As we get ready for back to school, my theme for this month is all about setting yourself up for success this school year. And let’s face it. As a working mom, your morning routine can set you up for success or be a hurdle you must overcome Monday through Friday. I’m sharing tips on helping you create and stick to the morning routine you create as a working mom.
If you’ve already read the Mompowerment blog on creating a morning routine, you might want some tips on how to improve yours. That’s where this blog will come in handy.
Consider what you want from your morning
Don’t simply get going in the morning. And it’s not about getting through the morning routine. Consider what you want from your morning. Start the day on your terms as part of your morning routine.
Do you want to have a few sips of your coffee while it’s still hot before you interact with anyone? Would it be helpful to start with a sense of calm? You could take a few minutes to meditate or do some mindfulness exercises. Maybe start with some deep breaths, which can help with stress levels.
Do you want to squeeze in a workout to help you get the blood pumping? Or even take a shower to wake you up? Do what’s needed to be at your best.
In case you’re curious, I start my day with a morning self-care check-in. I do a mental check to see how I’m feeling and make any adjustments to set myself up for success for the day. It’s a small moment with a big impact.
Consider what your family needs from you in the morning
Let’s start with your significant other. Do you both need a moment of connection before kids get up? You could have your coffee together or do a home workout as a team. Especially if you run out of time each day, it’s helpful to get this connection in each day in the morning.
Do your kids do better when they get an extra morning cuddle when they get up? Do they need some positive vibes flowing their way because morning is not their best time of the day? Maybe some fun music to help get everythone into the right mood. It’s not only about what you need that impacts your morning and your routine. It’s important to factor this in as you create your morning routine.
Bonus tip. Especially with young kids, sometimes you need to get kids into the school mindset before you leave the house. We bought something from Dollar Tree that helped our boys practice letters at home in the morning when they were in pre-school. It helped them shift to the idea that it was almost school time and they were ready when we arrived at school instead of having to make that mindset shift at drop-off. It helped avoid tears and a whole lot of mommy guilt too since drop-off was so easy.
Step away from your phone
This is something I share in my workshops. Want to maximize your time in the morning and have a better morning routine? Step away from your phone. By engaging your phone, you’re letting others’ needs impact your morning time. Whether that is reading the headlines on your phone or responding to an email, you let others impact how you start your day. Focus on setting yourself up for success upfront and rock that morning routine. Chances are that most of these things can wait.
Decide how your morning needs to flow
Does it work better to get dressed before you wake up kids? Do you need to start your coffee before anything else? Better to jump in the shower first or wake up kids first to give them time to actually wake up first? These are decisions you need to make because they impact how your routine will go. Think about how you want things to flow as your start your day. Consider your natural energy and rhythms as well as those of your family. What works better for you and your household?
Use the night before
Having a morning routine that sets you up for success isn’t only about the morning. Using the night before strategically can really help.
- Get backpacks or baby bags ready. Put in any snacks that don’t require refrigeration into the bags/backpacks. Our boys actually grab their snacks when they empty out their lunch boxes. One thing comes out and one thing goes it. We labeled all the diapers in the whole box and put those in the boys’ bag each night when they were little.
- Get work stuff ready. Make any hard copies of anything you might need for work if you’re back in the office or heading to a meeting in-person. You don’t have tech issues to trip you up in the morning. Talk about stressful!
- Lay out clothes. This is especially helpful for really young children who might have recently started having an opinion on what they wear. Our boys generally pick this without my input other than on “special” days (e.g., picture day at school or it’s going to be really cold).
- Get stuff ready for the next step. Put stuff out and together and ready for the next step (e.g., lunch box and containers on counter). This way you’re not searching for items you absolutely need in the morning.
- Prep whatever you can. Can you prep anything for lunch the night before? Some working moms prepare entire lunches and put them in the fridge overnight. I don’t, but I might wash fruit to speed up the process a bit.
Create systems
I often say that work-life balance isn’t generally about a formulas, but you can create formulas and systems in some specific areas. These systems make managing all the things work better. Remember, you want many elements of your morning routine to become habits. The helpful thing about habits is that they require little thinking so that you have the mental space when things do come up.
