Whether you consider yourself an early bird or a night owl, motherhood requires most of us to wake as the sun rises to prepare for the day ahead. As a morning person myself, I like waking up early. What I don’t like, is the idea that there is a “right” way to create a morning routine. There can be so much noise when it comes to creating routines, so let me first remind you, that it can be helpful and inspiring to learn how others manage their time. That said, be sure to make things work for you.
As a full-time working mom with young kids, I think of a morning routine in a few ways. There is the kid-related routine (get them up and out the door!), a me-routine (getting into the right mindset for the day), and a work-day start-up routine. Let’s dive into each of them.
Getting My Kids Ready
My kids are five and three, so they still require a lot of support to get ready. While a lot of moms I know do prep the evening before, I do not. I have an intense evening schedule and am exhausted by the time I’m done at 9pm. In order to create a morning routine that works for you, I recommend getting clear on the three goals that are most important for your family. For my family, it’s to get the kids dressed and fed for the day, to pack everything they need, and to connect with each other before we go our separate ways.
Here’s what I do in the morning:
- Get Ready: My kids wake up around 6am. We spend a few minutes cuddling in bed (which is my absolute favorite part of the day). We get dressed, brush our teeth, and then head downstairs. Some days they are happy to play with each other or their toys; some days I turn on cartoons.
- Logistical Prep: While I make breakfast, you’ll find me turning on my coffee, unloading the dishwasher, prepping lunch and snacks, cleaning up anything left from the night before, and checking their backpacks. I move fast so that I can spend time being present with them. Once backpacks are ready (including lunch, snacks, water bottles, and gear) I put them in the car so we are ready to go.
- Connect: I try to move through #2 quickly, so I can spend most of the time here. Realistically, this is usually about 20 minutes. At this point, my husband has left, and it’s me and the kids. We turn off the TV and play silly games with each other. This moment of connection fuels all of us for the day ahead.
Getting My Mind, Body, and Spirit Ready
I find it grounding and important to prepare my self for the day ahead. For me, this includes spending a few moments caring for my mind, body, and spirit. This usually happens before the kids wake up. Every so often, I can spend nearly an hour on this, but usually, it’s 10-15 minutes.
- Mind: I start each day with a brief meditation. I use either the Peloton or Calm app, and you can also find tons of great meditations on YouTube. This provides a moment of centering and peace.
- Body: Whether it’s five minutes of stretching or a 30-minute walk, I need to move my body in the morning to wake things up. It’s not realistic for me to get an intense workout in first thing, so I work with the time I have to make sure I am doing something.
- Spirit: I think of spirit as my soul’s mindset—the way I want to show up each day. I use The Five Minute Journal to start my day, offering me an opportunity to set an intention and remind myself what’s important. Occasionally, I’ll pull an oracle card for the day, grounding myself in its message.
Getting My Work Self Ready
I work full-time at a large nonprofit organization, I work part-time in a mental health clinic, and I am in full-time graduate school. Setting myself up for success each morning is absolutely critical because I simply have a lot to get done. Here’s what I do each morning to ensure I am ready for the day.
- Start With Planning: As tempting as it might be to dive right into a big project, I have to spend a significant amount of time planning for the current day. On Monday, I spend an hour doing this for the whole week, and then 30 minutes each subsequent day. While this seems like a lot of time, it saves me so much time later by making sure I am focusing on what matters, as opposed to what feels urgent. Everything goes into my Full Focus Planner or Day Designer (depending on the season, I use these two planners most often).
- Three Priorities: There is magic to the number three, and at work, choosing three core priorities each day is a great practice. I often look ahead for the week and choose at least 1-2 of these priorities for each day in advance. From there, I can take stock of my (very long) task list, but I focus on the top priorities first.
- Keeping Things Clear: I often say, that I need outer order to have inner calm. Each morning, I organize my four email inboxes, clear up anything on my physical or digital desktop that I missed the day prior, and make sure whichever office I am in is clean and peaceful.
I would love to hear from you. What’s in your morning routine? Share with us by tagging @centralmassmom on social media or leaving a comment below.
