I’m still pretty new at this whole mom thing, but one thing that I’ve learned so far is that mornings will forever be a bit more chaotic. If I thought that getting to work on time was challenging before our baby was born, then this is a whole new hurdle to jump over. I have a natural obsession to anally organize everything and anything down to the littlest detail, so you can only imagine how I approached our “new” morning routine with baby. Here are some of the new “rules” that our morning routine now includes to help us keep our sanity (which is super important to have, don’t you agree?).
Limit time-consuming tasks.
As crazy as it sounds, I’ve tried to eliminate anything that takes time in the morning. If I’m going to shower, it needs to happen the night before. My outfit and lunch for the next day need to be ready to go before I hit the sheets for some shut-eye. I’ve been trying to proactively think about what can be done the night before and luckily, most things can! I also pack my son’s cloth diapers and his bag to take to the babysitter in the morning.
Use list-making to your advantage.
One of my best friends in the morning — and when I’m packing my son’s diaper bag and my work bag — is a list of what needs to be included. Balancing a 45-hour work week, being a mom to an infant, writing for my blog, and all of the other endeavors that flood my life daily can make remembering everything at 5 a.m. a bit daunting. Write out your list for the things you need every day, stash it in your kitchen or even in the bag itself and the daily packing will become a breeze.
Keep accurate reminders in obvious places.
There are some things that just can’t be done ahead of time. For me, this usually includes packing my pumped milk in the diaper bag, my pump parts that are in the dishwasher, and my lunch in the refrigerator. In order to help myself remember these important items, I stick a note on the bag that the item needs to go in. Then, in the morning, I just have to glance at the note to remember what needs to be added and we’re ready to go! I also have a note stuck to the door so that the last thing I see is a reminder for the most important items: baby’s milk, breast pump, computer, cell phone and diapers.
Plan for a few time-sucking events.
This might sound like a “duh” thing to suggest, but it still amazes me what unpredictable things can happen in the morning. A few examples from our house might include missing our alarm, an unexpected feeding or pumping session that can’t wait (especially because I feed my baby on demand), or the outfit I laid out having an unseen stain. I have yet to successfully get up early enough to make sure there’s extra time, but I’m still working towards that! Whether you’re a working mom or you stay at home, we can look at our morning routines as a challenge to tackle successfully every day. If you don’t get it right today, then there’s always tomorrow to try again!
How do you get it all done in the morning?
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