- Have a place for everything. Put items that need to go with you by the door or always in the same place. For us, all our kids’ items like shoes and backpacks go in the mudroom. That way you’re not looking for them the morning of and not wasting precious time. It’s annoying one day if this is the case, but you start losing time if you’re looking for things over and over.
- Create a lunch formula. I include an entree, which is usually a sandwich, bagel with yogurt, pasta, or pizza. I include 3 kinds of fruit or vegetables for our 7-year-old and 4 for our 10-year-old. And I also include some sort of small treat which they can have after they eat the rest of their lunch. I can switch things up without having to recreate the lunch plan since I use this consistent formula for what they get. And it’s pretty healthy and filling for them. If your kids are old enough to make their own lunch, consider putting all their stuff together in the fridge so it’s easy for them to find/choose options.
- Consistent options for breakfast. Don’t recreate breakfast options each day. Have a selection of options during the week. Some might even have a weekly menu, so kids know what to expect. Leave the new options or the ones that take a lot of time for the weekend. You can consider these food options when you do meal prep for the week.
What tools can help?
Tools can help you make the most of your morning routine. And those tools can be anything you can imagine. This is really based on you and your family’s specific needs. I’m sharing a few options, some of which we use in our home:
- A timer or alarm can help. Your oven timer can indicate when it’s time to go or give a warning 5 minutes ahead of time (or whatever time interval works for you.) That way you’re not the one barking at your kids that it’s time to go.
- Consider a coffeemaker with a timer. If you need drink coffee each morning, is it time to get one with a timer built in? That way it’s already starting when you get up instead of you having to make this step.
- Label everything. I’m talking diapers (use a permanent marker for this), water bottles, and food containers (my favorite stick-on labels are Mabel’s Labels (please note this is an affiliate link). I like the TagMates, but really any of the labels stick on everything, even after being in the washing machine or dishwasher.
Empower your kids
It’s not only about you and your significant other making it all happen in the morning. Your kids can help. It’s a matter of what they can take on. I’ve got a few suggestions:
Your kids can be the ones to get their stuff ready the night before. As I mentioned, my boys get their backpacks ready when they get home from school. They also empty out their lunchbox so we can wash and get their containers ready for lunch the next day. The carrot I dangle to get their help is that emptying their lunchbox is tied to their getting a treat at lunch.
If you have younger kids, get them to help you as you walk out the door. Have your kids count the number of items. In our house, we need to remember 5 things: backpack, lunch box, snack, water, and masks. If you’re wondering when we started this, we started at age 4. It’s a huge help and a great tip from one of our boys’ pre-school teachers years ago. It really helps kids learn accountability and responsibility in a small way.
At some point, kids are able to make their own lunches. Facilitate making this happen, so it requires very little from you. Ask for their preferences before you go to the grocery store for your weekly shopping. Put everything in a consistent place in the fridge so there is no question what kids can use/take.
Think through solutions for your roadblocks
Is there a place where you stumble in your morning routine? What causes that point? Is it that your kids can’t find their shoes or forget their water bottle? Is it that you run out of time for yourself? Don’t get a sip of hot coffee or tea? What causes these hiccups?
Think through solutions to their challenges. It might be that you need a system to help. It could be your flow is off. Actually take time to understand where things go off the rails and then look for solutions. It might be helpful to brainstorm with your family so you get their input upfront.
Give yourself grace on off days
We all have those off mornings when it feels like we’re herding cats. Don’t feel like you’ve failed, especially if you’re creating new routines. Don’t get down if your kids leave things behind. Change takes time. And kids will learn their lessons over time too.
Hopefully, these tips will help decrease stress and start the day off with more smiles for all. You can download my schedule template to help you create a schedule that works for you. You’ll also get access to 6 other templates that will help you divide household and childcare duties with your partner at home and talk to your manager or senior leadership about changes at the office.
What does your morning routine look like? Do you have tips or steps that help with your school morning routine? I’d love to hear them in the comments.
