Morning Routine for Busy Moms
-How to Start the Day Productively-
The alarm is going off. You look at it and almost drop the phone. It’s your backup alarm, the one that means you only have ten minutes to get the kids dressed, fed, and off to school before going to work yourself. You can’t be late again. One more time and it’s a write-up. How many times did you press snooze? This seems like it’s becoming a daily thing, scrambling around, looking for clean clothes, and walking into work with dark circles under your eyes because you forgot to apply concealer (oh no, you forgot to floss, too!). It seems like every morning is a disaster, and it just ruins your entire day. Why does this always happen? Look, we’ve all been there. I know I have. But…if this is happening every week–even multiple times a week–then maybe, just maybe, you need to establish a morning routine.
Morning routines are important because life is busy, time is precious, and days are better when they begin smoothly.
How to Start a Morning Routine
It’s simple, really. Write down a morning to-do list. If it still seems incomplete, ask yourself a few questions. What time do you have to leave for work to get there on time? Do you have to drop your children off at school? Is your commute long? How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
You should wake up early enough that you can complete your morning tasks without a panic-induced rush. You should also leave your home early enough that if unexpected traffic slows you down, it won’t cause undue tardiness.
Here’s an example of my morning routine when I worked a full-time job for three years with two children. (My husband left for work before we woke up, and I work at the elementary school with my children.)
My Full-Time Job Morning Routine
5:30 am – Wake up. I’m a crazy person that doesn’t feel fully awake until I have snoozed about ten alarms, so I set my alarm at 4:50 am and snooze it until 5:30 am. I’m amazed my husband hasn’t kicked me off the bed, but apparently, my alarm wasn’t loud enough to rouse him, so it works. Also, create a backup alarm if you’re not a fan of constant snoozing. That way, if you missed your first alarm, your backup alarm will come to the rescue.
5:30-5:35 – Restroom and wash your face. There’s nothing like emptying your bladder and splashing arctic water into your dry, tired eyes to perk you up.
5:35-5:40 – Coffee/Water/Tea. Whichever is your brew of choice, sipping on a beverage is a good start to any day. I choose coffee most days. Prep the coffee pot the night before and put it on a timer. The smell of coffee in the morning is great for triggering your olfactory senses and reminding you that it’s time to start your day.
5:40-6:00 – Get dressed. Looking my best helps my confidence and can affect the quality of my day. Twenty minutes is usually enough time for my hair and makeup without rushing. Some people take longer to get ready, and some like my husband take only five minutes before they pirouette out the door. Either way, customize this time to suit your needs.
6:00-6:30 – Wake up kids. If you don’t have children, you can obviously skip this part, maybe replace it with some extra sleep or some reading of your favorite personal development books. Some people like to wake up at the crack of dawn and do yoga. Whatever floats your boat. I, however, have two boys that sleep like the dead, so it takes them a very, very, very long time to go from zombie mode to awake mode. The boys get dressed while I make them a nutritional breakfast (a bowl of cereal), it takes them about twenty minutes to eat with lots of prompting and reminders from me. While they’re occupied, I do school and work prep (make lunches, sign binders, organize bags).
6:30-6:45 – Brush your teeth. We brush our teeth at this time. I fix the boy’s hair, usually while I’m whitening, and spray them with cologne. We grab our backpacks and work bag and head out the door.
6:45-7:10 – Commute. Get to school/work. My boss has a saying that he adopted from somewhere, but I’m sure everyone has heard it. Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable. And the school that I work at takes this very seriously. Lucky for me, my job is also my kid’s school, so I don’t have to factor in that extra time to drop the kiddos off.
Make It Your Own
Once you have written down your ideal morning routine, test it out, and see where you can tweak it as the week goes by. Chances are, you’ll have it perfected before the week is up. Keep at it. Soon, you won’t even have to think about it; it’ll be a natural part of your day, and you’ll no longer be running through the house, yelling at your kids, and peeling out of the driveway just to make it to work late anyway.
I hope this example of my routine is helpful. Now that I work part-time, it looks a bit different, and that’s okay.
What does your ideal morning routine look like?
-Tanya
