I am SO not a morning person – wish I was – but as yet it eludes me.
As such, I have found that my evenings are crucial to enable my mornings to become so much easier.
If I can get organised the night before, then I don’t have to worry about my head being “in the game” when the alarm clock goes off.
I can pretty much go through my morning routine safe in the knowledge that everything has already been organised and is ready for the day ahead.
It’s safer for everyone involved!
So, if you’re like me and want your mornings to be as stress free as possible – why not try a few of the following ideas for the evening before to ensure your mornings go smoothly…
#1 – Check Your Diary
I always check my diary first as then I know what I have to do the next day (appointments, work, errands etc…) which helps with preparing other things as well.
You can also ensure that what you have planned is actually possible, so you haven’t double booked or thought that you can do more than you can in the time you have available.
Checking your diary means that your subconscious will be preparing you for the day ahead while you are sleeping – rather than opening your diary the following day and realising you should have been somewhere half an hour ago…..
#2 – Check Your TO DO’s
Your TO DO list should house all your unscheduled things you have to do (i.e. they don’t have to be done by any specific timeframe, otherwise they should be in your diary).
As you have already checked your diary, you will be more aware of any time you may have available to add in some of these things to your day. You will also know if you will be in an area the next day where you can get a few other bits done as well to save an extra trip.
i.e. you have a doctors appointment in town – so you could go to the post office / bank etc… while you are there.
#3 – Decide On What You’re Wearing Tomorrow
Knowing what you are doing the next day (because you’ve already checked your diary) will help you to get what clothes you need ready.
Get everything out so that you can simply put it on the next day – including everything from underwear to your coat and shoes.
TIP – If you have need for different clothes during the day, get these out and ready too. Maybe you are going to the gym and need fitness clothes, or you are going out in the evening.
#4 – Make Sure Everyone’s Got All They Need For Tomorrow By The Front Door
There are so many things that we need to run our lives – so make sure you have everything ready to go to avoid last minute running around the house in the morning: –
- Handbag / Purse
- School bag
- PE kit
- Gym Bag
- Musical instrument / show and tell / book etc… for school
- Shopping list
- Gift / Card to give to someone you are seeing, or to post
The list really is endless – but you get the idea!
#5 – Set Your Alarm Clock
You may get up at the same time every day – or you may have a changeable routine. What is key to setting your alarm clock is that you set it to enable you to do the following things: –
- Get enough sleep
- Have enough time to get to your first appointment / school run etc…
- Not have to rush around the house when you wake
#6 – Charge Your Phone
How many times have you picked up your phone in the morning to find that it’s flashing at you to say that it is running low on battery?
Just by getting into the habit of charging your phone every night will mean an end to this – and the security of knowing that you will have your phone with you all day without worry.
#7 – Prepare Lunch / Snacks For The Next Day
Whether it be a packed lunch for the kids, snacks for school, or your lunch for work – if you prepare them the night before they are so easy to grab and go the next day.
If you take a bit of time to do the prep the evening before, you won’t run the risk of not having time the next day and having to spend more on food when out and about.
You could also invest in a flask so that you can take a coffee with you first thing, which will avoid spending excess once you’re out. I use this one and it’s saved quite a bit of cash over the past few months.
#8 – Get The Dishes Done
Whether it means washing up, or setting the dishwasher, ensuring that the dishes are all clean for the next morning means you won’t have to do any quick washing up the next morning – and you will have everything ready to use.
It also means you will walk into a clean and tidy kitchen, which sets a good tone for the day.
And talking of clean and tidy….
#9 – 10 Minute Tidy
Set the oven timer or a clock on your phone for 10 minutes and do as much tidying as you can in that time. Get the kids involved too!
This simple habit will mean you stay on top of the day to day mess, and you should always wake up to a relatively tidy home where there aren’t loads of things fighting for your attention as soon as you wake up (apart from the kids ;o).
#10 – Relax
Whatever you do, always try and make some time for yourself to relax. This will help you wind down from the day, and get you in the mood for sleeping so you have a better nights rest.
Why not have a bath, read a book/magazine, drink a herbal tea, or anything that makes you feel relaxed and ready for sleep.
#11 – Go To Bed At A Decent Time
Yes, you have lots to do in your day, and yes, the day is never long enough. But if you don’t get enough rest every night you will feel worse the next day and both your mood and productivity will suffer as a result.
It will pay dividends to get enough rest.
I am really bad at this one too as I am a natural night owl – but I find that getting the right amount of hours sleep for me works wonders the following day, so it really is worth it.
There you have it. 11 ways to make mornings easier.
How many are you doing?
Are there any new ones to try?
I hope this gives you a little inspiration and helps you to avoid the craziness of a manic morning.
If you want to go one step further and create a great morning routine as well, then why not click HERE to go to a post all about that….
