Five Ways To Make Your Mornings Easier

You can blame it on the wrong side of the bed all you want, but the attitude you have when you wake up in the morning is entirely your own. Why you are in a bad mood when you wake up could be the direct result of any number of things; a bad night’s sleep, too much stress or even a dream that leaves you feeling more annoyed than a woman on a diet in a donut shop. Your mornings are undoubtedly busy, which could also lead to your annoyance and irritability each morning. Try doing these things the night before to free up some time in the morning to sleep in, take a longer shower, read a little or just relax with an extra cup of coffee.

“Clothes” Your Closet Doors

Choosing what everyone wears takes a lot of time, especially if you’re left to iron something or go searching for a lost sock or favorite tee. The best way to avoid clothes meltdown in the mornings is to choose them the night before. Having everything ready and out for you and the rest of the family will save ample time each morning. Lay out everything you need for work, school and/or practice the night before. This allows you to iron what needs ironing and search for that missing cheerleading skirt the night before instead of when you’re already running five minutes late.

Pack Your Bags

You have an important meeting, the kids need to turn in book reports and junior has baseball practice after school. Pack it all up the night before and put it by the door, or go one step further and stick it all in the car so it’s all ready to go in the morning.

Perk Up

Save yourself a few minutes by making your coffee the night before and setting the timer. Most coffee pots have this feature, but if yours doesn’t you can pick one up for as little as $20 at your local Target or Wal-Mart. By putting in the water, filter and coffee grounds the night before you can wake up to a freshly brewed pot of coffee in the morning and save yourself the time it takes to do all this and wait for it to brew when you wake up. Even better, go ahead and place your coffee cups, sugar and spoon on the counter so everything is ready for you.

Clean Up

Nothing is more annoying than getting ready to leave the house in the morning only to find yourself dying a little on the inside when you see a sink full of dirty dishes or a load of laundry that needs folding. Clean out the dishwasher before bed so it’s empty for all your breakfast dishes in the morning. When someone finishes with their dish, have them put it in the dishwasher instead of the sink. The same goes for laundry; do it the night before and it won’t be there to stare you in the eye like a needy animal in the morning.

Organize Anything You Want

Some people need organization to function (guilty!) and when they wake up in the morning only to realize that their purse is full of receipts, the checkbook hasn’t been balanced and the kids all threw their toys and little gadgets in there the night before when you were at dinner, they panic. Clean out your purse, backpack, briefcase, the kids’ diaper bag or anything else before you go to bed. Everything will be ready in the morning, leaving no last minute items on your to-do list.