Morning Routine For Moms: 5 Ways to Be More Productive

If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly juggling multiple things at once and your brain is always steps ahead at any given moment. 

It can seem impossible to get caught up with everything (work, chores, parenting, self-care, and even basic hygiene). 

I’ve created this morning routine for moms that can’t remember the last time they’ve washed their hair, find that the one-room-a-day cleaning approach isn’t cutting it, can’t seem to find time to work out daily, or just want to be able to start most days ahead. 

This morning routine for moms will help you create your own customized morning routine or revamp your current morning routine so that you can start the day off right. 

Night prep

The secret to creating a successful morning routine, especially if you’re not a morning person, is to do night prep each night. 

Before I go more into what exactly it is that I’m considering to be night prep, I just want to clarify that these things don’t have to be done at night. For example, if you’re a stay-at-home mom or work-at-home mom, these things can be prepped at any time of the day (or throughout the entire day) – they just need to be completed before you shut down for the night. 

Busy Moms Night Prep Checklist

• Decide on the next day’s outfit: Decide on your outfit and the kid’s clothes the night before. This one night prep checklist item saves so much time in the morning. For example, I have the boys show me their full outfits (including shoes) while I’m cooking dinner each evening. 
• Make sure everything is packed: Kids are notorious for forgetting things. Therefore, before dinner each evening I have the boys make sure they have everything in their backpacks needed for that next day. Plus, they have a dedicated area in our home learning center where they hang them for organization purposes. Also, I lay out their breakfast snacks and school snacks before I go up for the night. 
• Tidy the kitchen: Whether it’s the kids, you, or your partner, someone needs to clean the kitchen. In my house, it’s done immediately after dinner. The table/chairs are wiped down, the counters are wiped down, the sink cleaned, and dishes washed/dishwasher started. The kitchen is one of the first places visited in the morning and walking into a dirty kitchen in the morning can ruin your whole mood for the day. 
• Check the washer: Save yourself a few coins AND live a more sustainable life by not having to rewash the same load of clothes more than once. I get it, laundry is also not one of my favorite chores – it doesn’t even make the top 5 lol – but it has to be done. I’m not saying you have to put away the laundry from the dryer immediately, but don’t leave clothes sitting in the washer overnight. 
• Shower at night: Showering is one of the last things that we do before bed. This saves time for the kids in the morning (plus allows them to sleep in) AND makes it so my mornings can be more productive. 
• Make sure your purse and/or diaper bag are packed: If you’re a mom of multiple kids one of the best things you can do each night is to make sure that your purse and/or diaper bag are packed – yes, even if you don’t have any planned appointments or outings. You never know when another kid may get sick at school and need to be picked up or you need to run a last-minute errand. Oh, and let’s not forget, we’re human so it’s possible you forgot to put an appointment on the calendar or missed the reminder notification. Having your purse and/or diaper bag packed makes it so you can get out of the house as quickly as possible in the event of an emergency. Besides, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. 
• Lay out dinner: To avoid having to throw something together last minute or order out, take something out of the deep freezer before going to bed so it can be unthawed by the time you’re ready to cook it. You won’t have to do this every night (depending on how much you cook), but when there aren’t leftovers this is a super important step of night prep). 

Get up at least 1-2 hours before your kids

Everyone’s schedule is different and you may have teens instead of younger kids, which makes everyone’s ideal wakeup time unique. 

If you have older kids, you won’t need to make it a habit of getting up before them (unless you want to), so this section of the morning routine for moms is geared towards moms with younger children. 

For me, I like to be up at least 2 hours before my daughter so I can have at least 1 hour to spend on work tasks and have enough time to get myself together. 

I’m not saying you have to do this every day, but on weekdays (especially days where you have appointments or other obligations) being up before your kids (even if only 1 hour earlier) will make a big difference to how productive you are during the day. 

Having some time to yourself before greeting the kids will help you feel more prepared to tackle the day ahead. It’s also a great way to fit a home workout into your daily routine.

 Plus, after the first week or two, you’ll find it easier to get up earlier in the morning (for those not morning people) and will find yourself starting most days ahead. 

Eat or drink something healthy

One of the most important aspects of a morning routine for moms is to make sure that you’re ingesting something healthy in the morning. 

Understandably, not everyone likes to eat breakfast every day, so it could be something as simple as a granola bar or smoothie. 

For me, my quick healthy breakfast(ish) ideas include:

• Kiwi, Strawberry, and Coconut Water Smoothie (you can simply pop fresh or frozen fruits in your blender with coconut water)
• Boiled eggs (I typically make these the night before while cooking dinner)
• Jimmy deans spinach and egg sandwiches
• Granola bar
• Frozen smoothie pouch (after doing hygiene I’ll take it out of the freezer and it’s typically ready by the time Ellie’s ready for breakfast)

For the kids, make sure to check out my Quick Kids Breakfast Ideas. 

Check your calendar

This one is pretty basic, but it’s so important to do each morning. 

Yes, we get notifications, etc, but checking the calendar each morning allows you to focus on exactly what you have to do each day. 

For example, maybe you were tired the night before and had it in your mind that you had a meeting at 3 pm only in the morning to find out that it was at 2 pm. Imagine, how your day could take a turn for the worst if you noticed 15 minutes before your meeting was scheduled to start. Alternatively, if you’re using a family calendar, it’s easy to become blind to the notifications, so a morning check-in allows you to know if anything has been added or removed so you can adjust accordingly. 

Update the chore list

If you’re the only one doing chores (whether by choice or not) it’s time to implement a chore list now. If you don’t take anything else from this morning routine for moms definitely do this one.

As a mom of four kids, I’ve learned that to keep a clean house with multiple kids and a dog I can’t be the only one doing chores, or I won’t like the end result. 

Each morning I update our fridge chore list with things that need to be done before the end of the day. For example, filling up Hoss’s food container, cleaning the bathroom, doing laundry, etc. No one is assigned a specific chore just whenever it’s done it’s crossed off AND everything must be done before bed. 

This way chores are done throughout the day and nothing gets overlooked AND I don’t fall into the trap of cleaning one room a day and feeling like nothing is getting accomplished. 

Read Also: Stay at home mom cleaning schedule

Morning Routine for Moms: 5 Steps to Start Most Days Ahead

This morning routine for moms can help you feel more productive, less stressed, and more prepared for whatever the day throws your way, and is the best morning routine for working moms who want to get things done. 

It’s simple enough to customize to whatever works best for you and your family. 

If you don’t have a morning routine yet, today is the day to start!

Share some morning routine tips that you’ve implemented that help you start most days ahead.