For many, waking up in the morning is an incredible task. Often times, people fight the morning struggle by resetting their alarm every 5 minutes, drinking as much coffee as humanly possible, and taking extremely cold showers (at least I do) -- anything to kick the body in gear for the day ahead.

What if I told you that you could have a better morning with the help of some handy tech?

With the help of IFTTT and other automated tools, you can wake up in the morning feeling prepared and ready to tackle the day.

Prepare for the Day Ahead

Before going to bed for the night, I often set my alarm. I've discovered that setting my alarm 3, 4, or even 5 times usually gets me up in the morning on schedule, usually. It's a process I'm not entirely proud of, but I know I'm not the only one who does the same.

However, my usual battle with the AM hours often leaves me feeling more tired and ill-prepared. I know I should get up early, check the weather, and decide on what I should wear (or do it the day before), but sleeping in for 5, 10, 20 minutes more is normally what I end up doing. And I often feel bad about it, especially if I forget my jacket during a down-pour. It's happened and I don't want it to happen again.

So, I've come up with a plan -- to have my alarm broadcast the weather. I use this nifty IFTTT command that sends me a personalized call or alarm with the day's forecast. And it works.

I can stay in bed half-asleep and listen to the weather broadcast, which helps me decide on what I want to wear. It might not sound like a revolution, but it has helped me immensely in preparing for the day, which is something every adult should do.

Turn on the Lights

But that doesn't help get me out of bed.

To help get me up and going, I need a little more help. Thankfully, this recipe turns on the lights at a set time so I can wake up and be more alert. The recipe connects with your lights and openHAB, a "vendor and technology agnostic open source automation software for your home." You can even use openHAB to connect with other smart home products.

Automate Your Morning Routine

But I need more of a push than a few turned-on lights to get me out of my bed, unfortunately.

As I lay there -- half-asleep, not quite ready to wake -- I often think about the day, how I want to sleep, and what I want to eat for breakfast, as if I have enough time to spend on a nice breakfast.

Just like I did before; I made a plan. I found a nice IFTTT recipe that brews coffee in the morning the moment I wake up. And it works. The recipe automatically turns on my coffee machine and starts brewing a pot of the good stuff, which is something most of us need in the morning.

Thankfully, the coffee aroma lures me out of bed and into the kitchen. A success. One that I'm happy to wake up and get out of bed for.

The Rest of the Morning

And after I do get up and drink a cup of brew, I usually try to do a few morning exercises. I often feel much better after a few push-ups and sit-ups. Nothing extreme, but something to help me feel energized.

For this, I need some music. Luckily, Amazon's Echo and Spotify work together perfectly and can be turned on by saying: "Alexa, play [Discover Weekly] playlist from Spotify." If you'd like to play a song, just say: "Alexa, play [Saving Up] by [Table People] from Spotify," for example. For more commands, check out Spotify's support page.

Next up for me is to eat some breakfast, take a shower, brush my teeth, get dressed, and get out the door. I often like to read a brief news run-down and check how many hours I've slept the night before, which isn't necessary for most but can be interesting.

Before I leave, though, I like to make sure my place is tidy, which can also be automated.

This nice IFTTT command reminds me to take out the trash in the morning. The recipe connects with Pushover, which you can connect to various apps to receive push notifications on your phone or tablet. You can also use the same command to remind you to do other tasks, such as vacuuming, doing the dishes, and cleaning your room. It really has helped me stay on top of those pesky household chores.

After that, I'm out the door. And since I'm a forgetful person, even after a nice morning routine, I use this recipe to turn off my lights when I leave the house. The recipe connects with Philips Hue, which is a service that connects the lights in your home and can help you save money.

You can also also automate your thermostat to turn off when you arrive at work (or wherever you decide to go).  I use this IFTTT command to do just that. The recipe works by connecting with an app on your iPhone, Android, or other phone and ecobee, a home automation company that creates smart thermostats to help save you money.

A Morning Success

Finally, the morning is almost over and the rest of the day is about to begin. Thanks to these automated IFTTT recipes, your day hopefully started a little easier than normal. For me, I know I wouldn't be able to operate normally without them.

Do you find it difficult to get up in the morning? What helps you tackle the day? Do you use technology and automated websites in your routine? Tell us your answers in the comment section below...

Image Credit: drinking morning tea by Morganka via Shutterstock