The Joyful Sort How To: Simplify Your Morning Routine
We’ve all been there: it’s a few minutes before you’re supposed to head out the door for the day, but you’re scrambling to find your keys or a book to be returned to the school library, someone is whining about a missing sock, and the dog still needs to be fed. Or worse, you’re already halfway to work or school and realize that in the middle of the chaos you ended up leaving your laptop or lunch at home.
Mornings can be stressful and chaotic for a lot of people, and nobody likes to start their day feeling all kinds of frazzled. My last post about back-to-school organization got me thinking about just how important a solid morning routine is, and luckily this is a great time of year to make some adjustments. Read on for some of my favorite How To tips for a more streamlined and organized morning routine!
Practice a little “morning minutia” mindfulness.
Take a few minutes to think about any bottleneck spots during your current routine. Are you constantly searching for little things like gloves or an umbrella? Scrambling to pack lunches and snacks while simultaneously trying to everyone fed? Jot those things down (maybe after you’ve made it out the door for the day), or try keeping a timer for different tasks to see just how long you’re devoting to them - you may be surprised! Knowing where your pain points are, along with having even a rough idea of how long each step of your routine takes, will give you a good outline for where you can possibly make some shifts.
Start the night before.
100%, without a doubt, the number one reason that most (keyword: most) mornings at our house are pretty smooth is that a bulk of the To Do items are checked off of the list the night before. Our morning routine is super simple - get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast, feed pets - because I’ve intentionally put more weight on our after-school and evening routines and getting things ready to go ahead of time. Every afternoon/evening we:
Backpacks are emptied and incoming paper is sorted
Lunches and snacks for the following day are packed (this is a great chore to outsource to kiddos!)
Calendars (family, school, work) reviewed for the following day and remainder of the week ahead
Outfits selected and laid out
Backpacks, work bags, and any after-school activity bags reloaded and back to their home in our mud room drop zone
Do a quick tidy of our main living spaces - no dishes in the sink, blankets and pillows thrown all over the couch, etc.
It looks like a lot. Some days it feels like a lot, but it usually ends up taking less than maybe 30 minutes total with everyone pitching in and I always, always regret it the next day if we slack off.
Home Sweet Home, but for your keys.
Organizing 101: give everything a home. This is especially important for everyday and out-the-door items. It could be as simple as a wall hook unit for keys with a small tray below it to drop things like wallets and sunglasses, or even taking back the ole’ “junk drawer” and repurposing to a more functional “utility drawer” with designated drawer organizers for each person in the family. The most important thing is to get into the habit of returning those items to the same spot every. single. day. if you’re looking to eliminate on those frantic morning searches.
Organize your bathroom (and your kitchen, probably).
For most people, the bulk of their morning is spent either in the bathroom or in the kitchen, so keeping things simple and organized in those spots can make all the difference between running 15 minutes late (again) and feeling just a little bit more prepared to take on the day ahead.
In the bathroom, aim to keep countertops as clear as possible and instead use drawers or vertical shelf space to keep your go-to items easily accessible. Group items based on how you naturally flow through getting ready (do you brush teeth and then shower and do your hair?) to cut back on digging around for what you need or feeling like you’re doing laps around your bathroom (side note: I dream of the day that I have a bathroom big enough that the idea of doing laps isn’t laughable).
The same basic principle applies in the kitchen - make sure that your most-used items are easily accessible and functionally zoned (coffee mugs by the coffee maker, all of your breakfast ingredients on the same shelf, etc.) to up the efficiency levels, even before you’re fully caffeinated.
What’s your biggest morning struggle? Do you have a system that works well that you’re proud of implementing? Let me know in the comments!