If your mornings are anything like the mornings in our house they are probably pretty crazy! If I didn’t have an amazing husband that does a lot of the morning duties we would be in total chaos. One thing that really helps us is getting prepared for the day the night before. Lunches are always packed and clothes are always laid out. On the rare morning we miss one of these steps it gets pretty wild in our house. Our kids leave wearing crazy outfits and they eat jello for lunch. Today, I have connected with Celeste Coffman of Quiet Mind Collective to share five amazing tips to help you rise and shine without all the morning chaos.
The alarm beeps, the kids start shouting, and the dog’s sitting next to your bed when you finally crack open your eyes. Another maddening morning begins and you shake your head to make the nightmare go away. But it doesn’t go away. Some parents face madness like this every single morning and others have learned how to eliminate the snags. Nobody likes to start their day on the wrong foot, feeling frazzled. But if you make a solid plan, allow yourself some margin, and make things fun you can end the morning madness in just a few easy steps.
Step One: Get Up Earlier
There is no better way to solve some morning problems than creating extra time for yourself. The number one morning struggle is time and you have two options: get up earlier or do less. I personally favor the first option. Waking earlier to start your day from quiet means more clarity and less rushing in your day.
Start by waking up just 10 minutes earlier than you normally do for one week. When you wake up, don’t think “I lost 10 minutes of sleep!” Instead, focus on what you’re getting by waking up 10 minutes earlier: a quiet start to the day and a step forward toward ending your morning madness.
If your kids wake up throughout the night or stay up too late, consider the help of a sleep consultant. Hiring Julia from Good Night Sleep Site helped me take my daughter from repeated night wakings to immediately getting enough sleep, which of course meant I was able to get good sleep, too! It’s no secret a good night’s sleep is a key to waking up refreshed.
Step Two: Stay on Track with Music
This is one of the best ways to manage morning time while creating a fun and relaxing environment for your family. Music will set the pace for your family and cue activity changes for kids who can’t tell time.
I have a playlist with a song for each activity of the morning:
- Getting up myself, stretching and having coffee
- Rousing kids awake
- Shower and grooming
- Hair & make-Up
- Getting dressed
- Breakfast
- Shoes and backpacks on
Again, music makes the morning fun and cues kids who don’t know how to tell time or aren’t great at watching the clock.
Step Three: Eliminate Decisions
Limiting choices conserves mental energy. Think of how low-stress your childhood was: you woke up, put on the outfit chosen for you and sat down to eat what was cooked.
As adults, our two major morning energy drainers are choosing what to eat and what to wear. The Every Evening Check is a quick solution. Every evening, check the weather and your schedule before choosing tomorrow’s clothes and meals for the family.
As adults, our two major morning energy drainers are choosing what to eat and what to wear -Celeste Coffman, Quiet Mind Collective Click To TweetIf you prefer something that is a little more planned, make a giant wall calendar and plan it all out at the beginning of the month. I get teased for this, but I never have to stand in my closet wondering if I wore the same outfit to church two weeks in a row.
Step Four: Streamline Your Routine
Limit morning tasks and then do those things in the same order everyday. This way you aren’t missing anything and don’t get off track with low-priority projects.
Maintaining a great hair and skin routine makes mornings a quick fix rather than a huge production. Washing your face every night and staying on top of regular trims or touch-ups, also makes it easier to have more good hair days than not.
Step Five: The Evening Prep Game
There are so many things that you can do ahead of time to prepare for the morning beyond just planning your outfit and meals.
What can you do ahead of time?
- Put cereal in bowls
- Fill the coffee maker
- Pour glasses of juice
- Put cream/sugar in coffee mugs
- Put makeup on the counter in order of use
- Pack lunches
- Pre-bag a week’s worth of midday snacks
Really, what can’t you do ahead?!
Five Easy Ways to Rise and Shine
Eliminate snags and wake up refreshed by getting an earlier start, creating a playlist, eliminating decisions, streamlining your routine and prepping the night before. With a little practice, your morning madness can end for good!
Celeste Coffman is a Licensed Professional Counselor passionately pursuing a life of significance helping women become empowered, ditch overwhelm, and live with purpose. Her private practice, Thoughtful Journey Counseling, thrives with in-person clients while her online coaching site, QuietMindCollective.com helps people reduce stress with practical weekly lessons. Celeste’s hobbies include podcast binging, listening to 90s music, and collecting mountains of craft supplies with no hope of ever completing the intended projects.
To see more of Celeste head over to the Quiet Mind Collective or try her 5 Day Anxiety Challenge for FREE!
I hope this helps make your mornings a little easier! I’d love to hear your best tips for beating the morning madness!