Rachael L. Nevins
As the school year wears on, getting ready in the morning
can become increasingly challenging. It’s especially easy to let things slide
when mornings are dark and summer vacation is a distant, unimaginable dream. If
you find that you are dreading the start to each day, here are 10 ways to get
out the door without rushing so much — and maybe even with some enjoyment.
1. Do as much as
you can the night before
Imagine the relief of waking with some of the morning’s
work already done! Of course, evenings are busy, too, so combine preparations
for the morning with the tasks you already do at night. Pack lunches as you
make dinner, set the table for breakfast as you clear the table after dinner,
and help your children choose and lay out clothing for the next day as they get
ready for bed.
2. Make sleep a
priority
Instead of hitting the snooze button again and again
while trying to catch up on much-needed sleep in the mornings, do what it takes
to get to bed earlier. In return, you and your family’s immune systems,
metabolism, memory, and ability to learn will improve.
3. Wake up before
the kids, if possible
Giving yourself even just 10 minutes to do something for
yourself can help you respond to your children with equanimity later on. Use
the time to take a shower and get dressed. Brew some coffee. Read. Meditate. Or
write the day’s to-do list. You will find that you wake up more easily if you
begin the day by treating yourself.
4. Rely on a
routine
The predictability of a routine may be especially
comforting for small children, but don’t discount its benefits to you and your
older children. With a routine in place, you will have fewer decisions to make
and will be less likely to begin the day overwhelmed.
5. Change what
isn’t working
Tweak your routine until you find the best flow. See what
happens if you eat breakfast in your pajamas, for example, even if you’ve been
getting dressed first for years.
6. Eat a simple
sit-down breakfast together
Plenty of nutritious foods require little to no
preparation: whole wheat cereals or toast, nuts and peanut butter, hard-boiled
eggs, yogurt, cheese, and fruit. If you want a hot breakfast, try making
oatmeal from steel-cut oats overnight in a slow cooker. After a healthful
breakfast, you and your family will be more alert and able to concentrate
better throughout the day.
7. Listen to music
In fact, ban all other media. Not only can watching TV or
checking email on your phone distract you from your priorities, but listening
to the news on the TV or radio can be distressing to your children, and even to
yourself. Listening to music, on the other hand, has been shown to reduce
stress.
8. Teach the kids
to pitch in
With clear instructions and gentle guidance, even 2-year-olds
can help put things away. Preschoolers can make their own beds and clear the
table. Older children can set the table and pack their own lunches. Mornings
will go more smoothly, and your children will learn that caring for the home is
everyone’s job.
9. Don’t sweat the
small stuff
The beds are unmade, the pajamas are on the floor, and
only five minutes remain before you really must head out. Although it’s good to
be in the habit of cleaning up after yourself, it’s even better for you and
your family to be dressed, fed, and ready on time. Everything else can wait
until later.
10. It’s OK to be
late sometimes
Finally, remember that being late doesn’t mean that
you’re a bad person. There will be mornings when you sleep through your alarm,
homework goes missing, or the baby has a blow-out diaper just as you are about
to leave. Of course, chronic lateness requires some self-examination; perhaps
you should be getting up earlier or doing more the night before. Meanwhile, if
you find yourself running late, give yourself a moment to take three deep
breaths. Then, just take care of the next thing you need to do to get ready.
Rachael L. Nevins
is a freelance writer and mother of two.