Do you want to have easier mornings?
Of course! We all do. Yet most of us have very hectic mornings. I’m not trying to offend you, but I am going to assume that you live in a certain amount of chaos. In order to have a better morning, you have to begin the night before. That is the key. Here are a few practical tips to get you started:
- Lay out your clothes the night before. Not having to think about what you will wear in the morning is one less decision to have to deal with. If you lay them out the night before, including underwear and shoes, you’ll save yourself some trouble. If you have children, have them do this as well.
- Go to bed at a decent hour. This is absolutely essential, and non-negotiable. You need 8 hours of sleep. You’ll never be able to convince me otherwise. In order to do this, turn off any lighted screen (TV, computer, phone, tablet) one hour before you will be in bed. I’m sorry. I know that’s hard, but I am also assuming you don’t sleep well, you have coke or coffee at about 3:00 each afternoon so you don’t fall asleep, and you are anxious and stressed. You can do this. Do something relaxing – read, take a bath, etc. And then get under the covers of your bed. You can read some more once you are there. Even if you are not sleepy, turn out the lights at a decent hour and get used to this new schedule. It will not be easy at first, so you may have to force yourself to lie there awhile. Also, stop drinking any caffeine after 3:00 in the afternoon.
- Put your keys, children’s backpacks, and anything else you will need the next day by the front door. You won’t have to hunt for it in the morning. Make sure any papers your children need for school are signed and in the backpack.
- Make sure your kitchen is ready for the morning rush. Unload the dishwasher the night before, and make sure your sink is empty so you can make coffee, etc. without having to wash dishes in mystery water first.
- In the morning, get up a little bit earlier than your family. If you have an extra 15-30 minutes to get dressed without interruption, it helps enormously. You are much abler to deal with cranky children, barfy cats and hyper dogs. Yes, I do have some idea of what you are dealing with. I am not unsympathetic to your plight.
Basically, you are planning ahead for your morning. You are solving problems on the front end and not on the back end. Hey, don’t you wish Congress read my blog, too?