10 Helpful Morning Routines From A Night Owl
Ever since I became a stay-at-home mom 5 years ago, I’ve enjoyed the luxury of ditching my alarm clock on most mornings. I set my alarm for church or other special events, but most of the time I wake up when Grace crawls into bed with me or when I hear Noah calling for me.
Every expert under the sun says that waking up before your children is the key to starting your day off right. Clearly I’m not doing things right, but I’m a night owl. 100%.
Well it is time for things to change because this night owl needs to get her little girl to preschool two days a week. Take a look at my cutie on her first day. I can’t even handle it!
10 Helpful Morning Routines from a Night Owl
1. Pick out school clothes the night before.
2. Check the backpack the night before.
3. Double check the school calendar to make sure I’m not forgetting show & tell or anything else important.
4. Wake up before the kids and shower. – I’ve been avoiding this system for years, but getting myself ready and dressed before the kids is much easier than trying to do both at the same time.
5. Pick a pleasant sound/song to wake up to on my alarm. – I use my cellphone as my alarm clock, which means I can control what noise wakes me up. It is much nicer to wake up to a gentle harp sound rather than the BEEP-BEEP-BEEP a traditional alarm clock.
6. Drink water. – Every morning I try to drink a glass of water before I drink any coffee. I haven’t read any studies on this, but it just makes sense that my body’s need for water is probably much greater than my desire for coffee.
7. Drink coffee. – I never used to be a daily coffee drinker, but then Noah was born. Now I delight in my morning ritual. Sadly, it has also become a necessity. I’ll get a headache by lunch time if I skip the caffeine.
8. Let Noah sleep! – I don’t see the point in waking up my toddler until it is absolutely necessary. If we are going straight home after dropping off Grace then we can skip getting dressed and eating breakfast if we have to and do it when we get home.
9. Pick a preschool with curbside pickup and drop off. – This might not be possible for everyone, but I love the fact that I don’t need to get Noah out of the car when I drop off Grace. It makes it possible for me to keep him (and me if necessary!) in PJs until we get back home.
10. Go to bed earlier. – I really hate doing this. It is incredibly difficult for me to deny myself the pleasure of a quiet house. Incredibly difficult. If you have tips for this, please let me know!
If you are a fellow night owl like myself, please remember to have grace with yourself. There will be mornings when we struggle to get out of bed. That is okay as long as we can function and be kind to our families in the morning. Dust yourself off and try to do better the next day. (And if you see me online late at night, tell me to go to bed!!)
What are your morning routine tips for night owls?
This post is sponsored by Cottonelle. All opinions and night owl struggles are my own.
WOW — I am a night owl, and you are already two steps ahead of me! I never shower before getting the kids ready for school. (I shower after they’ve gone to school.) Plus, I am terrible about drinking enough water! I’ve had a headache the past two days because I got into my day (and let too many hours pass) before drinking any water!
Drinking water first thing really is important or I’ll do the same thing and won’t drink anything until lunch time! Coffee is just so good. 🙂 It is hard to resist!
I’m really lazy and forgetful of my own needs, my kid naturally wakes up between 5am and 6 am so generally I wake up to him. Water is quite important and helps me get up easier, I keep a bottle of water beside my alarm to grab and drink as soon as I wake. As for the lemon comment somewhere down the line, yes, even with a straw the lemon can ruin your enamel. If I want lemon water I’ll put a couple drops of lemon essential oil, it uses the zest so it has less acid 🙂
I don’t feel comfortable ingesting essential oils. So for now I will continue with the lemon water, but I probably should do more research about lemon and teeth enamel.
Thank you for posting this I’ve always been a night owl myself and have always felt really bad about not being the mom who is all together and has a hot breakfast on the table by the time my kids get up but you’ve just made me feel better about all that. I will say that the clothes and bookbag thing are lifesavers!!
Michelle, I am totally with you. I think our culture is set up in a way that morning people are rewarded and night owls are made to feel lazy. I really wish I could pop out of bed with lots of energy each morning, but that just isn’t happening!
Know what works for us? We eat oatmeal 3x a week, Monday Wednesday Friday, no questions asked. The kids just know that’s the way it is. I but oats in bulk and then make a big permafrost dry batch (usually maple and brown sugar flavor). Then on Tuesday Thursday they get a choice of either bagels or cereal. Dad usually makes a hot breakfast on Saturday and they get a treat of a convenience breakfast before church on Sunday (usually poor arts or granola bars). It cuts down on the morning overwhelm of choices and the get just the right amount of variety. And I count oatmeal as “hot cooked” even if it is just popped into the microwave ;0)
What a fantastic idea!!
