The Best Morning Routine For Moms
Is your morning routine lacking or non-existent and you are desperately craving some structure and “me time” before you need to start mommin’? BUT…you dont know where to start. I was there too…
I would wake up to two little faces and the dog all up in my business while I was snuggled up, cozy in bed, with no intention of getting up.
Not the wakeup call I wanted. These cute little faces were there with A LOT of demands, questions, and were ready for a wrestling match. Yikes. But I’m here to tell you, there is hope.
What if I told you you can wake up in peace and actually get something done BEFORE your family wakes up? Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
With a little effort, it can be done.
Which is why I am sharing with you how I achieved this glorious routine of mine, which gives me the peace and quiet I need in the morning before my “mom day” begins.
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4 Morning Habits You Need to Start Now!
Here are my 4 life-changing morning habits that will improve your mom-life game. These habits are easy to implement, something you can actually be consistent with, and will be life-changing.
1. Start The Night Before (Get Organized)
The success of your morning is going to start the night before.
Do a quick 15-minute clean-up of the house. Fill up water bottles for you and your kids. Set out clothes for the morning. Leave out a gratitude journal near your bathroom sink as a reminder to write down a few things you a grateful for in the morning.
Anything that can be done the night before, just do it! The less you need to worry about in the morning, the better.
Make a Morning To-Do List
Make a schedule, brain dump, or to-do list for your morning. Get it off your mind before going to bed. Not only will this help you sleep better, but it will allow your morning to be more productive and seamless.
Think about what you want to get done. Is your morning strictly your “me time”? Will it be your power hour where you are going to work on your blog, business, or hobby? Do you want to exercise? This is your choice!
What do you want to accomplish in the morning?
Get Enough Sleep!
Go to bed on time! You should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night, so plan accordingly. If you want to wake up at 5 am, be prepared to be asleep by 9 pm. If you want to be asleep by 9 pm, start your evening routine BEFORE 9 pm.
2. Wake Up Before Everyone Else
Please don’t hate me for this. If you want to be more productive, you probably need to be waking up earlier. I like to have a solid 2 hours before my kids wake up. I choose to wake up at 5 and my kids wake up anytime between 6-7:30, however, they know morning doesn’t start until 8 am. If they wake up early, they will greet me and I will say good morning. If they are hungry they can get a snack from the cabinet, but they are expected to stay in their rooms until 7:30/8 am. Those are our house rules.
To help enforce these rules we have the Hatch Rest Sound Machine, Night Light, Time-to-Rise clock and a clock that is color-coded (a diy I did myself). When the shorthand is on the 8 and long hand is on the 12 (hitting the green-colored area), their day can begin!
Please note, if you have a newborn, sleep training, or aren’t going to bed on time…do not focus on waking up early. You need to fix these habits (or just weather the storm) before you can start an early morning routine. We do not want you to be sleep-deprived.
3. Be Consistent
Honestly consistency is the hardest part. This is generally my number one problem. I can plan for daysssss. I love schedules, routines, plans, etc…, however, sometimes executing something is much more difficult than just planning. Planning the night before, being realistic with my time, and constantly re-evaluating helps a ton with consistency.
Another tip with consistency; sometimes you just have to force yourself. The reasons to do it should outweigh the reasons not to do it.
I am in a much better mood when I wake up on my own before my kids. I am very grumpy and anxious if I get woken by my kids. So for me, it is easy to see that the benefits of waking up earlier largely outweigh sleeping in.
4. Make This Time for YOU
What do YOU want to get done? Do you just want some quiet time for yourself? Need quiet time to work on your blog or business? Maybe you just want to lay on the couch, coffee in hand, and watch the news? Put yourself first.
Be Flexible With Yourself and Your Routines
This post is giving you the tools to create your own morning routine framework. There is not a one size fits all morning routine or schedule, but rather, tools for you to be able to assess your own situations and scheduling wants and needs so you can create your own schedule that will work for you.
While frameworks are great, they are not the end-all, and kids won’t always follow them. There will be days where you accidentally sleep in, you are exhausted and decide to skip the early morning wake-up, you are sick, kids are sick, etc…
Routines are meant to help you in your days, but there does need to be flexibility built within them.
Are you a night owl, and not a morning person? Consider switching my tips around to better fit your needs. Use the evening for your quiet time after the kids are in bed vs waking up early. Play around with what makes you happiest.
The Morning Routine That Changed My Life
My morning routines are constantly evolving (right now we are in the middle of Shelter In Place because of Covid 19). My morning routines also look different during the school year and summer break.
The framework stays the same, but I will change it up to make sure it is a good fit for my family and me.
My Current Morning Routine:
Prep The Night Before:
- 15-minute clean-up
- Fill water bottles
- Put blog work in the office
- Make sure the espresso machine is clean
- Create a to-do list for the next day
My Early Morning Routine (Summer/Covid19 Shelter In Place):
- Wake-up at 5 am
- Make coffee
- Go to the office by 5:15 am
- Put on the news, check social media/news
- 5:30 am start working on this blog
- 7:45 am put in contacts, brush teeth, change
- 8:00 am day starts with family
My School Year Morning Routine:
- Wake-up at 5 am
- 5:15 am Workout + Stretch + 2m (ish) Meditation
- 6:00 am Shower/Get ready
- 6:20 am Make Coffee
- Put on the news, brain dump, journal, check social media
- 7:20 am Kids up, get ready for school
Morning Routine Ideas
Here are some ideas for your morning routine!
- Braindump
- Journaling
- Devotions
- Meditation
- Read/Listen to a book
- Exercise
- 15m Clean-up
- Chores
- Sit in silence with your coffee!
Final Thoughts on Organizing Your Morning Schedule
Starting a morning routine is an excellent way to prioritize time for yourself. You can take the morning to focus on self-care, working on your business, completing some chores, or just sitting in peace and quiet. Use this framework to better serve your wants and needs to have a more productive, peaceful day.
Organize Your Schedule with These Time Management Articles
- Organize Your Hectic Schedule With a Brain Dump
- Time Blocking 101 (For Busy Moms That Need More Time)
- How to Get More Hours in Your Day (With a Time Audit)
The Ultimate Morning Routine for Moms
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