I'm not a morning person. I'm lucky to know my
name, much less bounce out ready to face Denise
Austin's morning workout. Not this girl. So I
decided to stop fighting it, and start working with it.
As the decorators say, if you can't hide it, paint it red.
So that means that I need to take care of some things
the night before in order to start my day off in a calm,
collected way. If you're not much of a morning
person either, try these ideas, and see if they help
your morning go a little smoother too.
1. Think about Breakfast: Get a jump start on your
morning by setting the breakfast table the night
before. Borrow this idea from restaurants (and
especially if you have kids), set out bowls or plates,
silverware, and even the cold cereal, protein bars,
fruit, anything that you can for the first meal. If
you're a hot meal breakfast family, a crock-pot set up
the night before works well. In my house, we even
use paper plates and throw-away forks.just makes
clean up that much easier.
2. Think about Lunch: If you're making several
lunches -or even only one - put each person's
preferred lunch food into their own personalized
small plastic basket in the refrigerator things like
juice, soda, fruit, chicken nuggets and veggies
(already divided into individual baggies), or anything
prepackaged. I even stash the Peanut Butter and
Bread right in the same section, so I don't have to
hunt for it to make a sandwich. Other things like
chips or cookies (again either prepackaged or already
divided into individual baggies) are set up on the
kitchen counter next to each person's lunchbox.
Packing it up is a snap.
3. Think about Dinner: If you're the cook, plan the
night before what will be for dinner the next day.
Collect all ingredients, place them in one spot on the
kitchen cabinet, or in a special part of the refrigerator.
If you're going out, picking up, or ordering out, make
that a Family Decision the night before. No "what's
for supper" surprises.
4. Think about Wardrobe: Now I am the type who
dresses according to how I feel when I get
up.dressy, funky, comfortable. So each night, I
make sure I put together 2 or 3 outfits, and hang them
out on the front of the closet. (Tip: Never have
anything hanging in your Main Closet that needs
cleaning, needs repair, or doesn't fit). That way, I
still have a choice, but don't have to destroy my
closet - and my sanity - trying to find something to
wear each day. This works for kids, and husbands,
too. Some people don't mind deciding the night
before, so you might just have one outfit ready, but if
you're a little on the kooky side like me, give yourself
some breathing room.
5. Think about Leaving: The house, that is. Similar
to what you have set up for each person in the house
for lunch fixings, also have baskets located
strategically for going out the door. These baskets
should hold ONLY stuff that you need for the next
day keys, school stuff, dry cleaning, errands lists,
cell phone, store returns, etc. Anything that is going
out the door the next morning should be in that
person's basket before they go to bed. (TIP: The
"basket" might be backpacks for the kids and might
hang on the back of kitchen chairs.). No last minute
searches for the video to return, or writing a note to
the teacher. It's all ready and waiting for you to just
pick up and GO.
Now Think about all that EXTRA SLEEP you'll
get!
Don't try to do it all at once. Implement one step at a
time. After you get this system in place, all 5 steps
should take you less than 15 minutes in the evening -
and save you loads of time in the morning. And you'll
go to sleep knowing that your morning is going to be
calm, pleasant, and organized.
About the Author
Kathy Gates, Professional Life Coach, believes that
"Life Rewards Action". She can help you create
goals, overcome procrastination, organize your time
and money, find your true passion, and learn to love
the real you. Visit www.reallifecoach.com, email
Kathy@reallifecoach.com, or call 480.998.5843