The ever elusive morning routine… there are books about it, and websites that sing its praises and it always seems like such a great idea until the alarm goes off.
I’ll admit- I am not naturally a morning person and if I didn’t have a family to take care of, my morning routine would look more like:
Wake up when I wake up, shower (alone without kids asking for breakfast or snack), take supplements and drink coffee, pray, go for a walk, eat breakfast and start working.
My current state in life doesn’t allow me to have such a leisurely morning routine, in fact, those things all tend to be an unspoken message to my children to come ask for something:
But because of this, a morning routine is incredibly important for a productive day. I sometimes get asked how I “do it all,” which is simple enough to answer, because I don’t, but making the most of the morning hours goes a long way toward a productive and relatively stress-free day.
I also felt like a resource for morning routines for moms was needed. Most of the books and posts I’ve seen about morning routines talk about “thinking about what you need to get done that day” and “spending 30 minutes of quiet time meditation” or even, “follow the exact same routine at the same time each day.”
Those are all well and good, unless you have a nursing baby, or a potty-training toddler, or an early morning dentist/doctor/vet appointment, or unless someone peed in his/her bed, or spilled a gallon of maple syrup on the kitchen floor before you even woke up (*ahem*).
Morning Routine for Moms
I’m certainly not even close to perfect at keeping a morning routine, but when I do, I definitely have a better day. Of course, our days vary quite a bit with activities and just by the nature of having young children, but I’ve found that a 30-minute routine is doable if I plan ahead.
These are the factors that make the difference for me:
1. Get Up Before the Kids
To actually accomplish this routine, I find that I have to be up before the kids by at least 30-45 minutes, which is easier said than done at times. Like I said, I’m not a morning person by nature and I don’t like getting up any earlier than I have to (aka- when the first child wakes up and asks for breakfast).
I am a happier mom when I get some time to focus and have quiet before the hustle of the kids’ morning routine, and the early wake up is worth it.
2. Lemon Water
I’ve written before about the benefits of drinking lemon water in the morning, and how this can give you an energy boost, help promote good digestion and clear skin, and flush the body of waste that accumulated overnight.
I combine this with taking my morning supplements and do this as soon as I wake up. The water usually gives me a boost of energy and makes me less likely to want to head back to bed.
3. Pray, Journal or Meditate + Natural light
Focusing my thoughts through prayer, journaling and meditation really helps me gain direction for my day and prepare for the chaos when the kids wake up. I’ve also tried the five minute journal in the morning and it is a way to journal effectively in a short amount of time.
I try to do this outside in natural light if possible, or around a bright 10,000 lux light. This was a tip from my doctor and the purpose is the help correct cortisol levels and balance the adrenals.
4. Exercise
Movement of some kind helps get the blood flowing. For me, this varies by day and may be as simple as stretching, rebounding and taking the dog for a walk, or may be sprints or a Crossfit WOD. It just depends on the day…
There are so many benefits to regular movement and getting your blood flowing first thing helps you have more energy for the rest of the day. For me, this is the best time to workout before the kids wake up so I’m not dodging toddlers while trying to do a workout DVD or taking a parade of kids on my morning walk.
5. Shower
If I don’t shower before the kids wake up, it is usually a dry shampoo kind of day because there often isn’t time the rest of the day. I also dry brush before showering for an energy boost and softer skin.
6. My “Most Important Thing(s)”
Several books I’ve read have suggested figuring out the single most important task that must be done that day and writing it down so that you can tackle it first.
It is a great idea, but a single task was never realistic for me, so I always write my top three tasks for the day. Sometimes, they are as simple as finishing a few loads of laundry, or writing a blog post, but writing these down really helps them get done.
7. Breakfast
At this point, the kids are usually awake and I start preparing breakfast. I try to prepare something protein-rich that contains at least one vegetable… check out my list of recipes if you need some healthy breakfast ideas.
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