Do you want to be a morning person, someone who is up and raring to go, but in reality stagger about for the first hour every day? Me too! By nature, I am a night owl, and in an ideal world would go to sleep after midnight and rise between 9-10am, then a leisurely hour or so to wake up properly. But with small people in the mix this is no longer an option, of course. Not that ours are particularly early risers; any time from 7.30am to 9am being the norm, but it's early enough for me!
I have few pieces of wisdom to hand out but, if you have yet to marry/find a partner and procreate, my advice is to marry your opposite. If you are a night owl, find a happy in the morning lark, or vice versa. That way you have all the bases covered in terms of time, with the owl up to the early hours with teething babies and toilet-learning toddlers, and the lark fresh as a daisy every morning, ready to rock and roll. If this isn't an option, and you want to re-train yourself to be more morning-y, read on...
There are a few things that have made my transition from owl to semi-lark a little more bearable. I hope they help any other recalcitrant owls out there too!
1. Get some 'me time'
If you can bear it, wake up before everyone else and spend some time meditating, reading, walking in the garden or just gazing out the window. Ten minutes of silence can be just the thing to kick start a good day.
2. Breathe
Take some time to breathe deeply, preferably outside, to do some stretches and even a few yoga poses, the perfect start to the day.
3. Establish a morning routine
Make a check list of everything you need to do in the morning, from checking your business e-mail or social media to packing lunches up, and put it somewhere prominent, that way you don't have to remember too much too early!
4. Make a plan
You know I'm all about the lists. Before you go to bed every night, have a plan and to do list for the next day set. Your top 3 things to do for the next day should be listed, along with the 'nice to dos', any appointments or commitments, any specific housework tasks, and anything else you need to remember.
5. Set up a morning station
Have a dedicated area in your hall or kitchen where everything for the day lives, such as backpacks; book bags; hats, scarves and gloves in winter, sun hats in summer; shoes; keys, phones; handbag etc. Train yourself and everyone else to place their belongings in the right place, and make sure everything is there ready the night before to make frantic morning searches a thing of the past.
6. Shine your sink
Make a commitment to do the washing up, wipe down your kitchen surfaces, and shine the sink the night before. That way you have a kitchen ready to go the next day. If you're super keen, set the breakfast table the night before, including butter, jam etc.
7. Check your hotspots
Hotspots are those irritating spaces which just seem to accumulate clutter. Piles of paperwork on the kitchen counter, a collection of random toys on a chair, assorted odds and ends on the hall stand. Take ten minutes to clear the hotspots, and remember the golden rule of never leaving a room empty-handed, there's always something you can put away.
8. Sort your laundry
Sort one load of laundry every evening and have it in the machine ready to go the next day, or run it overnight if your washing machine is quiet enough. Gets you a head start on the chores, and saves one job for later on.
9. Prep lunches
Packed lunches are the bane of many parents lives, but try setting them up (without sandwiches) just before or after dinner time the night before. Saves having to grab all the other bits in the morning, and all you have to do is make some sandwiches.
Pin it:
I have few pieces of wisdom to hand out but, if you have yet to marry/find a partner and procreate, my advice is to marry your opposite. If you are a night owl, find a happy in the morning lark, or vice versa. That way you have all the bases covered in terms of time, with the owl up to the early hours with teething babies and toilet-learning toddlers, and the lark fresh as a daisy every morning, ready to rock and roll. If this isn't an option, and you want to re-train yourself to be more morning-y, read on...
There are a few things that have made my transition from owl to semi-lark a little more bearable. I hope they help any other recalcitrant owls out there too!
1. Get some 'me time'
If you can bear it, wake up before everyone else and spend some time meditating, reading, walking in the garden or just gazing out the window. Ten minutes of silence can be just the thing to kick start a good day.
2. Breathe
Take some time to breathe deeply, preferably outside, to do some stretches and even a few yoga poses, the perfect start to the day.
3. Establish a morning routine
Make a check list of everything you need to do in the morning, from checking your business e-mail or social media to packing lunches up, and put it somewhere prominent, that way you don't have to remember too much too early!
4. Make a plan
You know I'm all about the lists. Before you go to bed every night, have a plan and to do list for the next day set. Your top 3 things to do for the next day should be listed, along with the 'nice to dos', any appointments or commitments, any specific housework tasks, and anything else you need to remember.
5. Set up a morning station
Have a dedicated area in your hall or kitchen where everything for the day lives, such as backpacks; book bags; hats, scarves and gloves in winter, sun hats in summer; shoes; keys, phones; handbag etc. Train yourself and everyone else to place their belongings in the right place, and make sure everything is there ready the night before to make frantic morning searches a thing of the past.
6. Shine your sink
Make a commitment to do the washing up, wipe down your kitchen surfaces, and shine the sink the night before. That way you have a kitchen ready to go the next day. If you're super keen, set the breakfast table the night before, including butter, jam etc.
Hotspots are those irritating spaces which just seem to accumulate clutter. Piles of paperwork on the kitchen counter, a collection of random toys on a chair, assorted odds and ends on the hall stand. Take ten minutes to clear the hotspots, and remember the golden rule of never leaving a room empty-handed, there's always something you can put away.
8. Sort your laundry
Sort one load of laundry every evening and have it in the machine ready to go the next day, or run it overnight if your washing machine is quiet enough. Gets you a head start on the chores, and saves one job for later on.
9. Prep lunches
Packed lunches are the bane of many parents lives, but try setting them up (without sandwiches) just before or after dinner time the night before. Saves having to grab all the other bits in the morning, and all you have to do is make some sandwiches.
Pin it: