5 Steps to a Successful Morning Routine

I’m a night owl. Especially now that I’m a mom…….I really enjoy my quiet time at night. Sometimes my husband and I binge watch our favorite shows, we eat ice cream in our underwear, I’ll read a few chapters of my book or even start on a new project if I’m really feeling wild! We get the kids in bed and the world is our oyster! But as I begin to come out of the “survival” stage of infancy and toddlerhood, I’m finding that this no longer serves its purpose.

Why Tackle A Morning Routine?

Jackson started kindergarten this year and Olivia started preschool. That meant that 5 days a week I’d need to have Jack to school before class starts at 8 AM. And lunches…..every day! It also meant that two of those days I’d need to have him there when cafeteria doors open at 7:40 AM so that I could hit the road and get Olivia to school by 8 AM……and her school is about 20 minutes away. Did I mention that I’m not a morning person? Did I also mention that I’m not known for being on time, let alone early? Ok good,  just wanted to be sure you had the full picture as to how not prepared I was for this.

I’ve been there before, we all have! Running late and suddenly I’m yelling through the house to “get out the door” in my scariest monster, pirate, mom voice (you know EXACTLY what voice I’m talking about)! And you know what I realized in that moment of chaos and clock ticking??

Brace yourselves mamas because you may not like what I’m about to say……that it’s 100% on us, you and me. In that moment it became clear to me that I hold all the power. I control this tiny universe and can use that power for good or evil. Then and there I vowed that chaos and yelling and being late would not be our normal. I would not accept that, because I have children, this way of life was justified.

{ENTER ROUTINE, stage left} Routine: I’ve been waiting for you.

Ok maybe that was a little dramatic but it’s like a lightbulb went off. I feel like this life has been there the whole time, right in front of my face, waiting for me to just grab hold of it. Waiting for me to realize that I’m capable and it is worth it and not at all as hard as it may seem when you’re in the trenches of motherhood. The freedom I experienced from creating and implementing a routine was my “aha” moment!

DISCLAIMER:  I had many “routines” before this. If you are reading this and saying to yourself, “psshhhh, you got this already. You roll out of bed and throw clothes on, pack lunches and get everyone fed and dressed, you even get out of the house on time, most of the time, with minimal stress. You don’t need this so called routine”. Friend…….read below! You aren’t living if you are just keeping up. I’m talking about getting ahead. I’m talking about being purposeful with your time and getting the day started in a way that sets you up for success.

STEP 1:  WAKE UP EARLY

This isn’t easy for everyone. It’s not easy for me and I’ve been working on this for awhile but it is SO worth it. There is purpose in waking up before your kids do. You don’t hit the ground running. You can think about and focus on your day ahead. And the best part? Steps 2-5 take half the time when you are free to move about without needing to wipe a bottom or make breakfast.

So how do you do it? How do you wake up early?

Train, train, train, train and……..oh yeah train! We are training our kids constantly to learn to use the bathroom, remembering to wash their hands and clean their rooms, to say please and thank you. We are no different. Getting up early is like a muscle; you have to train it to work properly. The key here is to take baby steps. Do you wake up at 7 AM? For the next week, set your alarm for 6:50. Once you’ve got that, set it for 6:40. And adjust this accordingly for success. If 10 minutes makes this impossible, don’t be ashamed and don’t give up! I don’t care if you are waking up one minute earlier, you are doing it and you will get there! You make this work for YOU and keep training until you are where you want be. Got it? Ok good. Moving on.

STEP 2: MAKE YOUR BED

Don’t you love that this step is so easy? I love simple tasks that have a HUGE impact and this is one of them. Please don’t skip this step. If you wake up before your husband, that’s ok. Once he is up, go back and do it. Just get it done. Making the bed sets the tone for the rest of my day. It gives me peace of mind, it starts my day off with purpose and organization and right off the bat, I have a sense of accomplishment. I read a commencement speech given by Naval Adm. William H. McRaven back in 2014 that changed the way I saw this task. In a section of his speech, he states,

“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.

By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.

If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.

And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

Mamas, make your bed!

STEP 3: ENJOY 15 MINUTES OF QUIET TIME

This is why I get up early. This is my favorite step. I grab a cup of coffee, my Bible and a seat on the couch and I take it all in. The quiet, the view, the Word. I sit and I read and pray and think about my day, without any interruptions. Some days this is the only quiet time I get and so I soak in every minute. And when I get up, I am ready to go and I am motivated and focused. It’s beautiful what just a few minutes by yourself will do whether you read, reflect or just sit and stare out the window.

Alright………quiet time’s over! Time to hop up and get to work. These next two steps are things I’ve chosen specifically for me. I will explain why I’ve chosen them but just know that this is where you can customize your routine a bit. If there are other aspects of your life that need focus or areas of your home that take precedent, by all means enter them here! But please hear me out on why I’ve chosen dishes and laundry!

 

STEP 4: UNLOAD YOUR DISHWASHER & START A LOAD OF LAUNDRY

There are a couple things that pile up in our home no matter what we do: dishes and laundry. Heaven forbid we use the same spoon in our applesauce that we used for our yogurt. You add 3 meals and food prep to that list and the sink and counter have been taken hostage. I run my dishwasher every night when we go to bed and they are clean and ready to be put away in the morning. And laundry…….I am ALWAYS doing laundry which is why I start my day throwing a load of dirty clothes in!

Unloading my dishwasher in the morning makes my ENTIRE day so much easier. Why you ask? Well, because as soon as I start working in that kitchen making breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner and so much more, I can clean as I go. My kitchen and my peace of mind benefit from this one task immensely! We all know it is harder to tackle a project the bigger it gets. Don’t let your home grow out of control and don’t make your life harder than it needs to be. Set yourself up for success so that your energy can be spent on the people who need you.

And if there is one thing that grows faster than a pile of dirty dishes, it would be a pile of dirty laundry! In our house, I can’t afford to go a day without doing at least one load or I will regret it.  This is a lesson that was hard for me to learn which is why I’ve incorporated this into my morning routine.  I’ve seen the value of it and the toll it takes when I don’t.

 

STEP 5:  MAKE A TO-DO LIST

I’m a total list maker! There is something about physically writing something down that is so fulfilling to me and I LOVE crossing things off when they are done! Not to mention that as a stay-at-home mom, there are days when I feel like I’ve done everything and nothing all at once so having a list to show my daily accomplishments helps me out tremendously! So go for it here! Grab a pen and paper and start writing. There are no rules here. Some days I have 15 tasks and others I have 2 while other days I add to it as the day goes and things pop up! Once the list is made, go through and prioritize your tasks. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Eat the frog”, meaning tackle your biggest, hardest task first! Get it out of the way while you have the least amount of distractions and the most energy! From there, your to-do list will seem like a piece of cake and whatever doesn’t get finished in your day can move over to the next.

WHAT’S THE KEY TAKEAWAY?

The mindset here is to go from keeping up to getting ahead. One of my goals as a mom is to get ahead and stay ahead. This takes routine, being purposeful with what I do and how I do it, being protective of and efficient with my time and looking ahead. So……lets recap!

1. Set a routine and stick to it. It will become second nature and EVERYONE will benefit from it!
2. Make it your own. I’ve provided a basic outline….you customize it to fit your family!
3. Don’t just survive……THRIVE! Get ahead, take control and live there.

I’ve created a free download to help you remember these steps daily! If you would like to join my mailing list for newsletters, free downloads and more, I’ll send you a copy right away!