Haha, I meant *Buy* not But, *Batch* not Permafrost, and *Poptarts*, not Poor Arts! Wow, I’m gonna blame that on my dumb auto correct on my phone and NOT the fact that I was up all night with a cranky 2 month old ;0)
Hahaha! No worries. I figured out what you meant. 🙂
I am far from a night owl. Last time I stayed up to midnight I had a “hangover” for two days. But I’m not a morning person either. I’m functional from about 7am-8pm. I have to be in bed, on average, at 10pm to be able to function the next day.
I have noticed the same thing about the water too. If I don’t have water before coffee, I get a horrible headache. I read something once about you have basically fasted all night because you were sleeping so you need to break that fast with getting re-hydrated first. They say a glass of water water with lemon is the best but it makes me kinda sick so I can’t do it.
Julie, I’ve heard that lemon in your water first thing is suppose to be really good too. I think it is even suppose to be warm water to get the most benefits. I haven’t tried that yet, but I do like lemon so I don’t know what is holding me back. *cough*lazy*cough*
Yea, that was suppose to say “warm water” not “water water.” Having a kid totally messed up my ability to type…and proofread. lol
First off, this blog/article is so simple but soooo what y’all /me / we / need to be doing every morning. So thank you. It’s simple but so practical.
I’ve been drinking the lemon + water + 1/4 tsp baking soda every morning for quite some time. I’ve noticed…my digestion has improved 10 fold and my energy in the morning has tripled. I honestly don’t have that huge need for coffee afterwards. Although I do….but it’s been reduced from 3 cups to maybe one cup somewhat half way thru and pour the rest out kind of cup.
Thank you again.
Jaana
Sometimes those simple, but practical things are the ones I instantly overlook. Can you relate? I know there are things I can do to organize my life, but I put them off or ignore them completely.
Was just reading a blog post about lemon and water an hour ago. But this related article popped up and seemed to have some good suggestions about protecting your teeth if you go with the warm water and lemon routine: http://www.drsarasolomon.com/hot-lemon-water-and-enamel-erosion/. Balance in everything, I guess!
I suppose if you use a straw that would help, right?
I’m not a morning person by any means, but it’s gotten to the point that as long as nobody tries to converse with me pre-shower&coffee, I can be tolerable. I get up by 6am (0630 if I sleep in) so I can have a quiet period to walk around in my nightgown, fix coffee, take the dog out and feed him, and get a shower before my son wakes up. I set out our clothes and prep coffee the night before to prevent unnecessary chaos, and to keep from waking my husband up (a sheriff’s deputy on night shift).
Kate, do you think you feel a little grumpier in the morning just because your husband is sleeping? I know there is ZERO logic in it, but I can’t stand getting out of bed when my husband is sleeping in it. It makes me want to sleep even more!
Rebekah, I wouldn’t rule it out! 🙂 He has been on night shift for 6 of the eight years we’ve been together, so I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to working around it. Plus, he usually gets home after I’ve been up a couple of hours, anyway.
I am not a night owl…but i need help getting going in the mornings anyway (i just need a lot of sleep period! Lol) so i still find these tips useful. And 2 i can testify to that make a big difference in our mornings here…making sure the laundry is folded so outfits are easy to assemble(even better the night before) and yes, getting my shower/dressed before getting the kids up!
Jessica, I am really bad about putting away my clean laundry. I never thought about how that could be affecting my morning routines. Good point!
I don’t have littles at home anymore, but this is just great advice for a working night owl, too! The kids are all older and “responsible for themselves” now. It helps to set out my clothes, review my next day’s to-do list, etc. before tucking in for the night. I would also add that dry shampoo can be a lifesaver on those days when I just. can’t. get. up. Water in the a.m. is always a good one–I used to try to have a glass every morning on my commute and got out of that habit.
It should also be mentioned that flushable wipes (gosh I love those things!) should NEVER be flushed! Horror stories abound about metropolitan sewage plants being broken down and costing millions to repair, bus-sized (!) clumps of them in London sewers, and more! They may be flushable, but they are not designed to break down like regular TP does.
Oh, great post. I’m going to have my water in the morning!
Dani, did you drink your water this morning? 🙂
Thanks for the tip about the flushable wipes. That is insane to think of clogs that big in London!!!
This is a great start for us night owls but I need more tips! I do use my Young Living sleep & energy oils that are awesome…..I def drink water before coffee too!
