Do you ever feel like you’re drowning? You go to sleep exhausted or fall asleep watching Netflix. You’re tired and burned out and it seems like nothing is ever going to change. I know how you feel. I used to feel like I never had enough time to get ALL THE THINGS DONE! That is why I created my morning routine. I wanted something to change. I wanted to be different, but I didn’t know what to do. So, I started by changing the thing that I was the worst at, waking up and being productive. I slowly creating a morning routine that I wanted to wake up for.
While doing this, I quickly realized that there were things I needed to do at night in order to start my day with a lot less stress. I tried lots of things, and here are the routines that have helped me the most. They really have dramatically changed my mornings and they can change yours too.
1. Pick out your clothes
Get in the routine of picking out your clothes. This may sound simple and silly, but have you ever spent ten minutes running around your house looking for a certain pair of pants or searching for one shoe? Have you dug through the dirty laundry? I know I’m guilty.
Picking out your clothes will limit the number of decisions you need to make in the morning, lower your stress level, and get you out the door quicker.
Choose your outfits the night before or pick them out for the entire week. Doing this at night will help the morning to run so much smoother.
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2. Simple breakfast options
Make it part of your routine to plan out your breakfasts. When I started a morning routine, having quick and easy breakfast options were such a lifesaver. Read about my tips for a successful morning HERE. I include some awesome breakfast options. Here are some, just to name a few
- Overnight oats- You can make up the dry ingredients in mason jars and then fill them with your milk of choice the night before.
- Granola bars– you can make them from scratch or buy them from the store. It’s always nice to have a couple of grab-and-go items
- Perfect Bars- I make my own, check out my recipe HERE. You can also buy them in the store in the refrigerated area.
- Egg casserole- you can cook up an egg casserole on Sunday night and then eat it all week. You can also freeze some if you don’t want to eat it all week. I love this one over at PALEOMG.
- Scrambled eggs- make a big batch and then reheat throughout the week
- Pancakes or waffle- both of these freezes well and are easy to pop in the microwave or toaster. I often freeze my leftovers from a Saturday morning breakfast and use them during the week.
- Smoothies are also a good option- get all the things ready the night before. I like to make mine with 8 oz. oat milk, protein powder, 1 fuji apple, 1 cup strawberries, and 2 cups of spinach (I often will split this with my husband)
3. Make Lunches at NIGHT
Getting lunches prepped and ready the night before even for the week can be so helpful to a good morning routine. This routine is one that makes life so much better in the morning. I often take leftovers from last night’s dinner, and then I pack a lunch for my son. Preparing lunches ahead of time will help you get ready in the morning with minimal stress because you know that the lunches are already ready to go.
I like to pack lunches for a week, getting fruits or veggies separated into containers or reusable bags. You can even make up sandwiches for a week and freeze them, taking them out the night before so that they have time to thaw.
Making a list of simple lunch ideas is also helpful. Here are some of mine: (I’m gluten-free, so your list may be a little different)
For me:
- Leftovers from the night before
- Chicken, rice, and veggies (make once for the week)
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Burgers (comes in a pack of 6?) bring fruits and veggies along too
- Can of soup & string cheese and crackers
- Rice Noodle Ramen & veggies
- Overnight Oats (breakfast for lunch) with fruit, yogurt or granola
- Veggies & Hummus, fruit, and crackers
- Tuna Salad & Crackers, fruit/veggies
- GF Noodles w/ roasted veggies and balsamic olive oil glaze
For my son: (he’s super picky, so lunches are pretty simple)
- Peanut butter & jelly (or peanut butter & honey) + yogurt, raisings, fruit/veggies, etc.
- Mac & cheese (in a thermos) + fruit/veggies, chips, etc.
- Cheese, salami, and crackers (homemade Lunchable) + fruit/veggies, etc.
- Energy Bites + fruits/veggies, crackers, etc.
Ok, you get the idea. I often have fruits, veggies, nuts, and other small things that I leave at work for the entire week and then just choose what I want to add to my “main course” at lunchtime.
4. Run the Dishwasher at NIGHT
Your kitchen is the heart of your home and this routine has been tranformational! Walking into a clean kitchen every morning is so refreshing and a great way to start the day. Every night after dinner I load the dishwasher up and run it, whether or not it’s full. Yep, you heard me, whether or not it’s full. I learned this hack from Noni, over at a Slob Comes Clean. This alone has been a game-changer people! This has really helped with the flow of our home.
Now that I’m not searching for an outfit and making lunches in the morning, I usually have time to unload the dishes before we leave, but I’m not perfect. I also got this dirty clean sign, and it has been so helpful! Not only do I know if the dishes are clean or dirty, but my husband knows too! No more excuses about not putting the dish in the dishwasher 🙂
**I recently discovered that my dishwasher has an “Express Wash” which is amazing because it only takes 30 minutes! This means that most nights I’m able to unload the dishwasher at night. This makes the next day so much easier because I don’t have to unload it in the morning.
5. Check Your Schedule at NIGHT
Checking your schedule is a good routine to get into. Looking at your calendar, checking for upcoming meetings, sports events, etc. can be so helpful. Getting these things into your brain the night before really helps. It also gives you time to talk to your spouse or significant other about what you have planned for the following day.
When looking at your plan, look to see what you have planned for dinner, do you need to pick something up or maybe you are so frazzled you haven’t thought about dinner yet. Don’t worry, I think lots of people struggle to plan meals. I know I do! Creating this meal planning schedule has really helped me out.
I laminated it and then use a whiteboard marker to write out our meals. do I do this every week? Nope, but I’m working on it. One little piece at a time. This mom thing is hard!! The meal planning template has been so helpful though. It’s nice to see what I have planned out somewhere where everyone can see too. No more, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” because it’s on the fridge!
Syncing up your schedule in your head the night before will help you to rest easier, knowing that you already know the plan and are prepared for the next day. I used to set a million reminders on my phone, but once I started checking my schedule every night I didn’t need so many reminders, because I already had what was going on for that day in my head.
Are you still feeling frazzled?
Mornings can be tough, I totally get it! I used to run my mornings like feeding-time at the zoo. Let’s just say, it was completely nuts. I’d scramble to pull myself together while yelling at my kids to get a move on! I completely lacked a plan and my mornings showed that.
I hear you, and I have a free course for you! If you’re struggling to start a morning routine, I’ve already done the hard work for you. Head on over and check out my morning routine course. Did I mention that it’s FREE! No strings, no money, just learn about what I did to start waking up early and set the intention for my day before it barely began.
Click right HERE to sign up! I’d love to help you start this journey!
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