6 Key Ingredients For A Successful Morning Routine

I have always been a firm believer that having set routines throughout our busy days can help determine how smoothly our lives flow. Even before I became the mom of 8 kids that are so close in age, I crafted routines for my work and home life so that I would not only stay more organized, but also so that I could have more free time to do things I enjoyed–such as power walking and gardening–rather than scrambling to get things done.

In a previous episode, How Routines Can Simplify Your Life, I laid out the importance of creating regular routines throughout the day. I received a lot of great feedback from the Mighty Mommy listeners about this episode, along with numerous questions about which routine is typically the best one to focus on in order to have the most positive impact on a family’s lives.

Without question, I have found that having a strong morning routine in place can make the most positive difference in my family’s day. How you start out in the morning can make or break the way everything else happens for the rest of the day, helping to set the tone for whether things falls smoothly into place, or go haywire until the day comes to a harried end.

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Once you develop a solid routine that works for your family, don’t be afraid to revisit how it’s working, and tweak things as needed. As school schedules or career changes take place, or when a new baby is added to the mix, take some time to re-evaluate your routines and freshen them up, so they continue to work best for you and your family.

With a new school year here, this is a great time to revamp your morning routine or, if you don’t already have one, implement a new one. Here are Mighty Mommy’s 6 key ingredients for a successful morning routine:

Tip #1: Rise and Shine Before the Rest of the Family

I know we’re not all morning people (myself included!), but if there is one habit that can create massive changes in your daily lifestyle, it’s getting up before the rest of the family does.

For starters, you’ll have the peace and quiet of the early morning to just “be” with your thoughts and to think clearly about the day ahead, without the craziness of dogs needing to be walked, kids waking up overtired and grumpy, and everything else in between. Even if it’s only 1/2 hour to 45 minutes before everyone else rises, take advantage of this “alone” time to fuel your tank for a positive and productive day. 

I get up 45 minutes before the rest of my family, and I usually use this time to write, menu plan for the week, make grocery lists, or even have a hot cup of tea–alone--and visualize what I would like the day ahead to hold for my family.

Tip #2: Have Easy, Better-For-You Breakfasts Ready to Go

For years, nutritionists and other health care professionals have touted that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I couldn’t agree more!

I used to be one of those individuals who poo-pooed breakfast because I was always in a rush to get out the door on time. I figured I could make up for that missed meal either at lunch, or with a donut or other sugar-filled snack once I got to work. Wrong! 

In our household of 8 kids, breakfast time can be insane as we try to get out the door to school, but there are plenty of healthy and yummy ways to make sure your family gets this important meal in before they board the bus. Here are a few suggestions that we enjoy in our home:

• Belgian Waffles with fruit. One night a week, I pull out the waffle iron and make a few batches of honey-wheat waffles, and then I freeze them in halves in individual Ziploc sandwich baggies. I also cut up strawberries, and keep bags of frozen blueberries on hand for my kids to sprinkle over them, along with some low-fat frozen Cool Whip.
• Egg McMuffins to go. I always keep a package of English muffins in the freezer for our version of the infamous Egg McMuffins. We simply pull them out and throw them in the toaster as we scramble an egg in the microwave. In less than 3 minutes, we have a cooked egg, toasted muffins, and when we throw on a slice of low-fat cheddar, the sandwich is complete!
• Yogurt and granola parfaits. If you have a tub of French Vanilla yogurt on hand, you can put some in a small bowl and sprinkle ready-made granola on top. We like to add sliced banana, as well. Again, this takes less than a few minutes to prepare and eat.

Tip #3: Get Up and Get Moving

Exercise is truly one of the best ways to jumpstart your day. I never paid much attention to exercising in the morning until I started having kids. Even when I had sleepless newborn nights, I found that if I could get out and take a power walk for even 20 to 30 minutes, I would gather up energy I didn’t even know I had deep inside of me.

