If you’re an early bird and never hit snooze, you’re my hero! But just in case you’re more like me (I hit snooze a LOT!), let’s talk about how we can have a BETTER morning routine!
I’ve actually worked in morning radio. That means I left my house before 5am and was on the air LIVE by 5:30am. I STILL don’t know how I did that! (Probably by the grace of God!) It was hard. I went to bed super early and often missed bedtime with my kids, just so I could make sure I didn’t oversleep the next day. My amazing hubby took care of bedtime routines in those seasons of our life.
So, it IS possible to wake up at 4am-ish and be a (somewhat functional) working mom, but there are sacrifices you have to make. In my case, I had to sacrifice time with my family in the evenings to go to bed at 7 or 8pm. There is no alarm volume loud enough to wake me up if I haven’t slept well. Just ask my mom or husband!
And yes, I mentioned my mom because this has been going on my WHOLE life! Mornings just have never been my thing.
What can a life-long, professional-level night owl do to have a better morning routine? How can we swap a groggy, cranky, rushed or stressed out morning for a bright-eyed, streamlined, happy & positive one?
Here are my tips for a better morning routine!
These are a few things that have worked for me in the past for a better morning routine, and a few tips I’m currently still working on. We can always get better!
1. Start the night before.
If you’ve heard this before, yeah, me too. But when I got over myself and actually listened to the advice and put it into practice IT WORKED! In fact, when I did morning radio in California and Texas, I remember feeling “weird” if I didn’t have my clothes picked out the night before. Trying to figure out an outfit or steam a wrinkled shirt at 4am just doesn’t work.
2. Have a ‘Launch Pad” for car keys, backpacks, etc…
This is a tip I learned from “The Flylady” who shares practical ways to love yourself (self care) and your home! She says it doesn’t help anyone if Mom is a basket case, trying to find the keys when you’re already running late. (Been there, done that.)
Now we have a hook in our kitchen for the car keys, etc, plus hooks for the kids’ backpacks. My tween daughter uses the one downstairs and my teenage son has a hook in his room for his things.
3. Get the hubby & kids involved.
There is absolutely no need to feel like we need to do it all ourselves. I’m thankful that my hubby has been a hands-on hubby & dad from day one. (Shout out to my in-laws for raising him right!) He’ll cook, I’ll vacuum. If I’m cooking, he’ll pick up our daughter at gymnastics.
So, how does this apply to a better morning routine? With our current schedule, my hubby wakes up our 15 year old son & takes him to high school (they get their own breakfast & pack lunches). I then wake up our 11 year old daughter & often, while I finish getting ready, she’s in the kitchen, toasting a bagel or heating up lunch in the microwave. It’s a team effort!
This morning, I made a simple microwave oatmeal for my son, topped with cinnamon, and he added a banana on the way to school. This leads to point number four.
4. Keep it simple!
I have lofty dreams & aspirations of waking up extra early and working out! My kids love pancake breakfasts or my Whole30 sausage & sweet potato hash (delicious!). But we leave those for the weekend. Unless you are a true early bird and can manage to make this happen (in which case, go for it!), I’m a fan of keeping it short, simple & easy in the mornings. Case in point: microwave oatmeal & bananas or bagels!
5. Whole30 … or try clean eating!
Wait, what? Isn’t Whole30 a “diet?” How is this going to help improve our morning routine? The reason this is on my “better morning” list is because last year (the infamous 2020), I actually did a Whole30 in July. It’s 30 days of eliminating potentially problematic foods (sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy, legumes, soy, etc.). You re-introduce these foods slowly and find out what makes your body function best.
I was surprised to find out during my Whole30 that I was waking up without an alarm … and actually NOT groggy. Feeling pretty good. Happy. Not cranky. I think I eat too much sugar. But that’s another blog post. When I took out sugar, I not only had better mornings, I kind of had a better life. I may need to do another Whole30 this year. We’ll see!
Let’s wrap this up with a special shout out to The 5am Miracle podcast! In my quest to have “better mornings” I came across the episode on 5 healthy habits that really resonated with me. And they are not crazy, difficult habits. “Drink water in the morning” is one of them. Doable! That’s definitely one I’ll be trying to incorporate this year!
What are some things that help you have a better morning routine? Please share in the comments or message me & let’s chat!
~Coppelia
P.S. I only hit snooze once today! YAY ME!
