‘Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it’. – Richard Whately
They say that the first hour of the day is the rudder of the day. Get off to a good start and the rest of the day flows. If you are a morning person, chances are you are up and out and don’t need tips to help you do it. You may, however, discover that you have a child (or two!) that do not share your enthusiasm or pace. Alternatively, you may be slower in the morning than others which was ok until you discovered that you have a child (or two) that are anxious to be on time and are trying to organise you and the rest of the family to ensure they are. Either way, the following are areas which, if addressed, can lead to a less stressful start to the day.
1. Plan Ahead
Have a look at the calendar (theirs and yours) for the week or month ahead.
Identify aspects that may require a change in routine or additional resources – P.E day, play date for school friends, birthday party to go to,
If you are aware of them in advance you will be able to be prepared (track suit packed, present bought in advance etc).
2. Prepare
This will not appeal to everyone but it can have a huge positive impact (you go to bed feeling ready for the next day) and save a lot of time. It could be to have the lunches made, breakfast table ready or clothes required laid out.
3. Routine
Boring but brilliant at ensuring that things run smoothly. It provides certainty and consistency and everyone knows what to expect. It could be that there is a rota system for the bathroom (everyone knows the order of showers etc which avoids daily jostling) or who calls who!
4. Leave out
Anything that does not absolutely have to be done. Often we might want to clear the breakfast things (so that we do not have to come home to them later) or make the beds (which if they are over a certain age they could be doing themselves anyway!). If you are on schedule and have the time and energy to do it, that is perfect. If you are running behind or are stressed out, it might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back!
5. Factor In
Factor in a few minutes (at the very least) of time for you. If you do this you will be more effective in all the rest. It could be a few minutes to just focus on your breathing or to have a juice or coffee whilst sitting down alone. If it means setting the alarm 5/10 minutes earlier to get those peaceful few minutes, it is worth doing
In addition to the above, here are some random ideas for ‘stress-less’ mornings.
• Leave your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you have to get up to knock it off if you are a ‘snooze’ button addict.
• Set a timer for them (or you) if they loose track of time or focus. It could be for the amount of time in the shower or over breakfast.
• Put on some music to keep everyone going at the pace you want. In restaurants and supermarkets etc, they play fast music if they want to keep people moving and slower music when they want them to linger!
• Acknowledge and praise where the children/teenagers help out – what we focus on we get more of!
• Have a set place for keys. That way you always know where to put them and where to find them.
• Have a ‘departure lounge’ space where all bags, coats, shoes etc are. That way everyone one can just pick up and go on the way out the door.
• Remember that you set the tone for the day. Smile even (and especially) when you don’t feel like it. Our brains get a signal from the body that it is smiling so we must be in good form and it responds accordingly.
‘If people were meant to pop out of bed, we’d all sleep in toasters.’
Author unknown, attributed to Jim Davis
I would love to hear from you. If you have any feedback or would like to avail of one to one parent coaching, I can be contacted at 087 2232937 or marian@theparentcoach.ie
Until next time
