Keep It Simple, Sweetie: Morning Routines That Work for All of Us
As I started to write this content, two thoughts were in my head this morning in the shower. Well, maybe three.
The first was “I need to grab a new shampoo bar from my inventory downstairs.” And I did. The other two, however, are more important for all of us and for today:
First, I haven't done a Back to School or Back To College post yet and it is August; and
I need to double up on my podcast content STAT because there are three Mondays in a row - Monday is my usual recording day - that I won’t be able to record. I am teaching all day on one Monday, on the East Coast the next Monday and then it’s Labor Day!
Relatedly, what also occurred to me in the shower is that I want my content these days to be evergreen and also for ALL OF US, not just parents of school age or college age students, or teachers or professors who are on academic calendars. But ALL OF US, so conversations about morning routines work for ALL Of US!
My college student, the college senior, went back to school in July for work, so perhaps I wasn’t necessarily thinking Back to school thoughts even though it’s August, since we did the apartment shopping and packing and moving a few weeks ago. But then he came home again for a week between jobs, so we’ll do it again this week. And, son #2 comes home from Alaska soon and 5 days later moves to Wisconsin for Grad school. Our back to school time is not typical this year, compared to others but even compared to us!
When I decided to share a BTS article this week, I traveled back in time, looking through my blog archives for a Back to School article that addressed just Morning routines. And I found one from 2015! Wow, were things different then for us. 10 years ago, my sons were 10, 15 and 17. Whoa! But as I read the article from yesteryear, I was gratified to know that the content still resonates!
Let’s learn again how to craft a morning routine that works, and works FOR US by sticking with the KISS rule, keeping it simple, sweetie!
Here’s how:
First Things First, Focus on Survival.
Food, clothing, shelter, safety. Make sure all of these are taken care of, before moving on to anything else. Feed yourself, your people and your pets. Get clean, get clothed and get ready for school or for work. Regardless of when you start your day, or where it takes you, focus on survival is essential.
For the first hour or so, give or take depending on our schedule and goals, focus just on survival before anyone logs into email, looks at a screen, etc. Once those essentials are accomplished, we can move on!
2. To help with #1, try this: Tip #2, Limit Options. Decision making slows us down.
Wow, wow, wow. This one has become even more true for me and for my family in the 10 years since I first wrote this.
Did you know that your decision making capacity is finite? We start out with a bucket full to use all day, and every decision we make that day uses up what is in the bucket. It’s feasible that when we spend our decision making capacity on non-important decisions like what to have for breakfast, we don’t have as much left for important stuff later in the day.
Let’s make decisions about breakfast and lunch first:
In the article from 10 years ago, I mentioned a conversation with my teenagers that went something like this:
Me: “You have to eat breakfast before school this year. I know you don’t always manage a healthy lunch, so you’ve got to ace breakfast. What will you eat every day?”
Them: to paraphrase….”toaster waffles, we like toaster waffles. And costco pre-cooked bacon. We like that, too.”
Me: “So, if I keep toaster waffles and bacon on hand, you will eat breakfast in the morning?”
Them: “Yes.” Cool. We have a deal.
I had tried before to imagine every possibility - 5 kinds of cereal, a couple of flavors of granola bars, blah, blah, blah, and they still didn’t eat. Nope. Waffles and bacon. Done.
Fast forward to today. My college senior was home when I started writing this, and I told him I should subtitle this “My family eats a lot of eggs.” And he agreed.
Now that everyone is older and cooks their own food, the college student makes himself omelettes or eggs for breakfast when he’s home. The days my husband works from home - yep, eggs. And every Sunday or Monday, I hard boil a half dozen eggs or more, peel them and leave them in the fridge to pack for lunch on work days when I am teaching or working with clients.
My Sunday or Monday weekly Breakfast / Lunch Meal Prep includes: the hard boiled eggs I mentioned, coffee brewed and then refrigerated to to add to a protein shake before I leave the house on client and class days (30 grams of protein AND caffeine), overnight oats, and cleaned and prepped veggies and fruits. I do not get creative at 7 am on a Tuesday, because, well, why on earth do I want to spend time or decision making capacity on that?!
Just some ideas here. What would this look like for you?
Consider limiting clothing options to make decision making easier, too. If you have indecisive or spontaneous little people, together (or not!) choose 7 outfits at the beginning of the week. Put the whole ensemble on a hanger or rolled up on the dresser. And pull from just those options for school days. Too many options kill decision making.
For example, a loved one mentioned how her 2.5 year-old likes to pick out her own clothes these days. I remember that when my sons were young! And I cleared the drawers of everything I didn’t want them to wear, leaving them fewer but higher quality choices!
How does this translate to us as adults?
If you are one of my in-person clients, you likely believe that I wear the same pair of shorts and t-shirt every day when we organize. And, well, I guess I do. But I have three pairs of the same work shorts, and 10 of the same Lands End v-neck t-shirts in a variety of colors on rotation. I have more clothes, of course, and if you see me teaching or presenting or singing, you will know I can get more professional and more creative. But, again, why do I need to be creative on a weekday morning? I don’t. I will save the decision making capacity for other decisions later in the day! Does this appeal to you? Great. And I understand if it does not. It’s not an idea that works for everyone. But it can be a time saver!!
3. I liked this next question: What does your Face look like?
10 years ago, I wrote:
There was a moment a few weeks ago, mid-tirade, when my brain stopped and said “I wonder what my face looks like right now?” Since I was raving at my kids, I’m sure I was red, scowling, possibly petulant… certainly not the person I want to be, or who I want my kids to see when they look at me.
When you are running around in the morning, what does your face look like? Take time for hugs and tickles, a few deep breaths, maybe some great music and kitchen dancing, you name it. Happy is contagious.
Today, I would likely write the same. Keeping your morning simple helps the whole day go better. And being intentional with how you want your day to go, and deciding who you want to be today and making sure that person is positive and joyful. Wow. So important to your daily success!
4. The final tip is to Leave Early.
Early is on time, and on time is late. We really just never know what will happen on the way to our destination, so it’s always best to leave a little extra time.
Parents of school age children, consider that when your child leaves you, they still have 5-10 minutes of getting into school / hanging up coats / unloading backpacks, etc. to contend with, before they’re ready to learn. Your child and their teachers want you to err on the Early side of on-time, so everyone feels more in charge and less frazzled.
I wished that someone had told me this when my first son went to preschool, but they didn’t and I didn’t know to ask. So I’m sharing with you, learning from my experience.
And, how does this translate to us as adults? Leave Early applies to us, of course, too. My husband and I were discussing his drive to the train station, and how at one intersection, the same person cuts him off at the same time every day, running late late late for their next destination. If you have to break the law and endanger others every morning to get somewhere on time, perhaps it is time to consider an earlier leave time? Just saying! Adjusting everything just 5 minutes earlier on the clock to allow some breathing room can make all the difference for your morning and the rest of your day.
Trust me, Keep It Simple, Sweetie!
