Good Morning Friends!!
It's Monday so it's this weeks....
I'm going to look at it this way....
I was looking on Pinterest for some motivation and inspiration and came across this pin...
I always try to get as much done the night before to help make the morning go a little smoother
To click on the "pin" click here for the source or you can read below!! Make sure you check our her other household tips:)
How I do these tips or how I plan to do this tips are in RED!
We've all woken up when the alarm buzzes and just want to put our head back under the covers and go back to sleep. Unfortunately though, life doesn't often allow us to do that, so we've got to take steps to make each day the best it can be.
Many of us have busy mornings, with lots of stuff to do, and often a very limited amount of time to do it. But you can do yourself a huge favor by doing the following 7 things each night, before you go to bed, that will set yourself up for a better morning. And we all know that when our morning goes well, it tends that the rest of our day does as well.
So here's the 7 things I suggest you do each night:
1. Quick tidy up throughout the house.
I always try to do this when the kids are in the shower and when they are getting their clothes and book bags ready for the next day! I also make them "tidy" up their rooms before bed...my kids are 11 and 8 so they are capable of these task!
Life happens during the day and things get messy. Hit the "reset" button each night, before going to bed, by doing a quick tidy up of the house.
I'm definitely not talking about a full house cleaning session here, but just tidying up, by putting things away and back in their place.
Don't feel like you have to do this alone either. Make it part of the kids' bedtime routine, having them help you pick up the common living areas of the house and their rooms before they go to sleep.
2. Clean your kitchen, and make sure to run the dishwasher if you have one.
It is VERY rare that I don't run my dishwasher each night and I try to empty it in the morning before we even leave for school
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so making sure it is clean each night before you go to bed will really help your morning, and really your whole day, just run more smoothly.
Wash all your dishes, either by running your dishwasher, or washing them by hand. This allows you, in the morning, to easily empty the clean dishes from your dishwasher or put away the air dried ones from your dish dryer rack and have clean dishes for use all day long.
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3. Make a realistic to do list for tomorrow.
I make my to do list in my AWESOME Erin Condren Life Planner It is nice to have all my list in one place!! If you don't have a planner and prefer a printable "To-Do" list Landeelu has an awesome one....Click here
Your day runs smoother if you've got a plan for it, and it's best to make that plan before you go to bed the night before.
Doing your planning then allows you to write down your thoughts so you know you won't forget something, and that lets your brain take a well needed rest.
You can definitely just use a piece of paper, but it can be helpful to use a similar format day after day for your to do list. If that helps you, you might want to consider a to do list template or notepad that is premade for you.
These premade templates also have a limited number of spaces for tasks, which is actually helpful because your plan needs to be realistic. If you have 82 things written down to do tomorrow you're setting yourself up to feel like a failure because there is no way you'll get it all done.
4. Choose your outfit for the next day.
Since I am a SAHM, I don't always lay my outfit out for the day because most days it is yoga pants and a tunic:) However, if I have to go run errands, doctor's appt, meeting, etc after I drop the kids off I do always pick my outfit out for the next day!! It really does just seem to help the "flow" of the next morning!
Every day feels better when you're dressed in something that makes you feel good. What you choose doesn't need to be fancy, but it needs to be something you're not afraid to open the door in, or to run out and do an errand wearing, or to feel good in while working.
In the morning, with all the other hustle and bustle, it can be hard to make these decisions with all the distractions going on around you. So instead make them the night before, perhaps after the kids have gone to bed and you have a few quiet moments to focus.
5. Set up for breakfast in the morning.
I have mentioned before my love of coffee! Our Keurig is set to come on every morning at 5:00! My breakfast generally consist of yogurt, granola, and berries.. I just dump them in a bowl!
I'm sure you've heard the saying, "the most important meal of the day is breakfast."
Well, it really is. You need to take the time to feed yourself and your family something nutritious and filling, but when things get crazy this can be what we tend to skip.
Setting up for breakfast the next morning doesn't have to be complicated, and actually can be something tacked onto your kitchen clean up routine. Perhaps pull out some bowls for cereal, or set your programmable coffee maker to make your coffee in the morning to help you wake up.
If whatever preparation you do the night before helps your kids more easily serve themselves breakfast in the morning as well, while you're able to focus on other things or just eat something yourself, all the better!
x
6. Gather or prepare everything that you'll take out the door in the morning.
When you come up our steps from the garage, I have hooks and a bench. That is where I keep the kids book bags and anything I need to take with me the next morning! I am delivering a number and earrings tomorrow morning before my meeting, so I have those sitting on the bench ready for me to pick up on the way out!! I also will put stuff in my car the night before as well!!
There's nothing worse than running out the door, kind of late already to get the kids off to school, for one of them to realize they forgot their homework inside the house. Uggghh.
Make the morning a bit less crazy by making sure everything you need to take out the door with you, or that your kids need to take to school, is ready the night before. This goes for packing backpacks, work or gym bags, making sure coats and gloves are ready for the cold winter morning, and that lunches are packed and ready to go.
Obviously, in the case of lunches, if you've got to keep your lunch containers in the refrigerator overnight, and not sitting by the door, no problem. But do pack them the night before whenever possible. If something will get soggy if left overnight do as much prep the night before as possible, so you have as few steps to complete lunch making the next morning as possible.
7. Get a good and full night's sleep by heading to bed early.
I know this one is hard to do sometimes, but I really have been trying to go to bed around the same time each night! This week I am starting the 21 day fix again, but I AM going to complete it this time:)
One thing I know I need to do is get my workouts in first thing in the morning before I get the kids up or I know I will not work out!! My alarm is set for 4:45am!
And finally, nothing helps you tackle your day with enthusiasm and a positive attitude more than feeling well rested. To do that you've got to get enough sleep, consistently, so make sure you leave enough time for zzzzz's.
If you consistently do these 7 things each night, before bed, you'll soon find you're more consistently having less hectic mornings and better running days overall!
Do you have any more habits you do each evening that I've missed? I'd love to hear what you do below, in the comments.
In addition, don't miss even more tips and tricks I've shared by following Household Management 101 here on eBay.
I thought this was a great article with some helpful tips and inspiration! I hope you found it helpful as well!!
I know sometimes I really just want to crawl in the bed and not do anything, but I try to remind myself that if I don't do it....the morning will be rough:(
What is your night time routine?
Have you found anything that really works for your family?
Please share!
So go grab a cup of joe and get your Monday started!!
xoxo, Heather
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