Mornings and I have never been friends. I’m not a morning person at all. I’m also not a night person. I’m like an 11am person. In any case, once you have kiddos, the powers that be force you into morning-person-ness. I’ve managed the last 5 years. I even used to choose to get up early (hello, 5am!) and work out because I’m obviously a crazy person.
I still hate mornings, but I’ve really become good at faking it. Having to get a child off to kindergarten everyday this year has really changed the way mornings work for us. Gone are the mornings of leisurely sipping coffee on the couch and preoccupying the kids with Mickey Mouse until I can function like an adult. Now, it’s up and at ’em. Breakfast, dress the kids, teeth brushed, lunch packed, I even have to get out of my robe and into something semi-decent. It’s a mess. And for the first few months of school, I struggled. It was panic and chaos and I felt like all of my days started off on the wrong foot. So, I changed it. I decided I wanted it to be different and so I made it different. Life is great like that. Just decide and do it.
Becoming a morning person (from a not-so-morning-person mother)
Tip 1: Don’t you dare touch that phone
I’ll repeat: DO NOT CHECK YOUR PHONE. This is so hard for me. Usually my alarm goes off and then I spend 10 minutes catching up on all the things I missed while I was sleeping. But that just adds to my stress in the morning. I see emails that need answered, social media posts that need responded to, and information overload. If you aren’t a morning-person, the worst thing to do is wake up to craziness. So, I just don’t check my phone. It’s working.
Tip 3: Brain dump.
I keep a pen and notebook by my bed and I dump my brain out every morning. I just write everything that is in my head on that paper. To Do items, worries, prayer requests, praises- just get it out. It’s so refreshing.
Tip 4: Meditate/Pray
I’m a prayin’ girl, myself so I usually take my brain dump and pray for the things that I need to. Take a few minutes of stillness before you start to tackle the rest of the day. I’m telling you, that stillness will set you up for success.
Tip 5: Now, you can get up.
Ok, now get up, get dressed, brush your teeth. Do it before you get the kids up. It’s so nice. Don’t multitask (anyone else try to brush their teeth while making breakfast?).
Tip 6: Do as much as you can the night before
I always try to plan for the next day before I go to bed. Lunches packed, clothes laid out, To Do list started. Mornings are so much smoother that way.
Tip 7: Sleep in sometimes.
Oh yea. Sometimes my alarm goes off and I know I need that extra 30 minutes of sleep more than I need to brain dump and brush my teeth in silence. So, I do. Be flexible with your “routine” and don’t let a kink in the system ruin your whole day.
So, that’s how I hold it all together. (Using that term very loosely) But in all serious, starting my day with intention instead of starting off in a panic sets up my entire day for success.
How do you handle mornings? What tips would you add?