If you’re anything like me, your days can often be filled with surprises and even the best laid plans can be turned upside down within a matter of minutes.
One sure way of making my day harder is by starting out on the wrong foot first thing in the morning. I wake up late with a child attempting to crawl into my bed, I walk into the kitchen to see a a few dirty dishes in the sink, and I almost trip on a basket of clothes that weren’t put away yesterday…I feel behind before I even begin.
Do you ever feel the same way? Do you wake up to your day instead of waking up ready for your day?
I’m here to tell you there’s hope! The first step to conquering any obstacle is to admit there’s a problem in the first place.
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To help me get my mornings in shape I’m participating in Crystal Paine’s (AKA Money Saving Mom’s) Make Over Your Mornings course.
So, here are three things that wreck my mornings and how I’m fixing them.
1. I don’t finish well the evening before. I leave a few after dinner dishes sitting in the sink. I forget to check for clothes on the floor after the kids change into their pajamas. I choose to stay up way too late to enjoy the quiet of a sleeping house.
I’m sure you’ve heard the best way to start the morning right is to go to bed early the night before. That’s partially true, but I think going to bed on time is only part of the solution. The full solution for finishing your evenings well is to complete the tasks of the day today so they don’t become the tasks of day tomorrow.
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So, how am I working towards finishing my days well? Thanks to the information I’m learning in the Make Over Your Mornings course, I’m setting up an evening routine that addresses my problem areas and helps me begin each day with a clean slate. I’m also committing to going to bed earlier (notice I didn’t say early, I still need to enjoy some time with my husband when he gets home from work).
2. I don’t make a plan for the day. Of course, I have a general idea of what our days will look like and where we’ll be, but with so many plates up in the air, I need a list or schedule of some type to help me move forward and keep me from being overwhelmed.
Part of my new evening routine includes writing down a plan for the following day. Here are the things I jot down in my plan:
- what we’ll be eating,
- any places we’ll be going,
- a plan for our homeschool,
- chores the kids will need to accomplish,
- household tasks I need to do,
- anything I need to do for the blog or shop, etc.
By making a plan, I’m able to see what the most important things are in any given day. That way, I can focus and reevaluate my day easy as things come up.
3. I don’t wake up earlier than my kids. Theoretically, since I’m going to bed earlier, I should be able to wake up earlier, but since I’m still getting up with a baby and toddler during the night or early morning, there are plenty of mornings when I don’t feel like getting up yet.
However, I can tell a huge difference in my attitude and productivity when I wake up before my children, spend time reading and meditating on God’s word, and review my plan for the day. I love how discovering the motivation of art journaling God’s word has helped me want to get up early and have time to create before the kids are up and I hit the ground running.
In the Make Over your Mornings course, Crystal discusses how rewards aren’t just for kids. By linking external and internal rewards to getting my day off to a good start I am much more motivated to get up and use my mornings well.
So, what’s one thing that wrecks your mornings? Do you leave tasks unfinished at bedtime? Stay in bed until your kids come and wake you up? Go to bed way too late? Not have a plan and feel overwhelmed by all the tasks you need to complete? Whatever it is, there is hope. There are ways you can set yourself up for success by making over your mornings.
Want more help and encouragement? Make Over Your Mornings can be purchased for about the cost of three fancy drinks from Starbucks, but it can completely transform your life!
For years, Crystal has amazed me with all she is able to accomplish, so when I had the chance to find out how she uses her mornings to propel herself to success I jumped at the opportunity!
I love that the course is already changing my mornings (and with only 15-20 minutes a day)!
Like Crystal says, “You don’t have to keep living life feeling constantly behind, overworked, and overwhelmed!”
Make sure you check out more about this amazing course and grab your own copy so you can start making over your mornings today.
When you’re a busy mom and you’ve got loads of work to do especially in the morning, planning on what to do first is the best solution to treat the problem,.
I have never been much of a morning person, but somehow, my kids sure are! I never manage to get up before them! Even if I’m getting up at 6, they’ve been awake for a while… I’m lucky when they stay sitting in bed. My son who is 10 enjoys screaming and banging around every. single. morning. It’s the #1 thing that wrecks my morning. Being jarred awake by loud obnoxious unnecessary noises. It’s a wonder the neighbors don’t report me for secretly housing a zoo. He also sneaks out to the kitchen and eats whatever he wants (including the breakfast items I’m counting on being there), and he still wets the bed, so I get to enjoy THAT lovely scent as I prepare the first meal of the day. Which I often skip. The stink that wafts down the hall from his room puts me off my food almost every day… And yes, all the other things you mentioned get to me, too. I feel like every day I’m starting off 3 days behind and I’m overwhelmed before I can even hobble to the bathroom. Homeschool lesson planning is disorganized at best, dishes seem to multiply if I turn my back, and laundry could overtake my house in no time if I didn’t do about a load every other day (on average. I use the laundry mat nearby so I have to make trips count, which means doing about 6 loads once a week there. With quarters). *sigh* I feel like fixing my mornings won’t even be the half of it.
I’m so sorry life seems overwhelming right now! I wish I could meet with you for coffee or at the very least come over and fold some laundry with you. It sounds like you are in a tough season right now, but remember it is only a season.
Have you ever tried setting a time that your kids need to stay in bed until? My kids like to get up early, but they are not allowed to get out of bed (except to use the potty) until 7am. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been getting up between 5 (when I sometimes nurse the baby) and 6:30. It helps to know I’ll have a little peace and quiet at least until 7.
I feel for you on the bed wetting, we have a few still in diapers at night and wet beds are no fun! Is there a reason your 10 year old can’t be taught to take his wet sheets off and remake his bed. If he’s capable of that, be sure to teach him when you’re not frustrated with him. If you make it very matter-of-fact, if you wet the bed, change the bed, there shouldn’t be any hurt feelings. One of our older children sometimes has wet sheets and they know to take them off and put them in the hamper. After the sheets are washed they also remake the bed.
I really believe working through Crystal’s course could help you so much! If you need any more information, just let me know.
Blessings,
Allyson
Two things that wreck my mornings are
1. Looking at Facebook and email before I’m ready to go. These 2 time suckers get me off schedule like nothing else can.
2. Listening to “news” rather than praise music, which sets a more negative tone and usually gets me fretting rather than thinking good thoughts about the day.
Yup! Me too. I shouldn’t get on social media in the morning at all. It’s always followed by me checking the news sites online.. Your right! The “news” is rarely positive and a slightly different spin on the same articles the day before. Ugh!! Both can be complete rabbit holes.