It’s back to school week for children who attend NYC Public Schools. Watching parents drop their children off to school every morning is one of the most interesting yet frustrating thing to watch. Waiting for parents to double park, rush out Of the car to drop their children off, and then risk their lives by running into traffic just to get back to their cars and rush off to work feels as draining to me as it does the parents, especially when I myself am also running late. As much as I’d love to play the blame game when I am running late, I am equally as guilty as those parents for not planning my mornings better.
Most of the things that make us late each day can be avoided. Of course there are those mornings where any and everything goes wrong, but this post is not about those mornings. Believe it or not, people who are late have a routine. They always get stuck on the same one or two issues such as hitting snooze too many times, never knowing where their shoes are, always looking for their lipstick, or shirt, or keys, and the list goes on. Here are 5 tips to help you develop a peaceful morning routine that allows you to start your mornings right, and spend less time regrouping after you arrive at work.
1. Prepare your clothes the prior night.
If you’re like me, you dress according to how you feel each day. As good as this may feel its not practical. You probably wind up with shoes all over the floor clothes all over the bed, ad you’re always misplacing that one item that completes your outfit. Don’t despair, if committing to one outfit does not feel right then prepare two or three outfits so that you have options in the morning. Hang all accessories with your clothes, and don’t forget your shoes. Iron everything, and as an added bonus you can spray a little perfume or cologne on your clothes the prior night. If you have children you should also prepare their clothes the prior night. This will leave you with one less task to rush through after you waste 20 minutes forcing them to wake up.
2. Pack your lunch the prior night.
As soon as you wake up in the morning place your lunch somewhere you can’t miss it. I like to place mine on top of my bag or I sit my car keys in the bag with the food. If my bag is the last thing that I grab then I am less likely to leave my food, and I can’t get into my car without digging into my lunch bag for my car keys. This would also be a good time to prepare breakfast if you can. Certain breakfast items have to be made fresh, like coffee, however most foods will still taste great if made the prior night.
3. Keep all cosmetic items that you use on a daily basis in a caddy or clear cosmetic bag.
The key word here is “daily”. For women, cosmetic bags overflow with items that we “may need”. Chances are that we it comes to getting ready for work you only use a handful of the same items each day. Pack then the prior night or keep a separate caddy or bag just for work. If you’re using a cosmetic bag its best to use a clear bag so that you don’t have to empty the bag each morning searching for the items that you need. You can merely look at the bag and aim for your items as you need them.
4. Set your alarms, and remove the snooze option.
Trust me when I tell you that 5 to 10 extra minutes of sleep in the morning does nothing for your work day. All you get is instant gratification with no long term benefits. Develop a habit of waking up the first time that your alarm rings and you won’t have to worry about oversleeping because you tried to sneak in a few extra Zzzzzzs.
5. Wake up 30-60 minutes early
Ideally you should be waking up 30 minutes early to set the tone for the day. Getting up a little earlier may seem unreasonable, especially if you are already scheduled to wake up extremely early but you know what’s even more unreasonable, rushing every single day. It is also helpful to wake up a little earlier if you’re the type who likes to browse social media, exercise, cook, pray, meditate, walk your dog, etc. in the morning.
6. Extra time should be used at your destination.
There is no such thing as extra time to spend in the house when you are going to work. You have no control over the weather, traffic, or parking. IF you finish 15 minutes early just head out. Don’t leave just in time to are it to work, leave some room for the inevitable.
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