As a mom sometimes I just crave a few minutes of silence. Don’t get me wrong, I love every moment with my kids but sometimes just sitting alone in a quiet room sounds so amazing. Can you relate? The problem here is sometimes even just finding a few minutes to be alone in the quiet can be a challenge. It took me some time but I did after a while find a solution that worked well for me and maybe it will work well for you also! In this post I am going to share with you why I created a morning routine and how it helps me to be successful throughout the day!
Making A Plan
Being a teacher mom means there are two types of mornings. There are school mornings and summer mornings and they are completely different but both became a lot less stressful once I set up a routine. When I talk about morning routines people automatically assume I mean waking up super early in the morning to get things done. Now this could be true but it is not really what I’m talking about here.
I created my morning routine so I had a plan for my mornings. I knew what I was doing when I got up each morning and it just made everything flow so much easier. During the school year I had everything I needed to do down and there was less stress. No one was running around screaming to get what they needed because we had a plan.
The same went for summer mornings and weekends. Being structured doesn’t mean you don’t get to relax. You might schedule in 30 minutes for drinking coffee and reading. Making this routine doesn’t mean you have to really even accomplish anything. It just sets you up so you know what you’re doing and in turn your kids will learn the routine. My kids know that when I wake up in the summer or on weekends I make coffee and drink my coffee before they can ask me for breakfast.
Getting More Accomplished
Sometimes my morning routine will be built around getting things done. Being a working mom is hard enough but running my side business and this blog takes time. It can be hard to fit it all in because the time with my family is super important and I don’t want to spend all my extra time staring at a screen. I use my school mornings to wake up earlier to get some writing in while it is quiet. During my school mornings I wake up at 5:15, make coffee, sit on our island and work. The house is quiet and usually dark and I love having that time to myself. Sometimes I even get in some yoga.
If you’re a morning person and you don’t mind getting up early then by all means schedule in that extra time in the morning. I am not telling you to wake up at like 4 am to get time for yourself. Sleep is a huge part of being healthy and we need sleep!
Staying On Track
We are a very busy family. I have 2 boys with my husband, who owns his own business. I am a teacher, in case you’re new here, and that can take up a lot of my time. My kids are also very involved in sports and activities so we are constantly on the run. Creating my morning routine was vital for me to stay on track.
Without a routine I often found I was bouncing from task to task because, well, there is just so much to do that it is easy to get off track. What I love about my routine is that it can vary from day to day depending on my needs. I treat it as a mini morning schedule and it helps set up the expectations for the morning.
I talk to my kids about my routine when I get up. This lets them know how the morning is going to go and what I need to get done. It helps them use their time wisely also and they know what to expect from me.
Starting Out
This routine did not happen overnight. It took time for everyone, myself included, to get used too. There was a lot of trial and error to find a system that would work best for us also. If I’m being honest my kids weren’t on board right away. It took them some time to figure it all out.
My kids are now 6 and 7 but we’ve been doing this, successfully, for about 2 years. I don’t want you to think well my kids are young so this will never work. It will work, you just need to put in the time to build the routine!
Starting out doing anything new can be overwhelming. I totally get it. Start small! There are no rules here. You can create a routine as fast or slow as you want. Maybe you just start with every morning you wake up and have 10 minutes to drink coffee and read. Make it family reading time where everyone has a book for 10 minutes. You get to make the rules!
Feel like you need a little more guidance here, no worries, I’ve got you covered. I put together a little guide for building a morning routine plus some printables. Click the link below and grab it! See you over there!
Did you miss August’s Recipe of the Month? I sure hope not because it’s a good one! Check it out here!
