Working moms--8 Fixes for smooth morning routine

As a working mother, how many times have you wondered if you had more hands, your mornings would be sorted completely before leaving for work? As mothers, we have more on our mind in the mornings, than we really have on our hands. But does that ever stop us from pushing on?

As a working mother myself, I tend to remember so many things after I have walked way out of the door for work. Not just that, the result of it all keeps playing on my mind the whole day. More often than not, I have found myself in situations where I have had to rush back home just to pick my wallet and back to make my purchases because I have missed keeping it in the morning in my bag.

As a working mother, how many times have you wondered if you had more hands, your mornings would be sorted completely before leaving for work? As mothers, we have more on our mind in the mornings, than we really have on our hands. But does that ever stop us from pushing on?

More often than not, I have found myself in situations where I have had to rush back home just to pick up my wallet and back to make my purchases! So what can we do to make our mornings just a little easier? Read on to find out!

Tips To Make Your Morning Routine Smoother

The chaos of a busy morning can really weigh you down throughout the day. It just adds stress that you really don’t need. So, here are a few tips to make your morning routine smoother.

1. Write it down: Charting out what is needed in the morning and on your way out will set the tone for getting things in order.
   1. It is important that the routine is shared with everyone in the house
   2. Routines for children can be written and pasted on the bathroom door/mirror
   3. If the children are younger, use pictures! Talk about each of the chores to be completed so they understand the importance
2. Decide on a week's menu: The menu for each day of the week can be fixed during the weekend- the favorites can definitely be squeezed in whenever there is time, but sticking to the menu will save you unnecessary stress. Your child's school schedule needs to be visible to the child as well, so they know what they are required to carry to school each day
3. Prepare the night before: My challenge has always been to pick the right clothes for the day. As much as I like to pick them out as per my mood in the morning, I realized that it just adds to my stress.
   1. Pick out your next day’s attire, the night before
   2. Help your child do the same, so that getting her dressed in the morning will be much easier
   3. If you’ve got something elaborate planned for the next day’s packed lunches, make the preps the night before. This will shave precious minutes off the morning rush
4. Everything in its place: It's always helpful when you know exactly where the things required in the morning are kept.
   1. So, designate a place for all the essentials so you never miss carrying a thing that is of importance- wallet, keys, children's daycare/school bag, water bottles, medicines, supplies etc.
   2. Upon returning home be sure to keep the things back in their place so you are not struggling to find them the next time.
   3. To go a step further, label each thing so that everyone in the family knows where each of the stuff belongs
5. Make your child independent: Train your school-going child to manage simple tasks herself, like packing her school bag, sorting out socks, and brushing her shoes. This won’t just save you time, but it will make your child self-sufficient.
6. Early to bed and early to rise: Scheduling your sleep time and wake up time makes a whole lot of difference in the way the day pans out, so ensure that these timings are sacrosanct.
   1. Make sure your sleep time has a pattern and does not tend to overshoot often.
   2. If you have a tendency to hit the snooze button often in the morning, cheat your sleep and set the alarm 15 minutes earlier than usual. Believe me, it's worth it!
7. Raise your team: Some of your plans may not work if they are not backed by a team.
   1. Your spouse, your children, the house help or anyone else living with you may form a part of your team, so they must be well acquainted with the routine you are scheduled to follow
   2. Your spouse can be your tag partner, in fact. During mornings when you are rushing for work, tag the other to take on a task that has been hanging. For example, while you are busy packing the lunches or preparing the breakfast, have your spouse help you get the children ready for school
   3. If your team is versed with the routine, they would seldom fail to lend that necessary support
8. Remain connected: Communication with your family and children is a must.
   1. If there are any unplanned events that have creeped up in your routine, make sure your home team knows about it
   2. Changes won’t always fit in easily with your schedule, but getting the communication rolling will definitely help you share your load. A well-oiled machinery has better chances of performing well

If all your ducks are in the row from the night before, there is hardly any reason to be frantic in the morning. If you stay calm and get the ball rolling, your child will find you in better control and stay in line with you. Getting worked up in the morning will only spoil the day ahead. So, stay cheerful, smile!

