This is a partnered post. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve never been an early riser by choice. Most mornings I have to wake up before the light begins to break through the morning sky and this does not make me happy. In fact, I’d give most anything most days to stay snuggled underneath the warmth of the sheets and comforter of my king-sized bed.
To ensure I get the most sleep I can each night, I do everything possible the night before while preparing for tomorrow. Each extra second I get to sleep in the morning is an extra second I get to enjoy before the rush of the day ahead.
To make our mornings run as smoothly as possible, my family starts preparing for tomorrow the night before. When we spend the extra few minutes the night before putting everything in place, not only are our mornings less stressful, but they run much more smoothly, like a well-oiled machine.
In addition to some tips from Dr. Travis Stork on how to prepare for tomorrow, I’m adding some of my own tips that set my family of five up for success each morning.
How to Prepare for Tomorrow
- Lay out your clothes the night before to help streamline your morning routine. Don’t forget about the undergarments, shoes and/or belt.
- Create a “must achieve” list for the morning to help yourself stop stressing about those tasks at night, leading to a more restful night’s sleep.
- Plan out what to have for breakfast, and nothing is easier than setting out a bowl and spoon for a quick, nutritious and tasty bowl of cereal in the morning.
- If you’re traveling or on-the-go, making sure to pack a nutritious snack (like a baggie of cereal) in your bag to help you avoid hitting the mid-morning lull and picking something unhealthy.
- Have a place for everything, and make sure everything is in its place. The more organized you are the less time you’ll spend looking for things.
- Prepare lunch the night before. If lunch needs to be refrigerated over night, set aside a place in the refrigerator for all lunch items so that they can be easily identified and placed in the lunch bag quickly the next morning. If lunch will require a spoon or fork, go ahead and place those items in the lunch bag to save more time in the morning.
- Have bags packed and ready by the door.
When we prepare for tomorrow, we set ourselves up for success. By thinking ahead and planning, our mornings run much smoother and it makes the wee morning hours more manageable for us all. Next week (2/10/15) Kellogg’s and Dr. Travis Stork will be chatting about nutrition on Twitter. Twitter Party details can be found below.
Twitter Party
DATE: Tuesday, February 10, 2015
TIME: 11:00 – 12:00 PM CST
PRIZES: $50 Amazon gift card, branded prizes and Kellogg’s cereal
FOLLOW: @kelloggsUS and @TravisStorkMD
HASHTAGS: #BigDay #Tomorrow
Share how you prepare for tomorrow in the comments section below!
Stephanie Keeping says
These are great tips! I try to always have things ready to go. It makes it easier.
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
We always pack lunches and lay out clothes the night before. It’s a huge time saver.
Catherine S says
This sounds like a great Twitter Party. I am not a planner at all. If I did some of these tips my mornings might be less hectic.
aimee fauci says
Clothes out, shoes by the door, lunch box packed and keys ready are a morning must so there is time for a nice breakfast.
Jeannette says
These are great tips! Mornings are so crazy in my home that I need any help I can get and I know I need to start planning better!
Theresa says
Great tips! I am the one who has to get the kids up and out the door every morning, so we try to make it as stress free as possible!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says
I definitely need to do a better job of preparing myself and family for the next day.
Avry Byington says
I need to be better about this. I really do! Because morning comes and I feel like I am racing around like a chicken with my head cut off. It doesn’t help that I am going to school and work too. My poor kids think I am nuts half the time. Preparing the night before is something I think I am going to start trying to do to help my mornings seem less chaotic. I even skip breakfast because I am so rushed!
Pam says
Doing as much as possible the night before is my key to the streamlined morning routine! I always pack lunches and set out outfits the night before.
Liz Mays says
I do the same thing. It takes WORLDS of stress away from the morning.
Sara P. (@SensiblySara) says
I love your command center!
I follow all of those ‘prepare for tomorrow’ tips which really excites me! I’m glad to see I am doing something right!
Jeanine says
we lay out everything the night before and make sure all lunches are packed and clothes ready to go! helps i have so many to get ready in the am!
Liz Mays says
I totally agree! The more you can do the night before, the smoother the morning is.
Shell says
I love your command center. I need to do something like that!
Liz Mays says
The “must achieve” list is such good idea. I have to write those sorts of things down or I may forget about them!
Cat Davis says
It took me awhile to get the idea into place but I finally set up an area like you have. We put a bench in the living room with 3 cubbies for each of the kids and a coat hanger rack above it so they can stop tossing their backpacks and coats on the floor.
Dawn says
These are great ways to prepare! My daughter always makes sure to lay out her outfits the night before!
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says
We have a backpack station, too…and funny, we own a couple of the same bags as you! Love being ready the night before! Makes the mornings so easy.
Debbie Denny says
Very good advice. I set up the coffee pot so it is ready when I wake up.
