I don’t know about you, but mornings can be pretty hectic at my house. Before I became a stay at home mom, they were even worse.
Everyone’s rushing around getting ready, trying to have breakfast, packing lunches and looking for their coats, bags, and shoes to get going out the door. When I have a rushed and hectic morning, it tends to set a bad tone for the rest of the day. How about you?
In an effort to make mornings a little less stressful, I’ve created a nightly routine to help the a.m. rush go a little smoother. By spending about 30-minutes at night preparing for the next day, you can make your mornings so much better. Trust me on this one!
When I started doing this, I thought about the things that caused the most stress in the morning and then figured out how to fix that problem at night. Here are the six areas I chose to tackle the night before:
- Pick Out Clothes – I always pick out my daughters’ clothes and sometimes my own. When I worked outside the home I always picked out mine too. This way as soon we get up I can grab our clothes and don’t have to scramble to find something like two matching socks.
- Pack Morning Bag – Do we have ballet? Is it a daycare day? I get the needed items together, packed in my bag and set them by the door. This way I’m not looking for something like ballet shoes as we head out the door.
- Prep Breakfast/Bottles – When my daughter was younger and I had to take bottles to daycare, I always made them the night before. Now I get her milk cup poured and set in the refrigerator. For breakfast, I try to make something easy, like these ideas posted here. I also make sure our freezer is packed with things like whole wheat frozen waffles, for the times I need to get out the door asap.
- Clear Sink – While we predominately use the dishwasher, there are a lot of items I wash by hand. I clean all of the dishes and lay them out to dry. If there’s something that can go in the dishwasher, I put it there. There’s just something I like about having a clean sink at the end of the day.
- 15 Minute Pick Up – The first rooms I see when I walk downstairs are our kitchen and family room. Nothing frustrates me more than to see this area messy and cluttered first thing in the morning. I spend about 15 minutes (sometimes less) to pick up as much clutter as possible and put it away. It’s amazing how much something as simple as a seeing these rooms clean can start my day off on a positive note!
- Prep Coffee – I don’t use the timer on my machine, but I do pour in the water, put coffee in the filter and get out my coffee cup. Then when I come downstairs I just have to push start! I know this is simple, but it’s so easy to do at night and one less thing to do in the morning.
Having this plan in place has made our mornings go so much smoother and gets my day off on a positive note! To make your own nightly plan, think about where your pain points are and see if you can do something the night before to eliminate or reduce them the next day.
I think you’ll be surprised how much a difference a little planning and preparation at night can make! I’m wishing you the best of luck and smoother mornings ahead!
