7 Tips for an Easy Morning Routine
The more I talk to others, the more I hear about how HORRIBLE mornings are for most of my friends. I wanted to share a few things that help my family get up and out the door, with honestly very little stress. If you have anything to add to this list, please comment!! I want to know ALL THE THINGS!
Make a healthy breakfast in 3 minutes or less - no pan required.
Microwave Egg Crock - Ok, my mom got me this egg crock for Christmas years ago and it sat in my cupboard for awhile before I tried it. We now have TWO that are in constant rotation and my life has been changed for the better. My husband and son both use this most mornings for a perfect scrambled egg/omelette every time. We pour liquid egg whites and add a bit of feta and spinach, place in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes (depending on your microwave levels), salt and presto! A healthy, high protein breakfast cooked without a dirty pan. It’s dishwasher safe, too and it’ll change your life.
Instant Hot Water Kettle - Another quick breakfast idea - If my son is not in the mood for eggs, oatmeal is our second choice, especially in the colder months. This takes about 60 seconds for the water to get hot. Simply pour over instant oatmeal and it’s cooked in a minute or less. I then add a splash of cold milk to make it the perfect temp - not too hot, not too cold, just right. Another fast healthy breakfast option. Bonus: I also use this water kettle for hot tea every single night as well.
Prepare for your day the night before.
Before you roll your eyes at me, we’re talking 5-10 minutes at night here to make your mornings 100x better. Do it while you play a few of your favorite songs and it won’t seem that bad. One song is about 4 minutes long, 2 songs, 8 minutes - music helps time pass and makes it seem less like a chore
Things to do the night before:
Get backpacks ready, fill out the permission slips, pack for practice after school, pick out outfits for tomorrow, put what you can in the car, etc. Also, gather your work stuff if you head to the office after drop off as well. Sure, you can ask your kids to help you do this if they are older, but know they probably forgot something - so at least plan to double check their backpacks before you go to bed.
My son and I get his backpack ready after homework since that is a natural, ‘let’s put homework in your backpack so you don’t forget it tomorrow’ - that seems to work for us.
ADDED: I totally forgot to add that getting a programmable coffee pot is a MUST HAVE if you’re a coffee drinker. In the past, I have bought both a super fancy DeLonghi Coffee Maker and this $30 Mr. Coffee. Not going to lie. I prefer the cheaper one. The fancy one had to be replaced pretty quickly but this cheapo Mr. Coffee is still going strong 3 years later. Get your coffee ready the night before so you have it first thing for step 4. When I forget to this, mornings are harder and I feel all out of routine.
Lunch Prep:
People seem pretty split on if they want to do this at night vs. in the am. Either way, kids (and adults!) need lunch if you pack.
I love these meal prep containers - available in many others colors - we have the grey. They are larger, yet still fit in our lunchbox. My son has outgrown these other smaller, Bentgo containers but if you still have toddler-aged kids these are a great option for smaller lunch portions.
If you are a morning lunch maker - set a dedicated time every single day to make lunch. Our school starts at 830, so for me, I make lunch every day at 8am. I know it takes me 4 minutes. It isn’t that much time. But, I know at 8am that is when I make lunch. If you plan around having a schedule in the morning, you know what to expect and your mornings will go much more smoothly.
If you make lunch at night, that’s one less thing you have to do in the am. You know what works best for you and your family.
Some parents I know do snack buckets and kids pick from different ‘buckets’ (like dairy, fruit, veggies, snack, carb, nuts, etc) in the pantry/fridge to fill their own lunches with one from each of them. If this works for you, that’s great too! I am not that organized with lunches, but maybe one day I’ll get here.
4. Plan for Morning Me Time
If you only have one takeaway from these tips, make it this one!
Each morning, plan for 15 minutes of ‘me’ time. I do this first thing in the morning and it helps me set my day. This is when I have my morning cup of coffee, check my personal email (do not check your work email during this 15 minutes), pay bills, update my budget tracker, and reference my weekly calendar to ensure that we didn’t forget to prepare for anything coming up that day.
I do this at about 630am, but pick a time your kids are either still sleeping or will give you 15 minutes of me time, maybe while they eat or get dressed, or read, or play by themselves. Reminder: Babies and Toddlers NEED 10-15 minutes of safe, non-independent play time for their development, too! Don’t feel bad for making your child read, draw, entertain or play by themselves with toys. Independent time for them is important too.
If you enjoy reading a paper, or checking your social media feed - add it to your ‘me time’. The goal is letting yourself wake up before jumping into morning chaos.
5. Weekly Calendar Management:
As mentioned above, my weekly calendar is my lifeline. Preparation is the key to stress management - no matter the time of day.
Take 15-30 mins either Sunday night, or Monday morning to write down all planned appointments, practices, games, upcoming tests, picture day, etc. (I do the full week during my Monday ‘ME’ time and update accordingly as things come up.)
I use this calendar from Target but this option from Amazon also looks similar and I might try it next. Some people do dry erase boards - I need the pen and paper and I need it next to my desk and moveable. You have to stand up for dry erase boards and physically walk over to wherever it is - just makes it a bit too hard for me to use it (sounds lazy, I know). I just have never figured out a good system for these for myself, personally. If what you have isn’t working, try the ole pen and paper method.
Plan in weekly increments, not months - it is less overwhelming and feels more manageable. I keep my monthly plans/appointments in my phone calendar and then just write them into the paper version for the relevant week.
This is NOT your work hourly calendar. This calendar is only for things you need to remember to prepare for in the morning/at night. Only add work things outside of your normal schedule (like travel, or after work engagements). It’s things you need to plan for or pack for that you normally do not.
Examples:
I always wear jeans and this Thursday I have a meeting with my boss and need to remember to dress up. Write it in here so you don’t forget and feel like a bum when you get to work.
Johnny has a game on Monday after work, I need to pack another pair of shoes.
It’s more for ‘Test on Tuesday, on Monday night I need to help my son study.’
Might sound basic but you’d be surprised at how many times you forget simple things like this if it’s not written down. Creating a calendar should also trigger any ‘Oh crap, I have to find and wash that jersey” preventing last minute panics!
6. Keep up with Laundry:
Speaking of laundry - don’t let it pile up. Get yourself one of these baskets (or two: one for lights and one for darks).
I have found when this basket is full, that’s about the same size as a load of laundry. When it is full, start a load. When it is dry, fold it then put it away before you go to bed. To fold and put away ONE load of laundry, we’re talking 5, maybe 10 minutes MAX here. If you keep up with laundry, then no one ever runs out of underwear and you don’t spend hours and hours sorting socks. ;) One load vs. five makes a huge difference in daily time management. If you’d rather just do it all on Sundays, more power to you but it likely will feel more overwhelming and like a chore.
Some people with older kids give each kid a day to do their own laundry. The key is having what you need when you need it.
7. Put everything in its place - especially coats and shoes:
Take shoes off by the door - do not waste your time looking for a match to a shoe.
Also make sure coats go where they are supposed to, so you know where to find them.
I’ll get into more organization tips but coats and shoes in the morning seem to be the most lost items (well other than last minute sports finds, but if you’re doing all that the night before you don’t need to worry about that anymore!)
I know some of you are thinking this sounds like a lot of work. I promise you, it’s really not and once you get into a set routine, this will all come easy.
Routine, habits and calendar management is crucial to stress-free mornings (and evenings). A few minutes here or there makes a big difference. The more kids you have, the more important having a routine really is - not just for you, for them too. Kids know when you’re stressed and it impacts their day as well.
Am I missing anything that helps your morning run more smoothly?