The Perfect Morning Routine for Working Moms in 9 Easy Steps

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As a working mom, you know that mornings can be hectic. From getting the kids ready, to dealing with breakfast and packing lunches, mornings can easily leave you feeling annoyed and anxious. That is why we have created this morning routine for working moms that is easy, productive and stress-free!

And if you want to permanently say goodbye to morning chaos and ensure smoother, more productive days, grab your FREE guide on How to Plan a Stress-Free Week Without Burnout! Simplify your routine and make every day a stress-free success!

For the longest time, my mornings were insane! I never woke up on time and instead was woken up by my kids. I’d rush out of bed with my husband to get both kids ready, put together a last-minute breakfast for them, and pack their bags. We’d alternate getting ready for work (thankfully I work from home now so it’s a little easier). Because of our rushed mornings, we’d always forget something. Needless to say, we rarely had a good morning; they were usually a source of stress.

Thankfully, my husband and I sat down one day to figure out exactly what we needed to do to make our mornings run smoother. We took steps to hold each other accountable and made sure we stuck to our new morning routine. It was just what we needed to finally turn our mornings around.

The truth is working mom routines are not that difficult to create. Just follow the simple steps I outline below and you will be able to take back control of your morning, increase productivity, and leave the house feeling stress-free!

Why a Morning Routine for Working Moms is Important

A morning routine for busy moms is so important. It sets the tone for your entire day and helps you get in a better frame of mind before diving into whatever tasks are ahead. If you start your day stressed out and anxious, it will be hard to break out of that mood for the rest of the day.

It sounds simple but having a morning routine can help tremendously with time management and productivity. This is why fitness professionals and productivity gurus often advise that if you want to ensure something gets done, like a workout, do it first thing in the morning. Otherwise, as the day progresses, you may find more and more hurdles for why you can’t do it.

In addition, establishing a solid morning routine ensures that everyone has their basic needs met (i.e., fed, dressed in clean clothes, and out the door on time). You can anticipate that your family will need the same thing day after day and be adequately prepared for those routine tasks.

Overall, having a morning routine is essential to give you peace of mind, increase your productivity, and ensure that you have everything taken care of.

How to Create Your Perfect Morning Routine

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Now that you know why a morning routine is important, let’s discuss how to create one specifically tailored for working moms.

Here are the steps:

1. Set Your Priorities

A productive morning routine for working moms starts with setting your priorities. You need to figure out what is the most important thing that you need to get done that morning and focus on that. For some people, it might be getting dressed for work or for those with young kids, getting the kids ready for school. Others might want to take a little time for themselves and do some yoga or meditate.

Whatever your priority is, make sure you schedule it in first thing so that you don’t neglect yourself or anyone else’s needs for the morning.

It’s also helpful to write down your priorities in your planner. Check out this post for a list of top planners for working moms.

2. Create a list of things that need to be done each morning

Similar to setting your priorities, it’s helpful to have a morning routine checklist of things you need to do each morning. This can include anything from taking the dog for a walk, making breakfast and packing lunches, or doing some household chores. This way, you’re not trying to remember everything that needs to get done and wind up forgetting to do something crucial.

For me, I like to get some quick chores done and out of the way. Every morning, I make my bed, unload the dishwasher, and put in a load of laundry. 3 less things I have to worry about during the day! I even incorporated it into my own cleaning schedule and I just check off these items when I’m done.

For some help getting organized and creating a cleaning schedule and checklist that is perfect for your needs, download an editable printable cleaning schedule here.

Creating a list will also help you delegate some items to your spouse or other family member to take the load off you. For example, I always get my 14 month old fed and ready, while my preschooler brushes her teeth and dresses herself and my husband makes coffee and breakfast for everyone.

If you have older kids, even better! They can dress themselves, walk the dog, and double-check their bags for anything that might be missing.

3. Determine what time you should wake up

Believe it or not, what time you wake up determines how much you can accomplish that morning. For example, if you wake up an hour before your kids do, that is an extra hour you now have to squeeze in a quick workout, prepare breakfast, or take a shower and get ready. Without that extra time, you might be scrambling to do any of those things or not do them at all!

When choosing your wake-up time, make sure you give yourself enough time to get ready before leaving for work. Even if you work from home like me, it’s a good idea to get dressed anyway (even if it’s casual attire) to signal to yourself the beginning of the work day and get your mind into work mode.

4. Arrange your morning routine to ensure you have time for everything on your list

Now that you’ve created your list with everything that needs to get done, take a look at how you can arrange your morning to-do list to make time to accomplish everything.

