How to Make Mornings Less Hectic

The alarm goes off and suddenly you feel as if the entire day is passing you by! The kids have to get to school, you have to get to the big meeting, your parents are visiting for the weekend, you've still got to call to fix the cable bill. Whatever your mornings contain it just seems like they will never slow down! Follow a few tips to make your mornings less hectic.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Plan ahead. Let's face it, the morning is a finite amount of time in which a million things need to be accomplished. Therefore, try accomplishing things that you usually do in the morning the night before. For instance, if you always pack the kids' lunches, do that while you are making dinner. The food is already out, the cutting board is already in use, so take a few extra minutes to complete their lunches. It may take you 5 more minutes the night before, but it will save you at least 10 precious minutes in the morning. The same goes for things like making coffee. Buy an automatic coffee maker. Then, the night before while you're watching TV, set the coffee machine during a commercial break. There's another five minutes. Think about what you need to accomplish in the morning and see what can be done the night before.

2. Make a schedule. This is another great idea to make your mornings less hectic. Now it may seem a tad uptight, but if you have a bunch of people who need the shower, setting up the schedule beforehand will prevent bickering, complaining and other time-wasting. If there are tasks in the morning that only one person can complete at a time, schedule them beforehand so everyone knows exactly what they're supposed to be doing and when.

3. Wake up earlier. It seems awful, it seems terrible, but truthfully, it may be one of your biggest assets in making your mornings less hectic. It doesn't have to that much earlier, maybe just 15 minutes. But if your mornings are just jammed packed, then you may just need a little more time. To make up the difference, consider going to bed a little earlier. Also, if you are usually the first riser in the family, the overall peaceful nature of the house will not only be calming, but it will allow you to get more done.

4. Share tasks. If you always take the kids to school, see if you can start a carpooling program with the parents of your kids' friends. This may save you a good half-hour a couple of times a week.

5. Eliminate stops. Sometimes in life we fall into habitual routines that make our lives even more hectic than they need to be. For instance, the coffee shop stop. A few years ago, many people left the house and went right to work. But today, people crave their morning coffee shop at the expense of an additional 20 minutes while they park, go inside, wait in line and then wait for their triple nonfat soy latte. If you truly enjoy the drink, then by all means, continue. But if you have created a routine that makes your morning even more hectic, ask yourself if you really need to stop for that extra cup of coffee or that jelly donut.