Helping Working Moms Create their Morning Routine for Back to School

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If you’re a working mom, your morning routine can either help you start off your day on the right foot or it can be an obstacle that you must overcome each day. So, let’s talk about helping working moms create their morning routine for back to school. Get new ideas and tips to help you create a routine that works for you.

What does my day look like?

Let me start by I sharing my morning routine to give working moms like you new ideas on how to make the most out of their morning routine on school days. During the school year, I get two boys’ lunches ready to go, quickly get dressed (and sometimes camera ready for meetings or video content), and head out as early as 7:15/7:20 for drop-off. (Fortunately, I carpool with a neighbor, so some mornings I have some wiggle room since I drop off at middle school which starts a bit later. I know that schedule for the week during the weekend.)

Really, though, without a routine, getting two young boys – ages 12 and almost 10 – out of the house can feel like I’m herding cats. Can you relate, mamas?

Start in the summer

Yes, it’s still summer for much of the country, but the school year is around the corner. I’m talking about tips that will hopefully help working moms create their morning routine for the school year, but it’s helpful to start in the summer. Give yourself the space to find your groove and create habits. Don’t wait until the school year starts to start making changes. It’s such a hectic pace, especially as the school year gets started.

While many often think about change as the year starts, the school year is a great time to make changes for working moms. It’s an easy date to define and it makes sense to have it as a fresh start. It’s an easy moment you can point to and plan around. Let’s get you started on making the most of your morning and setting yourself up for success as you start your day!

Getting Back on your Sleep Schedule

Remember how last year you said you’d start adjusting before the night before school started? Well, that time is now or it’s coming up really soon! You’re not alone if your kids are off their school year sleep schedule. I’m right there with you. Get kids to sleep 10-15 minutes earlier every few days (or week if you have time), depending on how off your school bedtime you are. It’s really hard to adjust the day or weekend before school, so start making small changes over time to make it a smoother transition.

If you have kids who like to sleep in, you’ll have to get their wake-up times closer to the normal time as well. Start waking them up 10-15 minutes earlier and keep doing that over days (or weeks) until you’re at least close to the normal school wake-up time. It’s a process, but I promise it’s worth it instead of waiting until the night before. 

Take Time to Hit Your Stride

For the first few weeks of school, I make small adjustments and give myself the space to find a long-term rhythm that works. Small adjustments are what I can handle with everything I have going on. I highly recommend this small steps approach.

I’m curious, though, which do you prefer? Are you team little adjustments or team jump right into the new schedule when school starts?

Now, if you’ve had a lag between getting up and heading out to camp or summer activities, your young kids might be used to playtime in the morning. You will have to get them out of that habit. And that can be a struggle. Think about new rules like they must get dressed, eat breakfast, and brush their teeth before playing or jumping on a screen. And you can start to wind down that playtime with toys or screen time as you’re quickly approaching the start of school. Cut back in small increments (e.g., 10-15 minutes fewer today than yesterday).

Figure Out What You Want Your Morning to Look Like

Consider what you want your morning routine to include and generally look like. If you do better when you have a few minutes alone, plan your wake-up time with this in mind. Want more moments of connection with our significant other and/or kids? Figure out what will work best for you and your family. Trying to fit in a moment of yoga or meditation? Perhaps you want a few minutes to enjoy your coffee before you get everything going. Only you know what you need.

I like a bit of time by myself and aim to get lunches done when the house is still quiet. No chatting or questions coming my way from my boys. It lets me ease into my day. My husband and I divide and conquer in the morning between getting the kids up and making breakfast. My younger son is up by 6:45 and our middle schooler is up by 7 for a normal school day. It gives them the chance to ease into the day and get dressed before coming down. And then I can sit to chat with them while they have breakfast.

If your kids have a slightly later start (e.g., they started pre-school and daycare had an earlier dropoff), it might be tempting to sleep in. Wake up at your usual early time so you can use embrace the quiet house and get things done for you, your work, or your family. Whether it’s a time to have a quiet sip of coffee, the chance to fit in a workout, or the quiet calm to work on a strategic document, use the time the way that makes sense. Whatever you need, make it happen!

How can you empower your kids?

When it comes to a morning routine, also consider how you can empower your kids. Can your older kids make their own lunch? Is it time to teach them to make their own breakfast? Whatever the case is, you might have a week or a few weeks to teach a new skill or two. Chances are that your kids have watched you make eggs or sandwiches a thousand times. Give them the full reins and let them have input on sandwich toppings, lunch options, etc., so they feel even more empowered.

Prepare the Night Before

A great morning routine starts the night before. Do as much as possible the night before so that the morning runs smoother.

