For many working moms, mornings can be so draining that they feel relieved when they get to work. While it’s true that getting yourself and your kids ready in the morning can be a challenge, it doesn’t have to be a daily battle that leaves you exhausted even before you arrive at your workplace.
If you constantly find yourself dreading the morning rush, here are several strategies that can make mornings easier and faster while keeping your sanity intact:
1. Wake up before everyone else
You probably already do this, and if you do, you can go ahead and skip this tip. But if you don’t, you might want to make a habit out of waking up before everyone else in the house. Not only does this give you ample time to prepare, but it will also let you enjoy some peace before everyone else wakes up. Trust us—the extra few minutes in the shower and undisturbed coffee time are worth waking up thirty minutes before your kids do.
2. Get dressed after eating
Children can be messy no matter what age. Save yourself the trouble and the stress of making second outfit changes in the morning by getting everyone dressed after breakfast—including yourself. You do not want to get stains on your polo work shirt with the company logo at breakfast, much less find out that it’s your last one in the closet. So instead of getting dressed before breakfast, do this task last before leaving the house.
3. Meal prep breakfast and lunches
It’s simply not possible for many working moms to prepare breakfast and pack lunch for the whole family every morning. But this doesn’t mean you have to rely on cereal and convenience foods forever.
To make mornings easier, meal prep breakfast and lunch on the weekends. You can make a few batches of breakfast meals, such as frittatas, overnight oats, muffins, and yogurt parfaits, that can be reheated if needed. For lunches, you can make big batches of healthy meals like burrito bowls, hearty salads, sandwiches, rice and chicken, and more—simply pack them into microwave-safe containers and put them in your kids’ lunch bags before leaving.
4. Get ready the night before
Preparing the night before can help you prevent your mornings from getting chaotic. Instruct your kids to prepare their own outfits (if they are old enough to do so) and pick out your own work outfit as well. Check if your kids have everything they need for school, and take a peek at your work bag, too. You can also look over your schedule to see if there are any important errands or appointments you have to take care of the next day. By making these efforts the night before, your mornings can go at a more relaxed pace instead of everyone running around like headless chickens.
5. Entrust the responsibility to your kids
Assign age-appropriate tasks to your children so that they can help you make mornings easier. For example, if they are old enough to dress, let them do it. If they can already pick out their own breakfast (assuming you have them pre-made), allow them to start eating on their own. Your kids can be more responsible than you think—you just need to let them do things for themselves.
With enough training, your kids will soon be able to get ready by themselves, and you can focus on other important tasks before shuttling everyone to where they need to be for the day.
6. Keep things simple
Sometimes, we make our mornings more difficult than they have to be by overcomplicating things. Do you really need to make an elaborate breakfast every morning? No. Do you need to spend an hour on makeup and hair? Probably not. Will your kids hate you if you don’t spend more time picking out their outfits? Nope.
Keeping things simple will make your mornings much easier and relieve a lot of pressure from your shoulders as a working parent.
7. Tidy up as much as you can
Getting ready in the morning can become much more stressful when you can’t find what you’re looking for because the house is too disorganised. That said, try to keep your place as tidy as possible. It doesn’t have to be spotless. Just make sure you can find the essentials without having to turn the house upside down.
Mornings are often the most hectic parts of the day for many working moms, but as you can see, there are lots of ways you can change that. With these useful strategies, you can make mornings a little less stressful and a lot more efficient, helping you face the day with a smile on your face instead of deep worry lines.
