How to plan your mornings better

What you need to know:

Get up before your kids get up: It’s best to get up before your kids get up. If you don’t then you’re already behind. I try to have breakfast and get dressed before waking my children. This way I’m about halfway ready. This is helpful if there’s some sort of crisis I have to handle.

It can be difficult to get everyone out the door and on their way to where they need to go in the mornings. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a plan to keep things from going off course. These are 7 ways to stop your kids from sabotaging your mornings. With these tips, you can transform your mornings!

Get up before your kids get up: It’s best to get up before your kids get up. If you don’t then you’re already behind. I try to have breakfast and get dressed before waking my children. This way I’m about halfway ready. This is helpful if there’s some sort of crisis I have to handle.

Avoid clothing battles: Clothing battles are the destroyer of many mornings. It doesn’t have to be that way, moms! Have your child choose their clothing the night before and have a strict rule that you can’t change your mind the next morning. I have used this philosophy with my children for many years and it works beautifully. Clothing battles will become a thing of the past.

Have easy breakfast options available: There are moms who can cook huge breakfasts and get their kids to school on time each morning. I applaud them! But I’m not one of them and if you’re like me, you need easy breakfast options, too. Stock your pantry with quick but healthy breakfast options and save the pancakes and bacon for Saturdays. This’ll shave so much off of the time it takes you to get everyone ready in the mornings.

Pack lunches the night before: Avoid the lunch scramble by packing them the night before. Basically, this is the same philosophy as choosing clothes the night before. The more you can do the night before, the better. You’ll feel better prepared to face the day and much less stressed when you have one less chore on your morning list. If your kids are old enough, this is something they could do on their own.

Known exactly how long it takes you to get ready: Do you truly know how long it takes you to get ready? It’s easy to underestimate. Time yourself on a day that you’re not going anywhere to see exactly how long it truly takes. Once you know that then you can adjust what time you get up. You may also want to think about what you can do to streamline your personal get ready routine so that it takes less time.

Have a grab and go station: It’s good to keep things in the same location so you always know where they are. Having a grab and go station goes right along with this idea. Have a place where your children can put their backpacks, jackets and anything else they need for the day ahead. This eliminates the last minute scramble to find those important items. It’s good for us moms to have a specific location for our purse and keys, too.

Leave early: Running late isn’t a fun start to your day. It can make me feel off all day long. Avoid this by planning to leave a little early. This is a tip that helps if you run into heavy traffic or other issues. And if you plan to leave early and don’t make that goal, chances are you’ll be right on time, which certainly beats running late. These are the tips you need to help you get everyone out the door on time.