Hey guys! Do you ever get in that morning funk? Either, your morning is so crazy and chaotic that you dread getting out of bed and try to avoid the stress. Or, you aren’t hustling to get out the door, but your mornings are just blah, and you have a hard time getting up and starting your day. I’ve experienced both of these types of mornings, but since I’ve been working from home, I more often experience the mornings where I’m just dragging and procrastinating, wasting precious time in my day. We all know the keys to having a productive morning, but sometimes we just need to take the time to focus in on what we can do to make our mornings better and experience less stress. So, today I’m going to be sharing 5 Ways to ROCK Your Mornings!
1. The first step to a great morning is going to bed earlier. It’s difficult to have a rocking morning if you are still exhausted and carrying the baggage of the day before. If possible, you should try to get the appropriate amount of sleep. Even if you can just get to bed 30 minutes earlier, every little bit helps. The National Sleep Foundation has some great guidelines to how much sleep we need. Are your kids crabby and crazy in the mornings? Are they getting enough sleep? Check their recommended sleep amounts too, and consider a new sleep routine for your kids. They’re likely to be happier in the mornings, too, if they’re well rested.
2. Next, hop out of bed, shower, and get dressed– first thing. Trick your brain into thinking you are ready for the day by dressing the part. You are guaranteed to be more productive once you get out of those pajamas and put on some real clothes. Staying at home? This applies to you, too! Get out of those yoga pants (or into them, if you must) and get ready for the day. Brush your teeth, fix your hair, maybe even put on a little makeup. Just because you are staying home, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get up, ready to go crush your day!
3. Eat a healthy breakfast! If you struggle with this, find a great recipe that you can pre-make on the weekends and throw into the freezer for easy weekday re-heating. Check Pinterest for great ideas. I am currently baking my eggs for the week (spray a muffin pan generously with cooking spray and crack one egg into each muffin space, bake 15-20 mins at 350 degrees) and in the morning I microwave them for 20 seconds and pop them onto an english muffin with some cheese. This breakfast has been so filling and is so much healthier than the sugary cereal I was eating. Is there a way you can create a healthier breakfast for yourself? What about your kiddos? A healthy breakfast almost guarantees a better day all around.
4. Start drinking your water! You know you are supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day, right? Are you doing this? If not, start! If so, when are you drinking your water? It’s best to space your water out throughout the day, instead of drinking it all in the evenings (like I end up doing most days… oops!). Start your morning with a big glass of ice water. It will wake you up, energize you, and get your metabolism running!
5. Make a routine! Having a morning routine is essential to a productive, less stressful morning. Create a routine for yourself, and write it down. Check it off each day as you go, until it becomes habit. What your morning routine includes is totally up to you! Do you need to do dishes in the morning? Do you need to check homework? Sit down and think of what you need to accomplish each morning and make yourself a list! PLUS! Get your kiddos on a routine! Are you constantly having to supervise them getting ready for school? Do you have to remind them 100 times to get their backpack ready to go? Get your kiddos started on a free printable routine checklist for kids, like this one from Over the Big Moon. Get them used to managing themselves in the morning and getting ready to go- without you having to direct them the whole way! This will free up precious morning time for you!
Okay guys, those are MY tips for a rocking morning. What do you do to make each morning great & start the day off right? Share below in the comments!
I try to get up and drink a couple of glasses of water in the morning before I eat. I find that I feel so much better and not so sluggish when I do.
I love a good morning routine. Having my clothes set out for the day and the coffee maker set up are two things that help me a lot.