5 Ways Busy Working Moms Can De-Stress Morning Routines

5 Ways Busy Working Moms Can De-Stress Morning Routines

If you’re a working mother with multiple school-aged kiddos, then you know just how crazy weekday mornings can be. Trying to get everyone (including yourself) up and running within a small window of time can seem impossible – but it’s not!

5 Ways You Can Make Mornings Easier

If you wake up on Monday morning and don’t already have a plan for how you’re going to get everybody ready for school and work, it’s already too late. You need to have a strategy in place ahead of time. Here are some tips to help you formulate a plan that’s tailored to your family’s needs.

Prepare Meals the Night Before

There’s nothing worse than waking up in the morning and having to prepare and pack lunch for everyone. That alone can take 20 or 30 minutes (and longer if you actually have to cook a meal).

In order to shave some time off your morning routine and make sure everyone has a healthy lunch for the day, prepare and pack meals the night before. Dinner leftovers are always an easy choice (since you already have them out), but there’s nothing wrong with a sandwich and chips.

Get Up Before the Rest of the Family

It’s hard to get up early in the morning when the house is quiet, but you need to wake up before the rest of the family. This is important for a couple of reasons. First off, it lets you attend to some of your own personal needs. But most importantly, it allows you to ease into the day without going zero to sixty in a matter of seconds. You can decide how much time you need, but 30 to 45 minutes is usually a good rule of thumb.

Simplify Outfit Selection

Aside from preparing and packing lunches, the most difficult and time-consuming part of the morning is getting everyone dressed. This is especially difficult if your kids are at an age where they want to choose their own outfits and aren’t interested in your suggestions.

Believe it or not, one of the best pieces of advice is to keep your own outfit simple. In fact, if you run your own business or have a say in your company’s policies, you might consider implementing a uniform dress code at work. As Red Roo Australia says, “The great thing about uniforms is that you never have to wonder what you’re going to wear in the morning. You just throw it on and you’re ready to go.”

Keep Breakfast Simple

As mother Ann Timm notes, “A hearty, well-rounded first meal of the day paves the way for steadier moods, stable blood sugar, more energy, quicker thinking, better learning, and even a quicker metabolism.”

The biggest problem is that you don’t have the time to cook a big, nutritious breakfast. Or do you? One of the easiest, fastest, and healthiest things you can do is toss a bunch of fresh ingredients into a blender and make shakes for the entire family.

Learn to Laugh at the Craziness

Sometimes you just have to laugh at the craziness. Have a sense of humor and don’t get so caught up in your system that you become overwhelmed when little issues arise. That’s how you stay sane!

Set Yourself Up for Success

If you love chaos and thrive on last-minute decisions and unforeseen emergencies, then, by all means, go ahead and keep doing what you’re doing. But if you crave some degree of organization and predictability, it’s time to create a game plan. It’ll change the way you approach your mornings in a profoundly positive way. What are you waiting for?

Jenna is a freelance writer from Renton, WA who is particularly interested in travel, nature, and parenting. Follow her on Twitter.