Are you looking for a realistic morning routine checklist that you can actually stick to as a busy working mom? Then this post is for you!
You know that feeling in the morning? You are rushing around, getting all your stuff ready for the day. You barely make it out the door on time. Then you realize you forgot your lunch, water bottle, purse, or all of the above.
I absolutely HATE that feeling. I’m guessing you dislike it too, or you wouldn’t be reading this!
This is why building a morning routine that works for YOU is so important. A little planning and preparation goes a long way to change your mornings from chaos and putting out fires to calm (for the most part anyway!)
Steps for Moms to Create A Simple Morning Routine Checklist
Morning Routine Checklist Step 1: Be Realistic with the Season You are In
- Do you have a baby?
- Toddlers who wake up early?
- Teenagers who stay up later?
Everyone’s lives are so different. It does not help to try to copy someone else’s morning routine and then be frustrated with yourself if you struggle to stick with it.
Your mindset and expectations affect your actions. If you feel like a failure for not waking up earlier, you will let that affect you. It will impact you the rest of the day. If you feel like you slept poorly, you will tell yourself you are exhausted. This will be how you feel the rest of the day.
Don’t expect to have a young baby and be rigid with a morning routine. Waking up early and then dozing off at the computer is not productive. It is also unproductive to spend the rest of the day cranky and impatient with your kids.
Sleep is important. Everyone differs with the amount of sleep that helps them feel their best. It can be tough to hit that number each day especially with young kids. Do your best to a prioritize sleep when you can and have a positive mindset if you get less than ideal sleep.
**TIP** Try leaving a Post-it on your fridge or mirror with a positive quote on those tougher days. “I am positive and energetic.” or “I can stay calm and be happy, even if I am tired.”
Morning Routine Checklist Step 2: Start Small and Build
A big part of morning routines is the positive impact they have on your day. It can be the perfect peaceful way to start your day. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment to get a simple routine in before the rest of the house wakes up.
If you have the wrong mindset, you won’t want to start a morning routine at all. Having a long checklist of to-dos that don’t actually have a positive impact on your day is NOT productive. It defeats the entire purpose of a morning routine.
Start with 2 things you would like to do before everyone else wakes up. Do that until it becomes a habit. It can be as simple as making your bed and drinking 2 glasses of water. Do that for a week or 2, and then habit stack on top of that.
Practice a problem-solving mindset. Focus on small, gradual changes. Instead of thinking, “I can’t get up early enough to do this.” or “I just don’t have time.” There’s always something that you can figure out.
- Is it tough to figure out how you will wake up early enough to get in a 30 minute workout? Start with 10 or even 5 minutes! This will add up to 25 minutes/week just doing it on weekdays. Even if you don’t end up doing any other exercise the rest of the day, you’ve at least got some movement for a few minutes.
- Really want to start reading the bible or journal, but feel like you don’t have time? Try listening to the bible in a year while doing your 5-minute exercises. Or read 1 bible verse every morning.
Morning Routine Checklist Step 3: Plan ahead
A big part of a morning routine is feeling prepared for the day and not rushing around finding everything last minute.
Taking time the night before, even 10 minutes can make a big difference in how your morning goes.
Check your calendar, reminder/notes lists if you have them, and even most recent text messages. Check for any appointments, meetings, school activites.
Identify the absolute essentials that need to get done to be prepared and ready for these things to happen.
Lay as much as possible out ahead of time. Things like clothes,backpacks, winter gear, water bottles, ect.
Morning Routine Checklist Step 4: Be Prepared to Pivot and Problem Solve
Discipline is awesome. It is good to push yourself and hold yourself accountable. It isn’t productive to hold to feel like a prisoner to your morning routine checklist.
- A great tip to remember when trying to add a new habit that and is tough to fit in the morning is “replace, don’t erase.”
- If it doesn’t get done more days than you’d like, reevaluate. Can 1 of the steps be simplified? Moved to another part of the day?
It is a great idea to have a super quick 5 minute version of your morning routine ready for those mornings you choose to sleep in later.
It’s amazing how going through that planned short routine helps you feel so much more accomplished and productive the rest of the day.
Morning Routine Checklist Step 5: Customize the Sample Checklist
Here are some ideas for tasks you can include in your morning routine.
- Wake up and make bed
- 3 Gratitude
- Bathroom
- Drink 2 cups water
- Start coffee
- Stretch/pray
- Exercise-1 leg and 1 arm exercise (2 sets of 20)-ex: bodyweight squats and pushups
- Mix coffee
- Read 2 pages bible
- Read goals and 2 pages of book
- Journal/visualize goals and ideal self/life
- Blog/write
- Prep breakfast
- Hug/chat with kids
Check out this printable morning routine checklist!
Conclusion
Following a morning routine checklist as a mom can be really tough. Remember that it should be customized to the season you are in. It should also help you increase productivity and simplify your mornings. This will give you energy to make it through the day.
Let me know how it works! What other tips do you use to make your morning routine easier?
This post was all about steps for creating a realistic morning routine checklist when you are a busy working mom!