Sarah, I’m very new to the world of essential oils so I haven’t tried using them for more energy in the morning. That is a good idea though.
I’m a night owl as well! So, while I’m up, I make use of that time…anywhere from finishing up laundry to cleaning the kitchen to packing next day’s lunches, etc. I just always plan to nap when baby naps the following day, that allows me the “ahh, the house is quiet & I can enjoy some me time (& sometimes I do a few surveys or nothing at all)!” while also being productive and keeping my work down for the next day! As far as breakfasts, there are alot of quick, healthy options to give the fam: fruit, oatmeal, boiled egg, yogurt, etc – don’t beat yourself up over society’s outlines…remember, busyness is not God’s way/desire for us!
What a good reminder, Mary!! “Busyness is not God’s way/desire for us.”
Thank you for that!
(That URL that snuck into your comment was one of my posts. I deleted it for you.) 🙂
I do not have a cell phone, but I have a Kindle Fire w/wifi. I have a monthly subscription to Pandora ($3.99/mo, WELL-spent dollars!) and downloaded a Pandora app to my Kindle. Pandora has a sleep timer option and also an alarm clock. Every night I set my Pandora alarm clock to whatever time I need to wake up. I wake up to lovely music from “stations” that I chose myself. You can set a snooze option as well (I have mine set to 10 minutes). Right now I am waking up to First Aid Kit! Much nicer to wake up to than beep-beep-beep.
I also found a “water sounds” app that I use to go to sleep at night. My mind tends to be racing all the time, and this helps me to relax and let go of the day.
I just found that alarm option on pandora today, Kimberly! It is so cool! Thanks for sharing your tips.
My “littles” are in high school, but your points are all good ones. I would add that you need to make lunches the evening before also. I like to make them when I am cleaning up after dinner. It could be left overs, or a sandwich, the point is to not have to rush in the morning or figure it out when you should have been in bed an hour ago. We used to make a bunch of sandwiches at the beginning of the month (nothing with mayo), put each one in a lunch baggie and freeze them in a large zippered bag.
Great tips! I’m exactly in your shoes — except I homeschool, which makes it even harder to get up early. 🙂 But I’ve found if I don’t have a morning routine in place we waste too much of the day! In fact, I’d be as bold as to say that my night time routine is most important. I shower then, check the calendar, set out (all of our) clothes, decide what’s for breakfast, and go to bed with a clean kitchen. If I don’t do those things I literally get half as much done the next day. Maybe it’s because my brain cannot function first thing in the morning before coffee (ahhhhh, isn’t it the best thing ever?). Anyway, I don’t know why it makes such a big difference for me; I just know it does! (PS. The water first thing helps too. I should add lemon!)
Oh man… if I was a homeschooler I would really struggle with getting a good start on my day. I just love, love, LOVE lazy mornings.
Not only am I a night owl, but my husband and I work night shift as well (we alternate so someone is always home with the kids). That means we are getting home at 830 in the morning. We also have a baby and a preschooler that stays at home so routine is a bit different in our house. (My son wrote an essay that if he was a mom or dad he would sleep all day like his parents). Someone is awake with them all the time. We prepack the lunch at night except for the sandwich and we use uncrustables for crazy days or make the sandwich the night before. Laying out clothes, packing back packs, eating some protein is vital as is drinking water for the day. What we have focused on is that the kids establish a morning routine so they know how to start getting dressed and even get bowls out for breakfast etc.. We also walk to school which helps enormously. We have a bag for each activity that we keep packed. For example scouts has a bag, awana and karate so they just grab it and go and saves time. Baseball caps are great at putting on if you don’t have time to do your hair and mom and dad have “go-bags” too. I have a bag for all the kids, one for work, one for church etc.. We don’t get up before the kids because we need to sleep as late as possible in order to do the 25 hour days so the nighttime routine becomes the important one.
I love that your son said he would sleep all day like his parents! Ha!
Grace just started a dance class, so I’m using your method of having a separate bag packed at all time just for dance.
Love the ideas! Have you ever thought about showering before you go to bed? How dirty do you get sleeping? Eliminates on thing when you wake up. I’ve worked night shift for about 12 years now and some days when I get off work I shower and that allows me to sleep in a little later. When I wake up I just wet my hair and then am able to style it like I normally would.
Angela, I used to shower at night for years. I got out of that habit when I stopped blow drying and straightening my hair. This “new” curly hair look doesn’t work out well when I go to bed with wet hair. 🙁
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