I've been back at work for just over a month now, and it's going pretty well. Some things are better than I thought they would be, and some things are harder than I thought they would be. I'm still figuring out how to balance work, the kids, my marriage, my friends, and me time. I'm not sure there's a right answer here, but I thought I'd pass on a few tips that have helped me so far. I'd love to hear from other working moms about how you do it.
The best tip I have is do as much as you can the night before:
Put out my clothes
I have to get up at 5:30 on the days I commute to work. That is already way too early for me. Picking out my clothes, including accessories, saves me time and energy in the morning.
Make lunches
Dan and I have always been in the habit of bringing our own lunches to work, and we've always made them the night before. I can't imagine trying to do this in the rush of the morning.
Pack the car
Every night I put my water bottle, my work bag, and a jacket (if necessary) into the car. In the morning, all I have to grab is my pump bag, my lunch, and my tea.
Organize last-minute items
My ice pack for my milk cooler and my thermos of hot tea can't be put in the car the night before. To keep it simple in the morning, I put out my cooler with my empty bottles on the counter. I fill the kettle with water at night and put the thermos and a tea bag next to it. Then, in the morning I add an ice pack and make my tea while eating breakfast. It's easy to then throw those items in the car before heading out.
Keep my makeup in the car
Don't worry, I'm not putting on mascara while driving. I do, however, wait until I get to the work parking garage to put on my makeup. I don't wear a ton anyway so it only takes a minute, but for some reason it's easier to get out of the house without doing that one step.
Dress the kids
Ok, this one might be a weird one, but we dress the kids in their clothes the night before. For Asher it's a no-brainer. He's still wearing onsies, so it really is no different. For Zahara, it started when she wanted to wear a dress to bed one night. When we saw how much easier it was in the morning, we were hooked.
So, those are some of the things that have made it a bit easier for me in the morning. I'd love your tips though. Any clever routines you've got going? Let me know!
The best tip I have is do as much as you can the night before:
Put out my clothes
I have to get up at 5:30 on the days I commute to work. That is already way too early for me. Picking out my clothes, including accessories, saves me time and energy in the morning.
Make lunches
Dan and I have always been in the habit of bringing our own lunches to work, and we've always made them the night before. I can't imagine trying to do this in the rush of the morning.
Pack the car
Every night I put my water bottle, my work bag, and a jacket (if necessary) into the car. In the morning, all I have to grab is my pump bag, my lunch, and my tea.
Organize last-minute items
My ice pack for my milk cooler and my thermos of hot tea can't be put in the car the night before. To keep it simple in the morning, I put out my cooler with my empty bottles on the counter. I fill the kettle with water at night and put the thermos and a tea bag next to it. Then, in the morning I add an ice pack and make my tea while eating breakfast. It's easy to then throw those items in the car before heading out.
Keep my makeup in the car
Don't worry, I'm not putting on mascara while driving. I do, however, wait until I get to the work parking garage to put on my makeup. I don't wear a ton anyway so it only takes a minute, but for some reason it's easier to get out of the house without doing that one step.
Dress the kids
Ok, this one might be a weird one, but we dress the kids in their clothes the night before. For Asher it's a no-brainer. He's still wearing onsies, so it really is no different. For Zahara, it started when she wanted to wear a dress to bed one night. When we saw how much easier it was in the morning, we were hooked.
So, those are some of the things that have made it a bit easier for me in the morning. I'd love your tips though. Any clever routines you've got going? Let me know!
When Shelli was little we made all our sandwiches for the week on a Sunday then froze them, took them out in the morning they had then defrosted by lunch time ready to eat. It meant we had more time in the evenings.
ReplyDeleteAlso at weekend all our clothes for the week were put on hangers Mon-Fri so we just had to pick the hanger up in the morning.
I love both of those ideas! I am going to start implementing the clothes one for myself tonight!
Delete