If a deafening alarm clock and lukewarm cup of coffee aren’t getting you pumped in the morning, you may be in need of a change in your morning routine.

Your morning can affect how your day goes as well, so it should go without saying that your morning routine will either help or hurt your day.

Here are some tips to help you prepare and execute your morning routine more efficiently.

1. Prepare the night before – To help the morning go smoothly it is important to start thinking about your routine way before your alarm clock begins blaring. A few things you can do to prepare for the morning include pre-planning your outfit, programming your coffee maker and setting out anything you need to take with you.

By doing these things the night before you save yourself not only time in the morning but also stress. You won’t feel as frantic if half your morning routine is completed by the time you hop into bed.

2. Get enough sleep – It is important to get enough sleep at night. No matter how well you plan out your morning routine, it won’t matter if you aren’t getting the hours that you need. Getting enough sleep can help you avoid feeling groggy in the morning and will help you improve your routine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention teenagers need around nine to 10 hours of sleep per night while adults only need about seven to eight. So plan your sleep accordingly if possible.

3. Avoid hitting snooze – Ah, the snooze button. What a wonderful, yet slightly counter-productive, invention. Although in the morning five more minutes of sleep may seem like just the thing you need to keep you going throughout the day,  in actuality it is causing more harm than good. The cycle of waking up, hitting snooze and sleeping a few more minutes may actually cause you to become more tired.

The temptation to hit snooze can be hard to overcome when your alarm is within arm’s reach. A solution to this problem is to place your alarm clock far enough from your bed that you have to stand up in order to turn it off.

4. Rehydrate – After a long nights sleep your body may be in need of a little hydration. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention water helps the body maintain a proper temperature, regulate waste removal and lubricate the joints. Starting out the day with a glass of water will allow your body to reap the benefits it has to offer shortly after waking up.

5. Exercise – A surefire way to wake you up in the morning is a bit of exercise. Now don’t worry, this isn’t to say that you have to go out and run around your neighborhood or bike for 12 miles. Exercise in the morning can be as simple as stretches or a light walk to grab the newspaper.

If you have time for a more rigorous routine, then all the better but don’t let the word “exercise” scare you. Simply get moving in the morning in whatever way you can.

Whether your routine needs a complete makeover or just a tweak, use these tips to jumpstart your morning and help you tackle the day with more energy.