Alarm clock on a night stand

The early bird gets the worm, so they say. But who wants a worm, anyway? A slimy ground dweller is the last thing you want to deal with first thing, especially if the baby kept you up half the night and you have an important interview this afternoon.

You know what I want in the morning? Fifteen minutes of silence with a big, steamy mug of coffee. My favorite mug with the big-looped handle that fits just right in my hand, filled with just the right amount of cream and piping-hot coffee brewed from fresh-ground coffee beans. No interruptions, no messes, no requests. Just a few minutes of peace and quiet.

Yes, I’ve been that person who arrived late to work with spit-up on my blouse and a can of Coke instead of coffee because I didn’t have time to brew it or stop through the Starbucks drive-thru. On a regular basis.

I’ve been that mom chasing the school bus because we couldn’t find any matching shoes.

I’ve been that person caught in traffic, hungry for breakfast and late for an important meeting because I couldn’t get out the door on time.

But what if I told you that chaotic mornings could be the rare exception?

Last month, we talked about how important it is to have a morning routine. Today, I’m going to share with you another secret to having a good morning: planning and prepping the night before. Fifteen to thirty minutes in the evening of being kind to your tomorrow-morning self can save you a whole morning of chaos.

How are you doing with your morning routine habits?

I hope you’ve refined them and made them work for you. Now it’s time to write down your evening routine. It may take some tweaking, but in no time at all, you’ll be handling your mornings like a boss. (Or at least not crying over spilled coffee.)

Here are some items I suggest you include on your list:

Laundry

If you’ve started the habit of starting a load of laundry every morning, you’ll want to pull the clothes out of the dryer and fold them in the evening so you can have empty machines in the morning. (And clean clothes to wear!)

Clothes for tomorrow

Speaking of having clothes to wear, think ahead about what you want to wear the next day and lay it out. If you exercise in the mornings, it’s a good idea to lay those out too. It’s a lot easier to get motivated to go to the gym if you know where your tennis shoes are.

Dishwasher

Load the dishwasher and start it. That way, you’ll have lots of clean dishes for the morning. (And a dishwasher to unload, if you have that on your morning routine.)

Lunches

While you’re cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, figure out what everyone is having for lunch the next day and pack it. Leftovers make great lunches! If your kids are old enough, supervise them packing their own lunches; they’re more likely to eat them if they have a vested interest. That way, all you have to do is grab them and go in the morning.

Breakfast

Whether you like to grab a cup of coffee and a granola bar or you’re a bacon and eggs kind of family, have a plan in mind and make sure you have the ingredients on hand. And for that fickle toddler who loved bananas yesterday but loathes them like creamed spinach today—maybe even have a backup plan.

Your one-stop drop

Locate everything you need to take in the morning—bags, backpacks, homework, car keys, sports equipment, piano books—whatever you want to walk out the door with, and stash it in one handy place near the door. There’s nothing worse than looking for that one item while everyone else is busy losing everything else and getting their clean clothes dirty. Save yourself some sanity and gather it all up the night before.

Time for you

An ideal evening routine entails more than just teeth brushing and face washing. Think of something restorative and add it to your evening routine. It can be anything from a facial or a bubble bath to finally having some time to sink into that novel you’ve been wanting to read.

Giveaway Time!*

Once you have your morning and evening routines perfected, a new planner is a great place to write them down. Ruth Chou Simons has created a beautiful planner for 2020. It’s called Gracelaced 2020 12-Month Planner, and we have a few of these to give away to our readers!

One Grand Prize Winner will receive three books by talented author and artist Ruth Chou Simons.

Gracelaced 2020 12-Month Planner

GraceLaced Seasons

Gracelaced Journal

Leave a comment below to be entered to win. What are you putting on your evening routine list to make the school year easier?

*Giveaway for US residents only.


 

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