Have you considered a mom morning routine?

I know what you’re thinking. You haven’t slept well since you found out you were expecting your first child (that now has a few siblings) and feel like your relationship with your snooze button is at least as important as your relationship with your spouse. You know that a mom morning routine would probably help, but it almost seems impossible. Won’t you just be tired and grumpy from lack of sleep? Won’t the kids just get up with you? Can’t you just have some peace and quiet? But really, why should you bother?

You should bother because a solid morning routine is about more than journaling, drinking coffee, and completing half of your to-do list. Morning routines are about setting the tone for your entire day. Even if the kids get up with you, it can make a difference. I used to swear that my kids could smell me walk down the hallway. I’m ashamed to say I used that as an excuse to start my day feeling like a Mr. Scrooge vs. a Mary Poppins. I had on the poor pitiful me hat before I even put my feet on the floor. The worst was that I had convinced myself that was true, but it wasn’t.

My morning time success

I found that when the kids knew that the early mornings were mommy’s time they were happy to sneak in a little extra time to play and once they realized it wasn’t very exciting they started just chilling in their rooms and eventually even sleeping in. If you’re parenting an infant and the idea of a mom morning routine seems as likely as you being delivered a million dollar check for a lottery you don’t even enter, you can use reap the same benefits from an evening routine or nap time routine. A ritual time to

Are you starting your day in a way that reflects how you want to feel at the end of the day? I can’t tell you exactly what that means for you. You have to do a little self-inventory to figure out what thoughts will set you up for the days you want to have. This may mean journaling, drinking coffee, or starting a load of laundry or it could look totally different like ice water and the morning news. By choosing to fall into the day without a mindset for success (or even just peace), you are leaving your day up to chance. I like to set my intention for the day so that I can be aware when my old drama thoughts or mommy martyr tendencies are flying in and I can direct them to fly back out.

Grab a Morning Routine Fill in the Blank Form to Get You Started

What are the benefits to starting your day with a mom morning routine?

Less Rush & Stressing

Even if you really need those 42 minutes of sleep, they may not be worth the rushing you every morning. Adding in extra time to your morning routine can equate to less rushing, which in turn lowers your stress level for the morning and the rest of the day. Stress is a burden that is not only hard on our minds, but also our bodies. It will make the rest of the day easier as you are dealing with the ebb and flow of the cortisol roller coaster that started first thing in the morning.

Equilibrium

With less stress comes a sense of peace or equilibrium. Knowing you have time to get ready in the morning, make your coffee, or just think for a few minutes before starting the day will help give you back a little balance that so many of us are looking for. This has been increasingly difficult as partners, kids, and you are all trying to navigate learning and working in the same space.

Relationships

Have you ever snapped at your loving spouse over something that really wasn’t important during a morning rush? I know that I have, but I found when I made an effort to get up and create a routine to start the day that those squabbles are a lot less often. Your relationships may not improve directly from starting a morning routine, but it could be a side effect. Feeling like I have more control over my time has significantly improved my mood and actions all day long. The side effect is my house seems more chill and I find less drama and I have more bandwidth for compassion for myself and empathy for those I love. This will be a subtle change at first but will be obvious to those that you are working with daily.

Productivity

When you feel better, you do better. You may not be uber productive in the extra minutes in the morning, but you will probably find the rest of the day seems to just flow a little better. You are able to deal with little issues that crop a little easier because you didn’t start the day in survival mode. Plus, maybe in those extra 42 minutes you will start a load of laundry or empty the dishwasher. But it is perfectly fine if you don’t.

Are you sold on the wonders of a mom morning routine yet? It’s okay if you’re not. But consider trying a single daily ritual and see how it might be just the change you’ve been looking for.