There is something extremely refreshing about mornings when everything falls into place. Mornings can present a fresh start, they typically involve caffeine and perhaps even offer a few moments to just breathe before the busyness of the day sets in. When we get mornings right, it often makes the rest of the day run more smoothly, or at least, we feel more prepared to deal with any crisis that comes our way.
But good mornings don’t tend to happen by chance. We have the ability to make our mornings good — even excellent — by developing habits and routines to make the most of that precious time of day. Last month, we looked at practices to develop a work day shutdown ritual that allows us to close out the day before leaving the office. This month, we’ll focus on how the nightly prep work we do at home matters and can make a significant difference in making the most of our mornings.
We’ve all experienced a rough start to the day filled with frantic feelings of scurrying around, forgetting something important, running late and everything falling apart before the day has even begun. There has to be a better way, right? Yes! And it can be as simple as adding a few activities the night before.
We are professional women who stay fairly organized and on top of things, but these dreadful types of mornings can happen to the best of us. So let’s improve the process where we can and perhaps even introduce a few healthy ideas along the way.
Here are a few items to consider when planning ahead.
Vehicle
» Don’t go home on an empty gas tank. It’s so tempting. You’re exhausted and just want to get home, but you’ll regret it in the morning when it makes you late for your first appointment. (We’ve all been there.)
» Rather than walking through the door still carrying the worries of the work day, use that drive time to transition well. Decompress a little by listening to music or calling a good friend or family member, or sometimes the best thing is just to enjoy the silence for a few moments and collect your thoughts.
» When you arrive home, consider taking everything out of your vehicle, even trash or receipts that might have accumulated. Think through what you need to have with you the next morning, and either put it in the car now, or leave it near the door so you’ll see it on your way out.
Attire
» Set out your clothes for the next day, keeping in mind the weather forecast and what is on your calendar. If I’m not careful, I can waste so much time and energy each morning just on this activity alone. When my daughter was in grade school, picking an outfit for the day was such a time drain (like mother, like daughter), so I began limiting her choices by setting out three outfits and letting her pick one. Not to be outdone, one morning as a 4-year-old, she woke up early, set out three outfits and told me I could pick one. She’d already mastered the skill of narrowing down choices better than her mother!
» I heard some good advice recently about choosing a Monday “uniform” to fall back on (think: white shirt and black pants or skirt) since Monday mornings seem to be on a whole other stress level. Not only would this eliminate that decision once and for all, it could likely save you some wardrobe dollars (or you could transfer them to your shoe budget). You can even take it up a notch by setting out your fitness wear if you plan to make time for exercise. This small action might be just what you need to keep that commitment.
Nourishment
» Think about your breakfast plan and try to streamline it or prep as much as you can. Unless you’re an intermittent faster and skip that first meal all together, planning for this in advance can help you make smarter choices and save so much time. I’ve found success with egg and sausage muffins and smoothie recipes that allow for healthy protein while doing most of the work in advance. The same type of prep for easy and on-the-go lunches are helpful to grab on your way out.
» Have your coffee pot ready to go the next morning, because a little caffeine makes everything a little better. And if you’re like me and struggle to stay hydrated, consider filling a water glass, adding a lemon slice and sitting it on the counter near your coffee. While it’s brewing, you can quickly drink a room temperature, lemony, zero-calorie beverage, and just like that, you’ve had one of your eight glasses for the day.
Rest
» There is nothing on this list more important than getting good solid rest to make the next day run smoothly. We need energy and clarity to keep our plates spinning, and while sometimes a full night of sleep seems elusive, it doesn’t have to be. Plan in advance what time you’ll go to bed and stick with it. Don’t let that “next episode” feature on Netflix interfere with your weeknight sleep schedule. (I struggle with this, too!)
» Find activities that allow for winding down as you near bedtime. Get away from screens and instead consider listening to music, throwing on some hydrating eye patches, doing some calming yoga moves or reading a book. (I try to read at least 10 pages at night just for fun. It’s not much, but I’m rebuilding a habit.)
» Rather than trying to go to sleep with too much weighing on your mind, think about journaling or making a list of all the things you need to accomplish the next day. Sometimes the act of writing it down releases your mind from worrying and ruminating about it all night, disrupting your quality sleep.
And as you close your eyes at the end of a long work day, find a place for gratitude. Maybe it’s recognizing something good that happened in the course of the day, someone that made a difference or even what you’re looking forward to in the coming days. Let that be your final thought before you slip into blissful sleep.
I hope these simple suggestions may be the starting point for crafting your own evening practices to not only end the day strong, but to limit the decisions and activities you’ll have to embark upon when you’re still trying to wake up.
At the end of a long day, sometimes the master plan (or at least certain elements of it) gets thrown out the window for me, but thankfully every day presents a new chance to start over. We’re not looking for perfection, but rather progress and small wins along the way. And who couldn’t use a win first thing in the morning?
If this topic is of interest to you, be on the lookout for future articles focused on what you can do to make the most of your mornings, including for when that alarm goes off bright and early.
Tammie Davis is a division president for Cadence Bank. She formerly served as a professional trainer in the financial services industry and has extensive nonprofit leadership experience through planning, fundraising and vision casting.
