by Brittany Gilbert

I have to preface this by saying, I am not a Type A personality. Some people think that you’re either relaxed or you’re stressed, either overly scheduled or fly by the seat of your pants. That doesn’t have to be the case, and in fact, if you want a better flow to your day, better attitudes from your kids and more joy in your home, a simple routine may be the thing you’re missing. 

Being a work-from-home mom who homeschools, you would think we wouldn’t need much routine at all in our home, but that’s so far from the truth. Lately, we’ve realized just how important it is to making our lives better. Turns out, kids thrive on routine, and really, so do parents. 

Morning is the most important in regards to routine. What is going to set you up for a successful morning? Is there anything you can do at night that you don’t have to do in the morning that will make your day go better? There have been so many times when I’m getting everyone ready in the morning and looking for shoes takes too much time. If you already know those things are done and ready to go, it is easier to get up in the morning and know you won’t have to make any major decisions.

Simple and practical tips to make your morning and day go better: 

Set the backpack by the door, ready to grab. How many times do you wake up late and not prepared? The last thing you want to do is run around the house looking for notebooks and homework. If you set time aside the night before to make sure all homework is completed, everything is in the backpack and it’s by the door ready to grab in case you’re running out the door, you will be very thankful. 

Make lunch the night before. This is something I think everyone thinks of right away when preparing for the next day. Meal prep is becoming so popular, and it’s really so simple. We see the benefits it provides in saving time and energy so we don’t have to do it at the last minute. 

Set out clothes the night before or even the week before. Again, this is something we know is helpful. Studies have shown that by setting out clothes the night before, it reduces anxiety and stress that comes by standing in your closet for ridiculous amounts of time stressing over what you’re going to wear. Problem solved! Also, for kids, another tip is to create outfits ahead of time. Put them in Ziploc bags and store in their dresser. Then, in the morning, they can grab a bag and get ready. 

Make your routine work for you and for your life. Your schedule is different than mine. It may be that you’re in a different season of life than I am and you have different things on your plate than I do.

Create an evening routine that makes you want to get up in the morning. Consider waking up before your kids do so that you can have some time to yourself to meditate, exercise, drink coffee in silence, read a book — you name it. The possibilities are almost endless. 

Just a little bit of time alone can really set your family up for success and make you ready for when the kids wake up and the list of demands begin. May the day have the best you.

Brittany Gilbert

Brittany Gilbert is a former FACS teacher at Maumelle High School. She and her husband, Levi, have three children and live in Conway. Brittany can be reached at [email protected].