How To: Get Out the Door on Time EVERY Morning

Do you wake up feeling rushed? Do you feel like you never can get anywhere on time? A lot of us feel this way, and I've found that by setting up simple routines, I'm able to feel much more accomplished and I also have more time leftover for myself because I'm able to stay on top of things much more easily.

Starting in the evening, I have a routine that sets my whole family up for a smooth start the next day. Between the times we eat dinner and I get myself to bed, I have a list of things to accomplish. First, I make my husband lunch, usually leftovers, and this is the perfect time to do it because the kitchen is still in operation. Then, I make sure the kitchen is cleaned up, the sink is empty of dishes and the table and floor is wiped down. This takes a matter of ten whole minutes; it's never backed up because I do this everyday. Next, I move on to setting out our clothes for the next day. This eliminates the rush of choosing an outfit in the morning, I'm able to make sure we all have matching socks, there's never the surprise stain on a shirt to deal with before school, life just runs that much more simply because I prep our clothes, shoes and bags the night before. Another thing I'm always sure to do is to make a list of things I have to do the following day, such as schedule appointments, drop off a donation for charity, return library books, pay a bill, submit money for a school activity, etc. I'm able to continue updating the list throughout the evening as things come to mind and I very rarely forget things the next day because of this proper planning technique. Lastly, during commercials, I run through all of the rooms in my home and empty trash cans, tidy up, pick up laundry and toss it into the hamper, just a general once over to straighten the place up. While I'm watching my shows, I fold laundry.

In the morning, I wake about a half an hour before the rest of my family. This allows me time to shower and get myself dressed for the day. Since I've already selected my clothing, the whole process takes about 20 minutes (I let my hair air dry and style it while my kids are having their morning TV show). I put the dishes away, make breakfast and feed the cats and dog and then everyone else gets up to join me at the table. While we're eating, I update my to do list for the day. Before we leave the kitchen, I rinse the dishes and quickly wipe the counter tops and table. After everyone is dressed, I gather up all the laundry and start the washing machine. Next, I make everyone's beds, and again, this process takes under ten minutes once you get the routine down. Lastly, before we head out the door, I decide what we're having for dinner and thaw my meats if necessary.

That's it! By simply planning ahead, I'm able to keep up with general housework, meals and everything in between during the week. Weekends are the time to do the real, deep cleaning and then you can relax a little during the week if you just prepare in advance for what's ahead.