• Plan each day the night before. Creating a weekly plan and then planning each night for the next day makes a difference in how I get things done. It definitely helps me increase my productivity and time management. This daily update and flexibility are central to my time management.
• Lay out clothes the night before. When our boys were younger, each night both of our boys would lay out what they would wear the next day and I would provide input if necessary (e.g., look nicer for picture day or it’s going to be 100 degrees, so no long sleeve shirts, etc.). I still do this for special days at school like picture day. It leaves the upset and discussion out of the morning. It’s also a great moment to know if your child needs a green shirt for whatever special day is tomorrow. You can toss something into the wash quickly the night before, right? If I have morning meetings or Zoom calls, I also choose what I’ll wear the night before for the next day. Changing clothes can take up valuable morning time, especially if I realize I don’t like how something fits and must change clothes more than once. I want to avoid this stress in the morning.
• Put stuff out and together, ready for the next step. For example, the lunch boxes go on the counter with containers ready. It cuts down on the rush in the morning and lets you know you have clean containers, etc. And, if you need help from your significant other or can have your kids do it themselves, you don’t have to explain where things are or what to use. It’s all ready, waiting for the next step.
• Can you prep anything for lunch the night before? Some moms I know prep sandwiches, although I don’t do that. I don’t generally cut up fruit until the morning because it can get mushy. I do often wash and dry fruit the night before to shave off time in the morning.
• Get backpacks or baby bags ready. Homework and school iPads and pre-packaged snacks are in their backpacks the night before. When they were younger, it meant diapers and a change of clothes in a backpack or baby bag in case they had an accident.  
• Make sure everything is already labeled. This includes containers for food, change of clothes, snack items, etc. Some things, like snack bars in wrappers, are easy to use a Sharpie on, but my favorite stick-on labels are Mabel’s Labels (affiliate link). I like the TagMates labels, but really any of these labels stick on everything, even after being in the washing machine or dishwasher a kajillion times. If they do come off because of little fingers (yep, my kids peel off the labels too), they don’t leave a sticky residue. Do this labeling process now instead of the night before or the day that school starts. It’s a little step that can save you loads of time and remove another task in the morning.
• Put things by the front door or in their place. Put items that need to go with you by the door or always in the same place. In our house, the boys items like clean boxes, shoes, and backpacks go in the mudroom in their specific spots. This goes for water bottles, backpacks, car keys, etc. Have a consistent home for these items. That way you’re not looking for them in the morning and wasting precious time. Who has an extra 10 minutes to look for car keys or kids’ shoes? This is for your stuff, that of your significant other, and your kids.

Create Your Process & Formulas

• Create formulas where it makes sense. I think of our boys’ lunches as a formula (and you don’t get many formulas when it comes to work-life balance). This formula generally includes a main course (usually, a sandwich of some type, hummus with pretzels, a bagel with cream cheese, or pizza that we purchase the evening before, so they heat it up in the school microwave or eat it cold); at least three fruits, and a small treat.
• Have breakfast options in mind. We try hard to not have the same breakfast each day, so our kids don’t burn out on our staples. We generally give the boys some options when they wake up so that we can get breakfast going quickly.
• Make sure you have breakfast. It’s easy to focus on others in the morning because you have to get everyone going. You also need fuel. Remember, part of self-care is fueling your body from the inside. Even if you grab something that you can eat at the office if you go to an office, it’s still going to help you. I have thoughts on breakfast-on-the-go below.
• Create small moments of connection. If you wake up your kids as I do, find small ways to connect. Even if you wake them up, create that small moment. It can be as simple as a hug or laying in their bed for a minute or two to ease them awake. It could be having breakfast together. I have a friend who gives her kids three squeezes, which stands for “I love you.” Having your kids start their day on the right foot only improves your day.

Getting Out the Door

• Use a timer. If you consistently find yourself rushing to get out of the door with your kids every day, it’s time to change things up. You can use a timer, like the one on the oven. Set two timers, one that goes off as a warning before you’re walking out the door (e.g., 10 minutes before), and another timer/alarm for actual go time. Make sure your kids understand what the alarms mean. (e.g., 1^st alarm means it’s time to have teeth brushed, get shoes on, gather all things because it’s almost time to walk out the door).
• Have your kids count the number of items. We need to remember 5 things: backpack, lunch box, snack, water, sunblock/bug spray. (Texas heat eases up in October/November at which time we only need 4). Think your kids are too young to do this? We started at age 4. It was a tip from one of our pre-school teachers and it’s been a big help over the years. We ensure we’re actually ready to leave and the boys start learning accountability and responsibility. It helps you and builds confidence–win-win! 
• Have breakfast-on-the-go options. Let’s face it. You will have days, especially in the first few weeks of school, when you’re running late. Or kids might have been up late because of an activity. Whatever the reason, I recognize that sometimes our boys will be eating breakfast on the way to school. You can have something easy like bagels. Our boys like variety, though, so I often bake something like muffins to keep in the freezer. In fact, I make these in double batches. If I put them out to thaw when I wake up, they’re ready for when we head out the door. Or pop them in the microwave. And I’ve been known to make smoothies in double batches if we need breakfast-on-the-go a few days in a row. I put in all sorts of yummy fruit, especially banana and mango or banana and pineapple, and mix in berries and carrots, and have been known to add something green like chia seeds, kale, or spinach. (Check out the Mompowerment Pinterest board for these and other yummy easy recipes for on-the-go breakfast).

Ideas for Working Moms in the Morning

If you’re a working mom, the start of your day really matters. My attempt at helping working moms create their morning routine for back to school wouldn’t be complete without some ideas on taking a moment to meet their needs. Start the day on your terms. Need some ideas on a better start to your day? These ideas might help.

• Morning check-in. See how you’re feeling and make any adjustments to set yourself up for success for the day. For example, if you’re tired, give yourself more time and be gentle with yourself. If you’re stressed, it might be time for some deep breaths. It takes moments of your day and makes a big impact. I do this before I even get out of bed as I’m turning off my alarm.
• Meditate. If you’re feeling stressed or want to feel more grounded, consider meditating. I’m talking minutes here. Or you can extend it for however long you like. Make sure you don’t throw off your schedule, though. My favorite tool to help with meditating in the morning (or whenever) is the Calm app. A few minutes of meditation can really help some mornings.
• Exercise. If you have the time, get in that workout. I usually get in some exercise a few times a week. In the warmer months (which is most months in Texas), I work out early since I usually head outside for my exercise. Check out my thoughts on getting in more exercise into your routine.

So, you got my tips for helping working moms create their morning routine for back to school. Now it’s your turn. What does your morning routine look like? Do you have tips or steps that might help other working moms get their morning routine on track for back to school? I’d love to hear them in the comments.

Need some help with your own morning routine? I can help. I’ve got a schedule template to help you create your schedule with questions to guide you. Plus, I share my own schedule as inspiration.