Did you like the blog on how working mommies can make their mornings smooth by Kajal Kapur? Share your views and feedback in the comments section below.

As a working mother myself, I tend to remember so many things after I have walked way out of the door for work. Not just that, the result of it all keeps playing on my mind the whole day. More often than not, I have found myself in situations where I have had to rush back home just to pick my wallet and back to make my purchases because I have missed keeping it in the morning in my bag.

The Must To-Do Things For Smooth Morning

But to avoid all the confusion and chaos in the morning, I came across a few must-do tips that made my mornings much smoother and my days a lot less stressful. Here are a few that might help you as well>

1. Write it down: A morning routine is a must for effectiveness. Charting out what is needed in the morning and on your way out will set the tone for getting things in order. It is important that the routine is shared with everyone in the house so everyone knows how the plan for the day is required to go. Routines for children can be written and pasted on the bathroom door/mirror. If the children are younger, use pictures! Talk about each of the chores to be completed so they understand the importance.
   • Pre-decide a week's menu: The menu for each day of the week can be pre-decided during the weekend- the favourites can definitely be squeezed in whenever there is time, but sticking to the menu will save you unnecessary stress. Your child's school schedule needs to be visible to the child as well, so they know what they are required to carry to school each day
2. Prepare the night before: My challenge has always been to pick the right clothes for the day. As much as I like to pick them out as per my mood in the morning, I realized it is such a big fail. It's been many months now that I have started picking out my clothes the night before and that works wonderfully for me. Not just that, I also started selecting and laying the clothes for my child the night before and the morning dressing was much smoother, saving me precious time. Not just that, if you plan packed lunch or an elaborate breakfast, it would be ideal to make the preps the night before. That's surely a time saver.
3. Everything in its place: It's always helpful when you know exactly where the things required in the morning are kept. So, designate a place for all the essentials so you never miss carrying a thing that is of importance- wallet, keys, children's daycare/school bag, water bottles, medicines, supplies etc. Upon returning home be sure to keep the things back in their place so you are not struggling to find them the next time. To go a step further, label each thing so that everyone in the family knows where each of the stuff belongs
4. Make the junior independent: Train your school-going children to manage their simple tasks themselves, like packing their bags, sorting their socks, brushing their shoes, rounding off their homework etc. This would not only save you time but would make the child independent to handle their tasks well. Speaking from my experience, this is one of the best lifeskills you would teach your child. What's the point of your organizing skills if they are not passed on to the next generation, anyway?
5. Early to bed and early to rise makes you wiser: Now this is not merely a saying, it really holds true. Scheduling your sleep time and wake up time makes a whole lot of difference in the way the day pans out, so ensure that these timings are sacrosanct. Make sure your sleep time has a pattern and does not tend to overshoot often. If you have a tendency to hit the snooze button often in the morning, cheat your sleep and set the alarm 15 minutes earlier than usual. Believe me, it's worth it!
6. Raise your team: Some of your plans may not work if they are not backed by a team. Your spouse, your children, the house help or anyone else living with you may form a part of your team, so they must be well acquainted with the routine you are scheduled to follow. Your spouse can be your tag partner, in fact. In the mornings when you are rushing for work, tag the other to take on a task that has been hanging. For example, while you are busy packing the lunches or preparing the breakfast, have your spouse help you get the children ready for school. If your team is versed with the routine, they would seldom fail to lend that necessary support
7. Remain connected: Communication with your family and children is a must. If there are any unplanned events that have creeped up in your routine, make sure your home team knows about it. It is not always that the abrupt changes will smoothly place in your pre-planned schedule but getting the communication rolling will definitely help you share your load.A well-oiled machinery has better chances of performing well
8. Keep calm and smile: If all your ducks are in the row from the night before, there is hardly any reason to be frantic in the morning. If you stay calm and get the ball rolling, your your child will find you in better control and stay in line with you. Getting worked up in the morning will only spoil the day ahead. So, stay cheerful, smile. Hey, to add a bit of drama make a playlist of your and your family's favourite numbers and play in the morning while you are getting to roll for the day

With these easy to follow measures my mornings became a whole lot calmer. Hope that they would work as well with you too.

