Morning Routine Ideas

Breakfast

• Start your morning routine with breakfast, which helps to wake you up and to keep you energized throughout the morning. A simple breakfast of coffee, cereal and fruit takes little time to prepare but has a lasting effect on how your day goes from that point on.

Grooming

• Establish a routine of grooming habits in the morning. Knowing what you need to get done to be ready to greet the day, such as showering, brushing your teeth and dressing, helps you to feel structured. And doing these grooming habits in the same order at the same time will make them feel like second nature. You can complete the tasks without thinking about them, and you therefore will feel less rushed.

Review

• Take a moment to review what needs to be done that day. Review a checklist with reminders such as "Meeting at 10, lunch with Mike, pick kids up from soccer." This will be even easier if you write down the list each night before you go to bed. Writing down and then reviewing the things you need to accomplish helps you to see that the day before you is manageable with a little preparation.

Tidy Up

• Before you leave in the morning for work or school, scan the common areas of your home to see if anything needs to be put away. Load breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and put the coffee pot in the sink with soap and water. Clear the dining table and pick up any newspaper pages you've left behind. This will help your home feel less cluttered and will help your mind feel less cluttered for the day as well.