Christie says
Backpack and homework are the most important pieces we try to remember to pack the night before. I really need to get better about lunch too
Andrea Kruse says
I agree that planning ahead really helps. I lay out clothing and prepare as much as I can before I go to bed. I used to be an early riser… but after having kids I tend to stay up later.
Caitlin says
I love your tips for being prepared the night before to make sure you have a great day!
Amanda says
We love our command center. It’s seriously essential to our functioning!
Danielle K says
I always pack lunches the night before – great tips 🙂
Mama to 5 BLessings says
Frosted Flakes has always been my favorite cereal. I just bought my kids 6 boxes of Shredded Mini Wheat the other day!
melisasource says
These are some really great tips! Especially for those busy mornings!
Donella Crigger says
I love getting my to-do list, clothes, etc. ready for the next day. It helps me feel like I have a jump start!
Raijean says
Yes, getting the boychild ready is a feat within itself. Thanks for the tips.
Lynsey @MoscatoMom says
I am terrible about this. Since I am TOTALLY a morning person and can barely put two thoughts together at night, this has to be the opposite for me. I do MUCH better getting up early and getting things done. If I do it at night, I always forget SOMETHING.
Digna D. says
I am not an early riser and never have been. I am always in a fog in the morning. I have told my hubby many times not to tell me anything important that early, I just won’t remember. But I do love my mini wheats!
Beth@FrugalFroggie says
I am bad about preparing for the next day. These are some great tips.
Ellen Christian says
I need to work on our back to school command center. It’s gotten a bit scattered this year.
Debi @ Life Currents says
Great tips. I always try to get stuff ready for tomorrow. I also like to make sure the kitchen and dishes are clean.
Amy Desrosiers says
I do feel much more confident when I am prepared for the next day’s adventure. Thanks for the inspirations.
Rosey says
4 more days until the party, woot! Shared it for you. 🙂
Jess Weaver says
I love being prepared for the next day. Morning always go so much smoother!
Debra says
Such great tips! I really need to be better about this!
Kecia says
I want a command center like yours for when my son starts school in September. It’s too easy to lose things in the house, so having a specific place for book bags and school papers is a must!
Kait says
I definitely agree with prepping bags the night before. I do lunches and coffee prep then too!
Colleen says
My daughter has the same routine each and every morning and that really helps things stay organized and on time.
Tammy says
We always made sure the things for “tomorrow” were ready at the door before bedtime too 🙂 We made sure our daughter worked on packing her school bag and I worked on her lunch, so that we didn’t have to worry about forgetting anything the next morning.
Jessica (Savory Experiments) says
I leave so early in the morning that if I don’t put out all of my stuff, there is NO way I’d get to work with everything I needed.
Susan says
As a writer, I get up really early in the morning to write before the kids wake up. I find that preparing the night before is such a blessing. These are some really great tips.
HilLesha says
These are all helpful and wonderful tips! Hopefully, I can make it for the Twitter party.
Debbie L. says
Good post – morning life is so much easier when I plan and am prepared!
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
Sadly we do not prepare unless there is a special outfit that must be worn to school.
Donna says
If I didn’t have everything ready the night before, we would be a mess on school mornings. I have as much done as possible before going to bed so our mornings run smoothly. 🙂
Penelope says
We have something like a command center too, it is really awesome! It totally makes me starting my day a breeze and keeps us organized.
Melanie says
As a mom of 4, the mornings can be crazy. These are some great tips that I’m going to try to implement. Thanks!
Melinda says
These are some great ideas. We need a bigger coat rack or we need to have less coats.
Vanessa: thequeenofswag says
These are great tips. I always make sure we’re ready for the next day in the morning the night before. We pick clothes and make lunches in advance.
Tisha Berg says
I do a lot of prep the night before school days. Typically I get H.W. checked and signed, lunch boxes half ready, breakfast planned, clothes prepared and shoes/backpacks set out by the front door. I’m trying to get my daughters into the habit as well, so they can take over a little of the responsibility, but let’s just say it’s a work in progress, lol!
Karen says
I always lay my clothes out the night before. Knowing what I am going to wear helps me sleep better, and that is great prep for tomorrow.
Matea says
Every morning I promise myself I will prepare for the next day not to end up running through the house, screaming, etc… And every day I fail :). Bit you are absolutely right! Tonight, I selected the clothes for tomorrow… that’s a good start! 🙂
Andrea Kruse says
I love the idea of the “must achieve list”. I find that helps me visualize and stay on target for my morning. Also, lets me know how to arrange the rest of my day. Great list.
Ty says
I love the idea of having the bags waiting by the door. Good tips!
Donna says
I think I’m getting out of the habit of preparing for school the nights before since my son didn’t go to school one day last week, nor today, and on a 2-hour delay (which I think will end up being cancelled) tomorrow. That’s 10 days off in a row so far.