Setting yourself up for a meaningful and productive day starts with a solid morning routine, especially for us moms. Here are my tips to make this an enjoyable yet productive time before the littles awake!
1. Morning Routines Should Be Enjoyable and Productive
I understand that a lot of people dread mornings but it doesn’t have to be that way. You should look forward to getting up and starting a new day, whatever it may hold!
Let me say that again: Mornings don’t have to suck!!!
Here comes some tough love concerning mornings…
I’ve talked to a lot of friends and moms at the playground who hate mornings and feel like they start the day treading water, trying to catch up from the beginning of the day.
Regarding this I usually think, you get to decide if mornings suck. You are in control of your attitude and your thoughts concerning mornings. If they are close enough friends I will tell them straight.
Scripture says this in Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it.”
If you have a hard time with mornings, start your day by repeating this to yourself.
There a few things to consider when creating your morning routine as a mom.
- What do you need to do before your kids wake up to make the morning go smoothly? (unload dishwasher, start a load of laundry, pack lunches, get yourself ready, ect)
- What would you like to do in the peace and quiet of the earlier part of the morning? (drink your coffee hot, read scripture, exercise, ect)
- When do your kids wake up? If you have super earlier risers, could you work on getting them to do independent play before mommy comes to get them in the morning?
- What time do you need to wake up to get the previous things mentioned done?
- What time do you need to go to bed to get enough sleep?
As you can see, there are several things to consider.
Your morning routine doesn’t need to have everything listed above to set you up for a good day.
Depending on the time you get your kids out of bed and what time you wake up will depend on what you are able to get done.
2. Everyone’s morning routine will look different
What I include in my morning routine doesn’t have to be what you include in yours.
Some moms may have a work from home job so they use the early morning to knock out several computer tasks in order to be “mom” the rest of the day.
While other moms may have a spouse who works long hours (or is deployed) and isn’t able to give her any alone time. This mom may choose mornings to get her workout in and take a shower in peace.
This is what my morning routine currently looks like:
- Wake up between 5-6am
- Wash face, brush teeth, brush hair
- Eat something small (yogurt, toast)
- Drink coffee and read scripture
- Unload dishwasher and start laundry
- Finish getting ready (makeup + getting dressed)
- Start breakfast
- Get kids by 7:30-8:00 to eat breakfast as a family
Obviously, I’m one of those people who is starving when they wake up so I technically have two breakfast every day. But hey, I am currently growing a fourth baby so maybe that’s why!
Check this out: 3 Babies Under 4: Day in the Life
3. Start with Small Changes
This is becoming a theme on this blog, but the all or nothing mentality has got to go! There is nothing wrong with starting your day 15-20 minutes before you normally wake up and progressing from there.
Small changes over time are the secret to success in virtually everything. Every person you know who gets up early and seems to do 1,000 things before you even wake up, started by incrementally making small changes.
For instance, my brother-in-law wakes up at 3:30 every morning to be able to read more. Then he goes to the gym and gets ready for work all before my sister-in-law even gets up. He even sticks to this routine when we go on vacation! He sees the value and the beauty of the morning.
I asked him recently how he got to this point. He told me he started by setting his alarm 15 minutes earlier for a week at a time until he was eventually waking up at 3:30.
4. Your Morning Routine Should Evolve with Your Life
Overtime, you will figure out what works best for you.
It will always be changing with different stages of life. If somethings not working in morning routine, then change it.
Your routine is there to serve you. It needs to be working for you not against you!
You may even have different morning routines based on the day. For example, some days I get up at 4:30 to get my workout in at the gym because I won’t be able to do it any other time that day.
Our routine is going to be looking very different here soon with a newborn in the house and then again as the baby gets older. Life is forever evolving, but I will still stick to a routine of sorts during this next transition of life.
Check this out: 15 Healthy Pregnancy Snacks
I don’t know how I used to function without a morning routine or any routine at all for that matter.
Routines used to be a foreign concept to me as a young adult but after becoming a mom they have helped me stay sane through all the crazy seasons!
Have you always been a morning person or have you struggled in this area? If you need more tips for motherhood, fitness, and faith sign up for my newsletter. I offer new subscribers a freebie you don’t want to miss!
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