The Great Morning Chaos
Let me paint you a picture: It’s 5:00 AM. School starts at 7:30 and the kids get on the bus in an about 90 minutes. As the clock ticks past 6:30 AM and I’ve finally had a cup of coffee, I realize I haven’t seen my children yet. Are they awake, are there lunches made for the day? No. How will they make it to the bus today, no lunch, two mismatched shoes, or not at all?
Sound familiar?
I’m not sure about you, but I’m the only morning person in my house besides our three dogs. As soon as that alarm goes off, I know its time to get up and move. Its time for me to shower, feed the dogs, make coffee for my wife and I, and be do my part to make sure the rest of the family is getting what they need to start the day (did I mention making the coffee).
Six months ago, our mornings were a disaster. We were always running late, always stressed, and always starting the day feeling like we’d already failed. Something had to change.
What Didn’t Work
Before I share what finally worked, let me save you some time by telling you what didn’t:
Complex Charts and Systems: Pinterest has beautiful morning routine charts. My kids looked at them once and used them as drawing paper.
Getting Up Earlier: We tried the “just wake up 30 minutes earlier” approach. It just meant we were tired AND chaotic.
Eliminating Everything: We stripped our routine down to bare essentials. Turns out, some things (like eating breakfast) are actually essential.
The System That Stuck
After months of trial and error, here’s what actually works for our family:
The Night Before Protocol
This was the game-changer. We do 80% of our morning routine the night before:
- Backpacks by the door: Homework checked, lunch boxes ready, library books returned
- Clothes laid out: Weather checked, outfits approved by the fashion police (aka my 12-year-old)
- Breakfast: Its microwavable. As ScottKFitness says, its not that serious!