My morning routine

I am a creature of habit.  My morning starts off exactly the same every single day.  I have created a little morning routine which helps keep me organised, productive and on time.

I follow this routine every weekday morning.  My weekends are usually easier depending on errands and plans we have for that weekend.

Here’s what I do every morning

5:24am

Yes, that’s right. 5:24am.  Not 25.  24.  I give you permission to crack a smile.  I am a perfectionist, hence, if my alarm goes off at 5:24am, I make sure my feet hit the floor by 5:25am.  There’s no hitting the snooze button for me.  Snoozing will get you nowhere.  I aim to get my feet off the bed, and onto the floor, because once they do, I am up and ready to take on the world.
PS: I am a morning person.  I can chat at 500 words an hour 15 minutes after I wake up.  Actually, scratch that.  I am an all-day person (if that exists, anyway).  I can chat at 500 words an hour at 5:45am, or even at 10pm…

5:25am

I jump into the shower and very quickly shower, wash my face and my teeth.  It’s then time to get dressed – (my clothes have already been selected) – and apply make makeup.  I do my hair, put on my jewellery and make sure all my basics are in my handbag.

5:55am

Time to potter into the kitchen and dedicate 5 minutes to a few essentials which I could not finish in the evening.  Sometimes it’s a quick stir and/or adding of an ingredient or two to my slow cooker meal.  I uncover it and let it cool so my husband can put it in the fridge before he leaves for work.  I prepare the recycling or garbage bags to be taken down with me.

6:00am

I (very gently) start waking up the kids.  At this point I go back and fro between waking them up and packing our lunch bags.  I get them both ready for school or for grandma’s.  Yanik gets himself ready of course (he is 12), but needs a little extra nudge as he ain’t a morning person like his mama!

6:30am

This is the time I make my exit.  Neil is now back home and showered after his daily run and ready to take over the morning shift.  I get to the office as early as possible so I can leave as early as possible to dedicate time to the kids and the home.  Nina opens the door and calls the lift for me (an essential part of our routine!)  I kiss everyone goodbye, grab my bag (and the garbage, if any) , put on my shoes and off I go.

What I find saves me a lot of time is to have an easy breakfast at my desk as soon as I get to the office.  Nina eats breakfast at my mum’s (she is there every morning before school) and Yanik eats something light on the go as he doesn’t have too much of an appetite first thing in the morning.

Does this routine happen perfectly, day in day out? No, because life happens sometimes.  If something throws me off balance, I give myself grace and start again the next day.
My morning routine has also evolved as we’ve gone from one kid to two, and as the kids grow older.  I try to leave only the essentials for mornings.  I prepare as much as I can the night before.  My husband and I work hand in to try and make mornings as drama-free as possible, and to try and leave the house in a decent state for a warm welcome later in the afternoon.

This is how my mornings kick off everyday.  I love my effective morning routine that gets me out of the house in no time!

Do you also follow a morning routine religiously?   I’d love to know – leave your answer in the comments!