SET YOUR DAY UP FOR SUCCESS

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When it comes to your morning routine, do you start your day feeling rushed or feeling at peace?

Morning routines are the one thing I find my clients struggle with the most. Many of the women who come to me for help with time management want to immediately dive into their morning routine first.

I get it… your morning can make or break your day.

And looking back just a few years ago, when I was first starting out as a full-time entrepreneur, my morning routine was, well, a sh*t show, for lack of a better word.

Sure, if you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m the girl who wakes up at 5AM (or earlier) to get a workout in, and I’m dressed with full hair + makeup by 8AM. But, behind that “Instagram perfect” facade was a mom who had meltdowns every single morning.

While I was able to get up without hitting snooze and got a great workout in, the rest of the morning was a sh*t show. I’d sit on the garage stairs, scrolling through social media, then take my time getting in the shower (even when I was already 20 minutes behind). Then, getting the kids up, I’d still have to unpack their bags from the night before, make their lunches, and try to get them out the door on time.

I yelled at them daily and felt bitter and resentful. I blamed them for being too slow. I blamed my husband for not helping more in the morning. I felt like it just wasn’t fair that I was trying to “do it all” and ended up failing every single morning.

But, here’s the reality…

None of this was their fault. It was mine.

I wasn’t being intentional with my time to help myself make things run smoothly in the morning. But, there ARE things you can do to make your morning routine feel a little easier on yourself and the kids.

ONE || GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME IN THE MORNING

Let’s reverse engineer your morning. What time do you need to be out the door or sitting down to work? If your schedule is a bit more flexible, what time do you WANT to be done with your morning routine and start your work day or your day with the kids?

Now, I want you to list the things you’d like to accomplish in the morning and write down about how much time it will take you. For example, if you want to work out in the morning, how much time do you need? Do you need time to shower? How much time will it take you to make breakfast and get the kids ready?

If you’re saying, “But Kristen, I have no clue!” It’s probably time for you to do a time audit.

Now that you know how much time you need in the morning, what time do you need to wake up? If you’re seeing a number that feels a little too early for you, you might need to rethink when you want to fit certain things into your day.

TWO || PREPARE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AHEAD OF TIME

You’ve probably heard this before but even I have struggled with this. I HATE making lunches for the kids, even though it only takes about 5 minutes. So, I’d put it off and just say I’d do it in the morning - but I never had time to do it in the morning either - or I’d forget that I still needed to make their lunches and be rushing to make them before the bus showed up.

Last year, I added making lunches into my after-dinner routine and I NEVER had to worry about forgetting in the morning or being rushed because I still needed to do it. That one little change of doing it the night before helped make my morning just a little easier.

What things could you do the night before or ahead of time? Make lunches, get clothes out, pack backpacks, make breakfasts, etc.

THREE || LET’S TALK ABOUT HITTING SNOOZE

This is the biggest struggle for many of the business owners I work with when it comes to their morning routine. They struggle to get out of bed in the morning or just keep hitting snooze.

Unfortunately, stopping hitting snooze will take a little bit of internal motivation for you to change that habit. Because that’s what it is - a learned habit and one that’s hard to break.

But, it CAN be changed.

Now, you know what time you need to wake up in the morning. And if you don’t wake up at that time, what will happen? What will you miss out on doing in the morning if you hit snooze just one time? What feelings come up when you think about that? Does it make you feel anxious? Stressed?

What things WILL motivate you to wake up when your alarm goes off and not hit snooze? Do you need an external incentive, like getting alone time or drinking coffee in the morning? Do you need someone to keep you accountable, like a friend or your spouse?

Because hitting snooze comes down to YOU making a commitment to yourself to get out of bed when you say you will. Otherwise, you’re going to miss out on that “perfect” morning and end up starting your day feeling rushed and like a terrible mom (and we all know you are NOT a terrible mom).

Before we wrap up, you need to know this vital thing about your morning routine:

You do NOT have to be a morning person or wake up at 5AM to have a productive morning routine. 

My husband is a night owl and will stay up until midnight working. He gets up at 7:30, gets dressed, and leaves for work. My morning routine involves waking up at 5AM, working out, showering, and getting the kids ready for the day. I NEED more time in my morning, but I’m not staying up until midnight like he is.

If you’re a night person, you might want to rethink your morning routine. It could be as simple as getting up when the kids get up and getting them out the door - and your productive work takes place after they go to bed at night. It’s totally up to YOU - there is no one size fits all morning routine.

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