5 Tips to Establish a Quicker Morning Routine

Getting out the door… even on good mornings it’s tough to get everyone washed, dressed, fed, and packed in time for school and work. Skip the morning stress and streamline your routine to get everyone ready with time to spare. Here are some of our favorite tips to make mornings run smoothly.

Tips to Establish a Quicker Morning Routine

1. Shower Smart: Your home probably has more people needing a shower in it than it has showers. Eliminate this bottleneck by showering at night. Not only can a nighttime shower help speed up your mornings, it’s also a great choice for people with allergies: you’ll rinse off all of the allergens you’ve collected over the day, reducing symptoms as you sleep. If your household is filled with devout morning-bathers, set a limit on shower time. This will keep drowsy bathers on their toes and help to save water.
2. Keep it Neat: Even the quickest makeup routines can slow down your morning if you’re scrambling to find your tools. Make a point to keep everything you need for your face organized. Get creative using cups, caddies, and vintage jars to keep all of your cosmetics, brushes, and blending sponges clean and where you need them.
3. Steam While You Shower: Have wrinkly clothes but no time to iron? Hang them up in the bathroom while you shower. The steam will reduce wrinkling, helping you save both time and the electricity you’d use on ironing.
4. Do Double Duty: Choose products that can take on more than one role in your morning routine to save time. If you shower in the morning, use a shampoo/conditioner combo. Try a razor with built-in lubrication to skip the shaving gel. Stash a bottle of aloe vera gel in your bathroom to reduce puffy eyes, soothe and protect shaving nicks, wash and moisturize your face, and even to keep unruly eyebrows in place.
5. Eat Your Frog: Yes, you read that right. Mark Twain once said “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Now, we’re not saying you should add a frog to your bacon and eggs, but it’s a great strategy when it comes to getting through your morning.

    

   Think of the morning task you hate doing the most, the one you put off to the last minute. Maybe it’s helping the kids get everything they need into their backpacks, maybe it’s choosing the right outfit, maybe it’s packing a lunch. Anticipating these unlikeable tasks can slow your morning down, so choose to “eat your frog” first thing, or, even better, the night before. Get unpleasant tasks done early, and you’ll be shocked at how smooth your morning seems to go.

Establishing a quicker morning routine all comes down to identifying your needs and putting yourself in a position for success. Prepare early and stay organized and you’ll be out the door in no time.