How to Make Your Morning Run More Smoothly
If you’re like me, you’re not a morning person, and beginning each day may be a struggle. I’ve learned that my mornings can be greatly affected by making some changes at night.
These tips will help make your morning run more smoothly, taking some of the stress out of having to get out of bed:
Prepare as much as you can the night before.
Pick out the clothes you’re going to wear the next day. This goes for your kids, too. Help them find their clothes, put their shoes where they can easily get them, and get them to bed early.
While your kids are getting ready for bed, you can take that time to prepare lunch boxes if your children take them to school. If you take the time to fix as much as possible of their lunch the night before, it won’t take as long the next morning. You can hand them their lunches, already made, right before they have to leave for school.
This is also a great time to throw together a grab-and-go breakfast, saving prep time in the morning.
If you haven’t already done so, go through your child’s backpack. They may have papers you need to sign or sheets of information you need to know about. This is the perfect time to take care of these things so you won’t miss an important date.
Get enough rest.
Be sure to go to bed early enough that you can get at least eight hours of sleep. Does this mean you have to go to bed at the same time as the children? Absolutely not, but you do want to get the rest you need, too.
I’m thankful that my kids “sleep in” a bit – it makes “dragging myself to bed at midnight” a little less exhausting.
Set your alarm clock but place it across the room.
If your alarm is right next to the bed it will be too easy for you to hit the snooze button. Place your clock on the dresser or a table away from the bed. This will cause you to have to physically get up to turn your alarm off.
Try to get up early enough that you won’t be rushed.
Give yourself enough time to take care of yourself before you wake the children. I highly recommend (though struggle to do so myself) spending a few minutes in prayer and reading the Bible. This will help you start the day with a sense of peace and calm before all the hubbub starts.
Play music while you go about your morning routine.
Put on your favorite music to get you moving. If you have peppy music playing, you’ll be surprised how much you can get done and how good you’ll feel doing it.
Not everyone is a morning person by nature. That doesn’t mean you can’t make some changes to your schedule which will help you make your day run smoother. You can do as much as you can the night before, place your alarm across the room, or play music to get you going. Above all, get a good night’s sleep so you’re rested and able to function.
How do you prepare the night before to help with a positive morning experience?
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original photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/59632563@N04/6480297645
Always pre-set the coffee maker.. ;) Seriously though, I think so much of it is prep, AND more importantly getting to bed at a decent hour. If that doesn’t happen, getting up is MUCH more difficult. I say that though, fulling acknowledging that I am most definitely a morning person. And coffee.. lots and lots of coffee. ;)
I tend to do best with mornings when I have a reason (beyond my children needing a mom) to get up and get going. Even though I’m not a morning person, I tend to schedule most of our appointments for early-to-mid morning in order to get myself out of bed and moving. The days when I have little to accomplish are the most difficult to get out of bed.
definitely utilize the night before for setting out, planning, prepping, and cleaning! Cleaning before bed saves having to do it first thing in the morning. What a drag to be tired and have to wash dishes!!
Cleaning up before bed – yes! I hate doing it, but it’s so nice to be able to go to bed knowing that the house is clean. I generally start the dishwasher just before climbing into bed.