my climate, I stay clean in the morning for 9-10 months of the year. I add a morning shower for the high summer, but never skip an evening shower, ever. Going without it to bed seems gross to me, ha… In the end it matters a lot more to shower daily than when exactly you shower.
+1 can’t imagine getting into bed dirty
Same. I grew up riding horses and got in the habit of always showering at night then. I’ve never felt sticky and gross after sleeping unless I didn’t shower the night before :)
I’m a morning shower person too. I feel icky when I can’t or don’t take one. It helps wake me up too.
But I don’t live somewhere really hot or humid or dirty like a big city.
Yes, the buttoning-and-lacing shortcuts sound kind of loopy. But this can be a challenge for lots of people. My partner injured a hand five years ago and, since then, buttons and laces have been a challenge for him. If I’m around, I’ll button a shirt on his behalf quickly, just to save time. He will leave looser business shirts buttoned and pull them on like a sweater! Women’s white-collar clothes have more options for fasteners – stretch, zippers, unfastened options. Men’s white-collar clothes don’t: they’re still prisoners of the business shirt and, often, the belt. (My partner really hates the Steve Jobs black turtleneck look and IMHO he’s right, not his best look.) Anyone else out there dealing with hand/dexterity challenges around work clothes??
Can’t speak to this brand in particular for adults but check out something like the lands end men’s adaptive long sleeve oxford (link to follow). Their kids’ adaptive shirts are great. I’d google for “adaptive” with whatever type of shirt he likes to wear. They usually have non functional (but normal looking) buttons at front and on cuffs.
https://www.landsend.com/products/mens-adaptive-long-sleeve-oxford-dress-shirt/id_328823