Did you like the blog on how working mommies can make their mornings smooth by Kajal Kapur? Share your views and feedback in the comments section below.

The Must To-Do Things For Smooth Morning

But to avoid all the confusion and chaos in the morning, I came across a few must-do tips that made my mornings much smoother and my days a lot less stressful. Here are a few that might help you as well>

1. Write it down: A morning routine is a must for effectiveness. Charting out what is needed in the morning and on your way out will set the tone for getting things in order. It is important that the routine is shared with everyone in the house so everyone knows how the plan for the day is required to go. Routines for children can be written and pasted on the bathroom door/mirror. If the children are younger, use pictures! Talk about each of the chores to be completed so they understand the importance.
   • Pre-decide a week's menu: The menu for each day of the week can be pre-decided during the weekend- the favourites can definitely be squeezed in whenever there is time, but sticking to the menu will save you unnecessary stress. Your child's school schedule needs to be visible to the child as well, so they know what they are required to carry to school each day
2. Prepare the night before: My challenge has always been to pick the right clothes for the day. As much as I like to pick them out as per my mood in the morning, I realized it is such a big fail. It's been many months now that I have started picking out my clothes the night before and that works wonderfully for me. Not just that, I also started selecting and laying the clothes for my child the night before and the morning dressing was much smoother, saving me precious time. Not just that, if you plan packed lunch or an elaborate breakfast, it would be ideal to make the preps the night before. That's surely a time saver.
3. Everything in its place: It's always helpful when you know exactly where the things required in the morning are kept. So, designate a place for all the essentials so you never miss carrying a thing that is of importance- wallet, keys, children's daycare/school bag, water bottles, medicines, supplies etc. Upon returning home be sure to keep the things back in their place so you are not struggling to find them the next time. To go a step further, label each thing so that everyone in the family knows where each of the stuff belongs
4. Make the junior independent: Train your school-going children to manage their simple tasks themselves, like packing their bags, sorting their socks, brushing their shoes, rounding off their homework etc. This would not only save you time but would make the child independent to handle their tasks well. Speaking from my experience, this is one of the best lifeskills you would teach your child. What's the point of your organizing skills if they are not passed on to the next generation, anyway?
5. Early to bed and early to rise makes you wiser: Now this is not merely a saying, it really holds true. Scheduling your sleep time and wake up time makes a whole lot of difference in the way the day pans out, so ensure that these timings are sacrosanct. Make sure your sleep time has a pattern and does not tend to overshoot often. If you have a tendency to hit the snooze button often in the morning, cheat your sleep and set the alarm 15 minutes earlier than usual. Believe me, it's worth it!
6. Raise your team: Some of your plans may not work if they are not backed by a team. Your spouse, your children, the house help or anyone else living with you may form a part of your team, so they must be well acquainted with the routine you are scheduled to follow. Your spouse can be your tag partner, in fact. In the mornings when you are rushing for work, tag the other to take on a task that has been hanging. For example, while you are busy packing the lunches or preparing the breakfast, have your spouse help you get the children ready for school. If your team is versed with the routine, they would seldom fail to lend that necessary support
7. Remain connected: Communication with your family and children is a must. If there are any unplanned events that have creeped up in your routine, make sure your home team knows about it. It is not always that the abrupt changes will smoothly place in your pre-planned schedule but getting the communication rolling will definitely help you share your load.A well-oiled machinery has better chances of performing well
8. Keep calm and smile: If all your ducks are in the row from the night before, there is hardly any reason to be frantic in the morning. If you stay calm and get the ball rolling, your kids will find you in better control and stay in line with you. Getting worked up in the morning will only spoil the day ahead. So, stay cheerful, smile. Hey, to add a bit of drama make a playlist of your and your family's favourite numbers and play in the morning while you are getting to roll for the day

With these easy to follow measures my mornings became a whole lot calmer. Hope that they would work as well with you too.

Did you like the blog on how working mommies can make their mornings smooth by Kajal Kapur? Share your views and feedback in the comments section below.