How to Have Stress-Free Mornings

For many people, mornings are the worst time of the day. Time seems to be short and stress levels rise as they try to get themselves, and often their families, ready for the day. I know for us it has taken an effort to get organized to have our mornings run smoothly.  Here are 5 helpful tips we have come up with to have stress-free mornings.

Plan Your Time

  1. Allow enough time: work out how long it takes you, on average, to get ready in the mornings. Add 20% more time to allow for unforeseen circumstances. Now subtract this time from when you need to leave the house. This is the time you need to set your alarm. If you have trouble waking up when the alarm first goes off, set it an extra 5 minutes earlier. If you are a die-hard snoozer, put a loud alarm across the room from your bed (I did this for 6 months before I broke the snooze habit). 

When you know you have sufficient time to get everything done in the  mornings, your stress levels are automatically reduced. By allowing 20% extra time, you will be able to handle any emergency that comes up, without stressing, knowing that you have allowed for any eventuality.

Be Organized

  1. Be prepared: there will be some things that you can do the night before or even on weekends, to reduce your workload in the mornings. Work out what you can do ahead of time and be certain to do them. Organize breakfast the night before; if you prepare lunches, do it at night; put a load of laundry into the washing machine the night before to pop into the dryer or out on the line in the morning. If clothes need pressing, have them all done before you go to bed or get another family member to do this job. Even deciding on what you are going to wear the day ahead of time helps. I always check the weather and lay my outfit out the night before.
  1. Have a to-do list: mornings are much less stressful when you have a list of all the things that need to be done. This list must be prepared the night before so your mind is already in gear when you get up – you know what you need to do first. Prioritize your list so that the most important jobs are at the top of the list. Anything that could be left till the evening or some other time, put at the bottom of the list. Work through your list in order of importance and cross jobs off as they are done. Your list is also a good place to jot down things you need to remember for the day. 

The to-do list also applies to your morning at work. Before you go home in the evening, start a list of tasks that you need to do the next day and prioritize them. When you get to work, you know exactly where to start, you waste less time and are more productive.

Create a Team

  1. Delegate: if you have other members of your household, delegate some of the jobs. Even small children can be responsible for simple tasks that can help to ease the stress of mornings. Take the time to teach the children how to do the job properly and explain the advantage of them helping out – you will be less stressed, won’t get angry, might have time for a short game, etc. You will need to follow up with kids to make sure they complete their tasks but they soon come to accept the situation. Teach your children and spouse to prepare the night before. Note: I am still trying to get my hubby to be as prepared as me. It’s a work in progress. 

Catch Your Breath

  1. Breathe: if you feel your stress levels rising, stop and take 3 slow, deep breaths. Deep breathing has the effect of slowing your heart rate and calming you down. If the kids are driving you mad, leave the room for a couple of minutes to calm down. You will be more effective and organized if you can stay calm and in control of your emotions. 

Follow these 5 tips on how to have stress-free mornings and you will be able to start the day in a calm and relaxed state of mind. You will find that you enjoy mornings more and might even have time for an extra cup of coffee!

So, what do your mornings look like? Are they hectic and caotic, or smooth and relaxed? Please share. 


Comments

How to Have Stress-Free Mornings — 9 Comments

  1. I am a chronic snoozer. I have found that the best way to get up on time is to set my alarm early enough to allow myself two ‘snooze buttons’. I’ve figured out that I just wake up best slowly. So now I hit the snooze button a couple of times and then get out of bed when I had originally meant to. Works for me quite well.

  2. Mine aren’t too bad – but I don’t have kids, which makes it easier! All of your tips are good. I try to do as much as I can the night before, so I can get up as late as possible. 🙂

  3. I’m fortunate that my job usually allows me to not have to “rush” in the morning. With that said I still wake up at 5:00 AM every morning. Some mornings are dedicated to working out while others are spent working on the blog.

    I do love your points though. We make our lunches each night for the next day. This really allows us to not have to rush around at the last minute in the morning. I hate when I always feel rushed!

  4. I try to implement #1 and #3, and look forward to being able to do #4 someday when that’s possible.

    With respect to #1 above, I think you’re right about adding 20% as a rough percentage. We should plan on the unexpected, as those things can happen any time of the day. Of course, in the morning some of of us cause this ourselves, with trying to get a few extra minutes of sleep 🙂

  5. I STILL have my alarm clock across the room. I don’t think it’ll ever move. I started the habit it high school and still need it. Otherwise I’ll wake up two hours later and see that it went off seven times…each time I hit snooze. And I don’t remember any of it.

    Looking forward to trying out some of the other tips! Thanks!

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