8 Smart Mom Tips To Save Your Sanity In The Morning

You  have 10 minutes to leave for work, your hair isn’t fixed, the kids are screaming over a toy  no one has noticed in the last 9 months, you can’t find the order form they need to have turned into school, and you can feel your temper rising.

As you finally get everyone out the door, your youngest child looks at you and says, “Mom, I have to go potty” and runs back in the house.  By the time you get to work, you are 15 minutes late and you have forgotten your report you worked on the night before.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?  Those days where you’re running late, losing your temper, or forgetting what you need at home for work or other activities?  If so, don’t worry!  I have 8 smart tips help save your sanity each morning!

1. Get Dressed To Shoes.

Whether you work outside or inside the home, this tip is for you!  Several years ago I discovered Flylady.  One of Flylady’s tips is to get dressed to shoes.  I have found it is easier to face the day, wake up, and get to work when I’m dressed, have my shoes on and am ready to face the day!

2. Check The Calendar

Checking the calendar has become the most important routine I do in the morning, and I do it as soon as I wake up!  It truly does save my sanity!

I know whether we have any appointments, activities or library books that are due that day by simply taking 30 seconds to glance at the calendar!  This tiny task will save time and money because you are for the day, you won’t forget to bring along the items you need, and you will stay on task and out of panic mode.

If you add any of these tips to your routine, this one has made the biggest difference in my life!

3. Stay Off The Internet Until You Are Completely Ready

Last year I got into a horrible habit of checking my email and Facebook first thing in the morning.  It seemed harmless but Facebook alone can drain 30 minutes of your precious morning time (which is fine when you are ready and it’s not distracting you from other important tasks).  If you get the essentials done first, you won’t feel so rushed.

4. Tell The Kids You Love Them 

There is nothing worse than having a stressful morning (especially if there was yelling involved) and you realize that the kids are off to school after having a bad morning and you didn’t tell them you love them.

This has happened more times than I’d like to admit and I’ve made it a priority to always tell them I love them before they go to school and give them a hug and kiss.  No one knows what the day will bring.

When we see the bus head to the neighbors, they line up for their kisses and they know that they are going to hear, “Have a great day!  I love you!”

5. Eat That Frog

Brian Tracy wrote the book, Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.  This book has been a game-changer for me!  Tracy explains that to “eat that frog” you decide what you worst, hardest, or most dreaded task is and you do it first!  By getting that one dreaded task finished, you will feel like you’ve accomplished something (which builds momentum wanting to eat the next frog on your list).

When I had 4 kids in diapers, this concept saved my sanity because most days I did only get one thing done and I still felt like I accomplished something!

6. Unload The Dishwasher

There is nothing worse than coming home from work and having a kitchen full of dirty dishes.  I have found that the easiest way for me to get the dishwasher unloaded, is to do it when it’s breakfast time for the kids.  (When you have 5 like I do, just unloading enough for them to eat breakfast is about a third of a load!)

I work on unloading the rest as they eat breakfast and we are able to have meaningful morning conversations and discuss anything happening that day such as dentist appointments, AWANA or a reminder that it is dance night.

It also makes it easy to clear off the table when they are done eating.  The empty dishwasher is ready for their dirty dishes.  Even my 3-year-old can put her cereal bowl and spoon inside the dishwasher after scraping her bowl.  Teaching them to do this has saved me a lot of time!

7. Start A Load Of Laundry

Any woman knows that if she lets the laundry pile up, she is going to have a problem eventually.  Laundry at my house became much less of a chore when Jason surprised me with the LG Mega Capacity Washer & Dryer.  With a family of 7, this has really lessened the time I spend in our small laundry closet.  Even though I’m still processing the amount of laundry I was before, but it has really cut down on the amounts of loads I do each week.  Each day, my laundry routine in the morning and evening is:

• take the dried clothes out of the dryer
• move what was in the washer to the dryer
• throw a new load in the washer
• fold the clothes that were previously dried
• have the kids put them away AFTER school.

8. Get Something Out For Lunch And Supper.

This is another really important task for me. Part of being an intentional mother and wife is intentionally planning to make healthy meals for my family to enjoy together. I know if I don’t do this, we are probably eating out!  Many times if I have to brown ground beef for lunch, I will also brown extra ground beef to use at supper that evening.  This saves on time, money, our waistlines, and my sanity!

Are you ready to save your sanity?  By implementing these ideas, I am sure your mornings will be less stressful!  Do you have a morning routine?  What have you found to be the key to make your mornings successful? 

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