Looking to make your mornings not so busy? Well, one of the best ways to improve your mornings is to improve your evenings. The things you do before bedtime can positively affect your morning mood and decrease the stress that often comes at the start of each day. Today I am sharing 5 tasks to do before bedtime to prepare for the next day!
(This post contains affiliate links, so thenotsobusymom receives a very small commission if you make a purchase through the links. Thank you for supporting the blog!)
1. Do a quick pick-up of common areas.
Take 10-15 minutes to clear counters, load and run the dishwasher, put away toys, straighten couch pillows and blankets and return stray items to their rightful homes. This task can take even less time (or you could accomplish even more in the same amount of time) if you invite all family members to participate. Waking to tidy spaces is a pleasant way to start the day.
2. Choose your clothes for the next day.
Taking just a few minutes to browse your closet for the next’s days outfit is a super simple way to save time and stress in the morning. Children should also pick the next day’s clothes (or you choose for younger children). You’ll see just how much you enjoy having clothes ready for your whole family the evening before; it’s so nice to have those decisions made ahead of time.
3. Pack your lunch(es).
This can be a task that seems simple enough to do in the morning, but it’s even more simple to complete the night before. If you work outside the home and need to bring a lunch, pack it before cleaning up the kitchen. If your children bring lunches, pack for them or (if they are older) let them put together a lunch before heading to bed. It’s one of those tasks you might dread, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how quickly you can complete it when focused.
4. Create your to-do list.
Now that the day is done, you can take a few minutes to consider the next day ahead of you. Look at your calendar, glance at the current day’s to-dos (what did you accomplish and what still needs to be done?), and jot a quick list for the next day. It’s good to write it down and head to bed with a clearer mind.
5. Gather items by the door.
Purses, shoes, backpacks, jackets, library books, projects, band instruments, sport equipment, etc. should all be gathered near the door. Instead of running around in the morning yelling, “Grab your shoes!”, “Where are the library books?”, or “Have you seen my purse?”, gather all those items the prior evening, and save yourself the hassle of last minutes scrambles.
Can these tasks be completed each morning? Sure! And there are certainly mornings when I do 1 or all of these things, but let me tell you that those mornings are CRAZY!! If I can complete these 5 tasks each night then my mornings usually run smoothly, and my mood is quite pleasant. Things go well, I feel good, and those feelings are contagious and spread to my children. I encourage you to make your mornings not so busy by completing these 5 tasks (or even just 1) each evening. I think you’ll notice some welcome changes to your everyday mornings.
What about you? What do you do to prepare for the next day?
Until next time,
Charissa
So good to have a system. LOVE this.
Thank you, Lori!
Quick, LOL! My kids each have an area to pick up each day and it usually takes an hour of nagging and an hour of working on the ten minute job if it gets done at all. And I am sure not doing it for them or they will NEVER do it.
Hi Crytal, having them learn to the do the tasks themselves is important, but yes, sometimes it takes longer than we imagined. The older my kids get, the faster the tasks are completed!
Now that we are homeschooling and don’t have to be out at 6:30 every morning, we’ve slacked. These are great tips and definitely made our mornings a little calmer for years. For the lunches, anything that had to be refrigerated stayed in the fridge in easy to grab individual piles by family member. Lunch bags packed with forks, napkins, and snacks would be on the counter, ready to go and lunch for 4 took 30 seconds to a minute instead of 5-10 minutes.
Hi, Mara, I like your lunch packing strategy!
All systems go!
🙂
We do these things in my home as well and they help SO MUCH!!!! The mornings are crazy around here and doing anything to help simplify life is awesome!
Hi, Jessica, yes, sometimes it’s easy to say, “Oh, we’ll just do that in the morning”, but really, taking care of it the night before makes for smoother mornings!
I’m totally going to incorporate #5. For myself, I always get my pumping bag set up and ready to walk out the door the next morning for work.
Hi, Ashley, yes, gathering everything the night before for everyone in the fam makes for far less craziness in the morning!
This sounds absolutely lovely! I need to try to do more of this!
Hi Rachel, even doing 1 of the 5 makes a noticeable difference in the morning!
These are great ideas. I have had good intentions of doing several of these, but I tend to just flop on the couch exhausted at the end of the day. I think that making a to-do list (and prioritizing it) would be really helpful though, and I can do it from my flopped position. 🙂
Hi, Meg, I support your choice to make the to-do list while in a flopped position!
Yesss! Great tips! Especially the to-do list is key for me…
Hi Tineke, thanks for commenting! I’m happy to hear you find a to-do list the night before to be helpful.
Yes! I HAVE to pick up all toys and clutter before going to bed. It’s such a buzzkill to get up in the morning to a mess!
Hi, Suzanne, yes, it’s so much nicer to wake to a tidy home!
I’ve started to put stuff I need for the next day by the door, otherwise I totally forget it! Laying out clothes would be so helpful for my kids, too. Great tips!
Thanks, Val! Having items by the door is super helpful.
Organisational skills – sometimes I have everything planned down pat, sometimes I don’t and things fall apart!
Preparing for the next day the night before is a great productivity idea, which also eliminates the stress and chaos, and frustration, etc…
Choosing what to wear for the next day – that really works, especially since I’m not good with keeping time when I start my day!
Yes, if I can eliminate stress and chaos, I am going to do so!
this would really help our family if we did these things each night and it helps to see them itemized and written down in this way. Thanks!
You are welcome, Bethany!
That number 5- that’s a great one! I found that with a new/nursing baby, or distracting toddler, and later the hormones of mid-life make me forgetful. Gathering things by the door helps me remember items I need to manage without having to think about them while trying to shuffle children along or even when sort of hustling out for an appointment. I do a lot of dropping off for re-use such as books to the library, clothing to the Salvation Army, or even food for the local pantry when we go to church, items to go to specific places, even mail for the post office. and I tend to forget to gather them when I’m in the process of getting ready to go out. I’ll even go so far as to hang the bag on the door knob or put in the way of opening the door so I don’t forget! ( Ha! That shows how forgetful I can be!)