Exercising in the morning also helps clear your mind, and enables you to have a more positive mindset. It’s also great for your physical well-being. Now that my kids are older (ages 8 thru 21), I take early morning power walks every other day, within 20 minutes of waking up. These quiet morning walks through our neighborhood and nearby areas enable me to focus on the tasks I have ahead of me for the day, as well as put an extra “kick” in my step for the rest of the day. 

Tip #4: Establish and Review “Must Do” and “Must Don’t” Lists

If you can snatch 15-20 minutes of quiet time each morning, this is a wonderful opportunity to work on creating and reviewing the important tasks and “to do” items that require your attention.

During this sacred time, however, try not to get caught up in frittering away your time with social media and personal e-mails. If you must check e-mails, have a system to help you streamline your efforts so you aren’t wasting that precious, early morning alone time by getting caught up in chain e-mails, or reading ads from local stores, or getting wraped up in gossipy or other unproductive social media doings.

I personally have a handful of folks I won’t open e-mails from until it’s later in the day. These particular acquaintances are known for draining others, and now that I know that, I wait until I’m well into my day before giving away any of my energy to their requests!

Just as important, I also keep a list of things I would like to avoid, and review these on a near daily basis

As an “on the go,” full-time working mom of 8 kids, plus being active in our PTOs and church, I honestly couldn’t survive without organized and structured lists. Several times a week, early in the morning, I review my lists to make sure I’m not forgetting any important tasks, appointments, bills to be paid, or anything else I feel is important to keep track of. I also keep track of my goals this way, as well.

Just as important, I also keep a list of things I would like to avoid, and review these on a near daily basis. It only takes me a few minutes to review my list of “Must Don’ts,” and remind myself that I don’t want to use my valuable time to get caught up in my social media friends’ perfect lives, or how I don’t want to be lazy and not get my exercise routines in each week, or to not make the best choices of foods for my diabetic lifestyle, etc.

Keeping track of your goals on paper and reviewing them on a regular basis at the start of your day–along with reviewing what you don’t want to focus on–can really power up your day for a strong and positive start.

Key #5:  Connect in a Happy/Loving Way with your Children and Partner

When we are harried and rushed in the morning, we often race out the door in a huff and in a bad mood, because we don’t have our acts together. But it you are able to spend your energy getting organized and on top of your game each and every morning, you’ll have the time to do something very important each day: connect lovingly with your family. 

Instead of scurrying to find backpack items, lost sneakers, and wolfing down a brownie for breakfast, if you’re organized and calm in the morning, you can take that time you would waste being flustered and insteead sit down and help your child lace his shoes, or tuck a love note into your spouse’s briefcase. Get into the habit of letting your loved ones know that they mean the world to you, and that you’ll be thinking about them throughout the course of the day. This instills an enormous amount of comfort in your kid’s and spouse’s lives!

See also: 4 Ways to Keep Your Family Strong

Key #6: Feel Gratitude

Practicing the act of being grateful for all the wonderful and basic things in your life can really change your perspective on the everyday grind. When you start your day by focusing on things that you feel gratitude for–a cozy home, healthy kids, a job that puts food on your table, the support of your own parents, a loving spouse–you can literally change the tone of your day.

I have a gratitude routine that I’ve been practicing for many years now. After the alarm goes off and I haved stretched and woken up, I lie still and give thanks for whatever comes to my mind that morning.  Some days I have a list a mile long; other days, I’m just grateful I was able to get up without hitting the snooze button a dozen times.

No matter the items on my gratitude list, it always helps shift my mindset from perhaps a tired, overwhelmed state to a more calm, “can do” attitude–a much better place from which to start my day. See also: 11 Ways to Raise Grateful Kids

How do you kick start your mornings to ensure a great day? Share your thoughts in the comments section at quickanddirtytips.com/mighty-mommy, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page. or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com. Visit my family-friendly boards at Pinterest.com/MightyMommyQDT.

Photo of family having breakfast, yogurt and fruit, and morning to-do list courtesy of Shutterstock.com.