Be realistic about what you can fit in to your morning routine. Including a morning workout in your day is an excellent way to destress and maintain or improve fitness levels even with a jam-packed schedule. But if that’s not something you can squeeze into your existing morning schedule, you might have to wake up earlier to fit it in or figure out another time of day that would work better for you. And remember, the dirty dishes from breakfast can wait!

Start by waking up earlier than you need to and work your way down the list until everything is completed. This is the best way to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks and that you’re not rushed in the morning.

5. Decide what can be prepared the night before

Another way to save time in the morning is by preparing some things a day ahead or the night before so that you can just grab and go. You can include these items into your evening routine:

• packing the kids’ school bags, diaper bags, and your work bags
• preparing lunch bags for school or work
• prepping breakfast even if it’s something simple, such as a granola bar, yogurt parfait, or egg muffins. (Check out the delicious egg muffin recipe I make every week for my family.)

You can also take a shower and plan next day’s outfit at night before bed which I found can save a lot of time in the morning. I even have my 4 year old pick out her school outfit the night before and place it on her dresser so she can get herself dressed the next morning.

6. Keep breakfast easy and quick

If morning time is tight, make sure you have some simple healthy breakfast options prepared for those morning rush hours. Hectic mornings are not the time to make a frittata.

Some of our favorite go-to morning meals are:

• oatmeal or overnight oats (which can be made ahead)
• egg muffins
• healthy smoothies
• pancakes/waffles (which can also be made ahead) with fresh fruit
• yogurt parfaits
• breakfast cereal

7. Set a firm time everyone has to leave the house

It’s a good idea to choose a time at least 15 minutes before your family actually has to leave the house and set an alarm if you can to signal that it’s almost time to go. This will give everyone plenty of time to gather their belongings, start the car, and run to the bathroom so that you can get to your destination early or at least on time.

8. Keep mornings fun but avoid distractions like social media and screen time

You’ll be more productive if you start your morning routine off on the right foot and resist the urge to procrastinate by scrolling through Instagram or Twitter for just a few minutes.

This should also go for your kids. It’s difficult to motivate your kids to speed things up and get ready when they’re busy watching TV or the iPad.

However, just because morning time is limited doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! Not all kids are morning people (I’m certainly not a morning person), but there are some things you can do to make the morning rush a little more enjoyable for them.

Try turning on their favorite music while they’re getting ready, reading them a story while they eat breakfast, or letting them choose what they want to wear that day.

9. Be consistent but flexible

The most important part of a routine is consistency. You have to do it for a bit of time before your routine actually sticks. Studies show that it takes an average of “66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.” So keep at it, the more you practice your new routine, the easier and more efficient you will become at it.

And remember, morning routines can always be tweaked and adjusted to fit your specific needs. So don’t get discouraged if things don’t go perfectly the first few times.

Morning routines for working moms don’t have to be hard, but it does take some effort to get started. With a little bit of trial and error, you’ll be on your way to morning success.

Sample Working Mom Morning Routine

Now that you know how to create your morning routine, let’s take a look at an example of what a morning daily routine for working moms might look like. You can download the free Daily Routine Tracker to create your own!

This is just one suggestion and feel free to tailor it to fit your specific needs:

[Night before: Prepare and pack kids’ lunch boxes and school bags. Shower before bed.]

• Wake up at least 1 hour before your kids wake up
• Get dressed even if you’re a work from home mom
• Walk the dog
• Make a quick and easy breakfast for your family members without waking them up
• Get kids dressed and ready
• Enjoy breakfast together
• Double-check everyone’s bags and head out for school drop-off and work

If you work from home, it’s a good idea to drop off kids to school a little early if possible. This way you have some extra quiet time to yourself to drink a cup of coffee, decompress, or go for a walk before you have to start work for the day and have to jump into morning meetings.

Final thoughts

An effective morning routine for working moms is essential to having a productive, stress-free day. By setting your top priorities, creating a list of morning tasks, and arranging your morning schedule accordingly, you can ensure that everything gets done without feeling overwhelmed.

Ready to streamline your mornings and your whole week? Download our FREE guide How to Plan a Stress-Free Week Without Burnout so that you can have your most efficient, most productive week yet!

Hi I’m Yesenia,

a working mom of two kids. I’ve experienced all of the beautiful and crazy moments of early parenthood: breastfeeding, picky eaters, toilet training, balancing work with kids, and the list continues!

I created Hard Knock Mama to help working moms navigate through their child’s early years and find a successful balance in their home, work, and life.

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