Are you a person who greets the day with enthusiasm or grouchiness? If you are like most people, you would answer, "It depends..."

What does it depend on? The first hour of the morning actually!

The level of stress and activity in the morning can set the hole mood for the day. A stressful beginning can make a whole day seem like frantic. On the other hand, a relaxed beginning can make a difficult and stressy day seem smoother. To with, the keys to a great morning lies in the night before.

By getting things ready the night before you can simplify the start of your day, and even some of your tasks for the next afternoon. Here are six ways to make the morning better:

1. Your clothes. By picking out your outfit in the evening, you will have time to notice if something is stained, needs repair, or needs ironing or something. You can also pick clothing appropriate for the weather it is required. You will be able to bypass the staring-in-the-closet part of the morning, as well as the frantic changing of outfit/outfits when you notice the coffee stain on your pants.

2. Organize your outdoor stuffs. If you have a briefcase, get it packed Ladies, pack your purses. Avoid the last minute scramble to assemble your clients presentation notes that can mean leaving something important behind.

3. Keys to the door. If you spend five minutes looking for your keys each morning, you will end up spending twenty hours a year looking for keys, much time, isnt it? Keep your keys in one place---by the door---and you will avoid that last minute hassle.

4. Prepare your meal/meals. As much as possible, automate breakfast, lunch and if its possible dinner. Skipping meals can lead to poor mental and physical performance later on in the day. On-the-go breakfast "convenience" foods and fast food are loaded with extra calories, sugar and fat that could lead to sluggishness. So, make your breakfast healthier: lay out a covered bowl of cereal and pull some yogurt to the front of the refrigerator. This way, you gonna enjoy the food as you cut down on preparation time. Packing most of a lunch the night before, can sometimes, mean the difference between a healthy inexpensive lunch or a lunch of fast-food. Put together some veggies and fruit or simply make a sandwich. You will avoid the afternoon slump of energy and save time and money.

5. Set up tasks automaticly. We live in an age of "convenience machines." If you wash a load of clothes while you are at work, bring the laundry basket to the washer the night before. If you will cook a dinner in a slow cooker during the day, get the ingredients assembled also prepped, so all you have to do is plug and go. Having machines work for us is a wonderful convenience, but only we can make the most out of what they can do for us.

6. Make your children ready. Help children pick out their clothes and assemble school work and pack lunches the night before. This will eliminate the added calls of "Mom, have you seen my bla bla bla...?" or "Dad, I need these papers signed and a check for today becuase..." This alone will take a great deal of bad frantic energy out of the out-the-door time.

You have more time to think and double-check when you prepare the night before. None of the tips suggested above will take very long time--you just have to invest about half an hour each night to get them done, and you will reap the benefits by a smooth and stress-free morning.

Enjoy!