Eliminate Morning Craziness by Creating New Morning Routines

5 Simple Tips For A More Joy-Filled Morning!

Life seems to just keep getting crazier and crazier on every front. I'm so happy for summer and a chance for us to catch our breath a bit. 🙂

One of the things I noticed toward the end of our school year was that our morning routine was getting a bit out-of-whack. I'm sure it had to do with the fact that we were all getting a bit relaxed with summer coming. But now that summer is here, I figured it would be a great time for some habit training. (Won't my kids be so excited!)

Actually, summer is the time when we try to “re-boot.” We train kids on new chores. We do our “spring” cleaning in summer. We do a lot of things that we don't always have time to get to throughout the year.

If you've read any of my blog posts about getting organized, you know that I'm a firm believer in starting the day off right and eliminating the morning crazies. This is actually my first “sanity saver” in my article Seven Sanity Savers for Every Woman (a subscriber freebie).

Well, in my home it's time to declare war on our morning mayhem. Really the mornings aren't always that bad, but if I let things get too “loosey-goosey,” then our whole day gets thrown off.

So, I figure there's no better time than now to restructure! Time to learn some new habits while we are on a break from school.

Here's My Game Plan:

#1 Prepare the Night Before!

There is really not better way to have a great morning than starting the night before! Planning ahead is the key! Setting out my Bible and journal, so I'm ready for my quiet time. Putting my workout clothes & shoes in a spot I can quickly change into them in the morning, so I might actually get out the door (especially if I'm trying not to wake anyone up as I sneak out the door). I've even noticed that setting out bowls for cereal the night before helps me get breakfast on the table more efficiently.

#2 Get to bed early (so it's easier to wake up early)!

It's impossible to even mention what I'm going to mention next without encouraging this tip. 🙂 If you really want to get up early to start your day off better, then you have to get to bed early. Enough said!

#3 Get up early!

Honestly, if I can just get a little time in the Word before my kids get up, then I'm a changed woman for the day. I'd love to get up and go for a walk, have a nice long quiet time, & get my shower done all before the kids get up — but that's not always realistic. So, I picked one thing to try to get done before our morning kicks off (and I have a toddler glued to me). I'm trying to follow my 4F's and prioritize, so God time first! 🙂 I set my Bible out in a nice little spot (like I mentioned above) and prioritize that time in the morning.

“She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the days' work for her servant girls.”
Proverbs 31:15

#4 Have More Accountability

I have done a horrible job at following up with my kids to see if they have done their devotions, brushed their teeth, practiced piano, picked up their rooms, & finished their other morning responsibilities. Our day gets moving, and things just get missed. It's kind of a domino effect — for me and the rest of the family. If I don't follow up and have routines in order, then everything starts falling apart. So, I'm going to incorporate “accountability” into our new morning routine. I'm setting a time when things need to be completed, and then I will actually checking up on how things look.

(As I type this I just checked my boys' shared bathroom — I'm not going to lie, it wasn't pretty. Definitely motivated to do a better job at helping them to learn accountability to get jobs done well). 🙂

#5 Create a New Morning Routine

I'm a firm believer in creating a “routine” versus a “schedule.” Routines help establish habits. I guess you can think about them like daily rituals. Originally, I had planned to put something together myself to get into all the nitty-gritty of “how-to create a better morning routine,” but I haven't gotten to it yet. Then low and behold, look what came into my inbox the other day: Crystal Paine's new “Make Over Your Morning” 14 Day Online Course. I'm a big fan of Crystal Paine's blog and books. I have her book Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, — in fact I'm pretty sure I've recommended it in my M.O.M. series (Master Organizer of Mayhem). {Yep, I did in this post}

Anyway, my goal is to start this course next week. Anyone want to join me? I was so excited about it that I signed up to be an affiliate for the program. So, it would be a blessing if you used the link below to check it out.

I've already looked over the eBook that goes along with it. Looks good. You can click below just to peek at it. No pressure. Truly! 

 

So, There You Have It…

Five pretty simple things I'm going to start implementing. This summer is really going to be about getting out of the clutter we have been accumulating this year and getting some order back. Ha! Can you really have order with toddlers? I'm trying. 🙂

If you do decide to try out this online course, comment below so we can hold each other accountable. 🙂

Want to Try Something New & Yummy for Breakfast?

Check out my Pinterest board on “Yums for Breakfast!” Be sure to “follow” all my boards, so you don't miss any new, fun pins!

Follow Raising Clovers's board Yums! – For Mornings! on Pinterest.

 

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