5 Simple Morning Routines for Overwhelmed Moms
Take Control of Your To-Do List!
Stay-at-home moms know that being overwhelmed can be an everyday battle. If I were an artist, I would paint the image in my mind each morning as I start my day- I am on a diving board about to plunge into a giant swimming pool, except instead of water, the pool would be filled with all of the items on my to-do list.
If you are like me, your to-do list can have anywhere from 15-30 things that need to happen every day. At times, I even found myself making a list of all the lists needed for the day! My lists grew until they had complete control of me.
I discovered by limiting my expectations of the things “to-do” every day and making those “to-dos” smaller and more concrete, I felt more accomplished and in control my list.
Five-Finger Focus
Sipping coffee in the morning, wondering where to begin? Limiting yourself to a small number of things to start, and things you don’t need a list to see, you can put order in your day, feel accomplished and waste less time. I use my fingers- it helps to know I only have to remember five things and I do not have to dig out my lists.
Bring that coffee and do these five simple things! Not only will it take less than 30 minutes but it will will bring order to your day, your home, and your mental well-being. Buckle up and here we go!
1. Pray
Begin your day with a small prayer, offering your day as a gift to God. Building a relationship with God is crucial when embracing this life!
When you do this, you make your whole day a prayer. A friend of mine says “never waste a sacrifice”. I looked up the word sacrifice and it means to “Make Holy”. Consequently, when you offer your day including all of your sacrifices, you will be making them holy and giving a profound new meaning to our daily routines. This simple act can transform your entire day into a prayer. If you put this into practice, you may notice the days you forget are the days when things often spiral into chaos.
Never prayed before? Don’t worry, I can guide you! When learning a new thing we all need to start somewhere. Starting small is the best way to begin. Simple and small! Remember, God made you and loves you deeply, no matter where you are in your spiritual journey.
Wherever you are in your prayer journey, challenge yourself to focus on one new small prayer that resonates and work on doing it perfectly for the next week or so. The key to improving and growing is starting small, doing it well, and then adding on.
Tip: To get you started, I am offering my Ebook for Free -15 Simple Morning Prayers. It is filled with 15 different simple and small ways to begin your day.
2. Make your Bed
Confession time: Up until recently, I rarely made my bed. After all, why bother if you’re just going to mess it up again later? But investing five minutes in making your bed each morning can provide an instant sense of accomplishment. Consider this: Assuming 8 hours of sleep- that is one-third of your day! Shouldn’t your bed – place where your body spends one-third of each day – be a place of peace? Making your bed not only helps you feel productive but also ensures you have a tranquil space to retreat to at the end of the day.
Tip: Pair your bed-making routine with your morning prayer for a double boost of productivity!
3. Tidy your Kitchen Sink and Counters
Deal with those dishes- in whatever state it is in. My rule is to clean my sink and counters every morning. Empty your clean dishwasher, move dirty dishes into the dishwasher, put away everything on your counters, and finally, wash the counters and inside your sink. A clean sink and clutter-free counters can work wonders for creating a sense of order in your home.
One trick I’ve learned is to minimize clutter on the counters as much as possible. When you have children, of any age, the stuff seems to multiply exponentially. Everyone in your home has stuff and somehow it ends up everywhere! By limiting the things that actually “live” on your counters, you will find that when stuff lands on them, it will be easier to control. The less clutter, the easier to maintain cleanliness.
Tip: Listen to your favorite podcast or music while tackling this task to make it more enjoyable!
4. Plan Your Main Family Meal
Are you like me, constantly struggling with this? I never know what I am going to “feel like” eating 10 hours from now, or who will be home for the meal, not to mention one kid cannot have tomato, another dislikes pork, my husband loves veggies while my kids refuse to eat them. Dietary limits, likes and dislikes can make decision making the worst part!
Meal planning in the morning, when you are fresh, can be a lifesaver. Spend a few minutes making this decision in the morning and you will alleviate stress when the 5 pm “witching hour” rolls around and all of the chaos that comes with it. This will help keep your day in order.
- Know what you plan on having
- Double check that you have the right ingredients
- Write down what time you need to start preparing.
Tip: Consider the slow-cooker! I love being able to actually throw it all together in the morning and not worry so much the rest of the day. One of my favorites is chicken tacos! Throw some chicken breast meat, taco seasoning and Ro-Tel tomatoes and cook on low! Easy and always a hit!
5. Pick One Small Household Task- Only one!
Have you ever spent hours cleaning your floors to a perfect shine only to have someone spill an entire glass of orange juice all over it? Or what about a time you spent hours organizing the toys in the play area only to come back an hour later to find the toys dumped all in one big pile?
Lower the bar on expectations of cleanliness. Accept the fact that you have children and keeping a house clean with kids is like shoveling snow in a blizzard. When your kids are grown, you will have plenty of time to have the perfectly clean house that you crave.
Rather than aiming for perfection, only to pull your hair out and scream your frustrations, focus on completing one small household chore each morning. Whether it’s dusting your bedroom, cleaning the toilets, or tidying up a specific area, it should be something you can do within 10 minutes. Lowering your expectations of how clean things need to be and focusing your efforts on completing small tasks each day will allow you to feel good about what you accomplished.
Tip: Break down bigger chores into smaller tasks and assign each to a specific day. This way, you’re consistently making progress without feeling overwhelmed.
Start Small
Remember, simplicity is key. Do not let being perfect at something stop you. Recognize that you may be bad at first and be okay with it. Give your day, each day, to God. He loves you and wants you to be at peace. Start small, get good, grow.
