How to Conquer the World before Walking Out the Door
Mornings always felt rushed to me. I would see other people seemingly conquer the world before dropping their kids off at school. They had worked out, read their Bible, eaten a balanced breakfast, had fantastic hair and make up, packed a healthy lunch, and made it out the door in time to grab a coffee at Caribou.
Then there was me who could barely get up, grab some cereal and half-watch an episode of Friends while throwing my hair in a messy bun, quickly grab some carrots or something for lunch, and stumble out the door. My mornings looked like this whether I had five minutes to get ready or a ninety minutes. Oh, and I didn’t have kids to get out the door – just myself!
I decided enough was enough. I made changes to be able to get LOTS done and in just an hour and a half in the mornings. It’s not by any magic in the morning; instead, I learned to better manage my nights.
Nighttime Routines to Fix Your Mornings
- Do the dishes. If my kitchen is clean in the morning, it is easier to find dishes and cook breakfast without getting sidetracked. I even have time to make eggs and bacon now!
- Lay out clothes for the next day. It only takes a few seconds to check your weather app to see the forecast. When your clothes are already out, it eliminates the need to make a decision early in the AM before your brain is ready for it.
- Have lunch ready to go. I put some leftovers in my Pyrex containers so that everything is ready to throw in my lunch bag. (This is a SUPER useful set of containers I use on a daily basis from Amazon. The sizes work great for portions and for packing into lunchboxes! This is an affiliate link, full disclosures here)
- Make a pile by the door. Shoes, keys, anything else you bring with you (for me it’s a backpack).
- Charge your phone far from your bed. The only way my morning “email check” doesn’t turn into 10-15 minutes of scrolling Facebook and responding to texts is by charging my phone on a different floor of our house than our bedroom at night.
I am amazed at what my mornings look like with these changes in place!
5:45 Alarm goes off
6:00 Workout
6:30 Shower/get ready
7:00 Breakfast/Devotions
And I can be out the door by 7:15/7:30!
How does your morning routine compare? What things make your mornings run just a little bit smoother? I would love to hear what is working for you. Comment here or let us know over on Facebook!