WorkingMaa

Everyone’s morning is different . You may be just packing lunchables for everyone and still  barely getting time to get ready yourselves OR you may be cooking meals for everybody in the house and still have time to get out of the house in an immaculate getup ! It really depends on what are your priorities and how much you plan ahead. Even if you are somewhere in the middle and looking for some improvements , I am here to share my experiences and suggestions  with you.

1. Go to Bed Early .  A good sleep is quintessential for a happy and healthy life . Going to bed early automatically puts us in a good cycle of getting good sleep while getting up early . I love the mornings when I wake up early around 5:30 am  and finish all the prep work before the kids wake up . It gives a great head start to the day and I can sneak in a bit of stretching and a tea with a magazine to make myself even happier !
2. Start the day smartly . Start the day to set up a productive and happy day . Start it with whatever gets you going ! It may be a run or Yoga or Green Tea or a Power Smoothie or just taking a deep breath and planning the day !
3. Plan ahead on the weekend for 5 days of outfits for yourselves and the kids . That may sometimes save you somewhere from 10 minutes to half an hour in the ‘ what to wear ‘ wars with the kids and possibly yourselves . Check the weather for everyday in the week and keep 5 separate piles of outfits complete with socks and any matching accessories . Sectioned hanging shelves are a great asset to help with this approach.
4. Plan ahead on the weekend on the breakfast menu for the week . Here is a detailed post on 10 Quick , Healthy and Delicious Breakfasts for Everyone . Oatmeal or Oatmeal style  multi-grain instant mix works great for a quick cook up and it is one of the most fulfilling breakfasts . For a quick healthy boost you can cut and mix salad and fruits together in five zip-locks for eating with PB&J . Five zip-locks filled with different combinations of smoothie ingredients will work great too . Separating 5 day worth of breakfast like this will save great amount of time in cleaning and cutting veggies\fruits and also gives you a healthy and filling boost in the morning !
5. Plan ahead for healthy brown bag lunches . Here is a detailed post on 10 Quick , Healthy and Delicious Lunches for Everyone  . My favorite lunch is a quick Lentil soup with Brown or White Rice with salad . It can be as healthy as you want it to be . It can be filled with a little bit of all the veggies you have on hand . Again , always have cleaned and cut veggie packs on hand to use in soups . It makes cooking so much easier and healthier . To make it even faster , pre-made tomato puree or sauce can be used. Another quick lunch can be a veggie pizza . My tried recipe is from here. It makes wonderful pizza in a jiffy . A veggie sandwich is also a quick and great idea.
6. Delegate . This may be the most important of all . If everyone in the house knows what are their responsibilities , their will be no confusion and less tasks will be missed or forgotten .
7. A place for everything and everything on its place . I know that it gets difficult in the daily grind but it save a lot of time specially in the morning hours if we don’t have to go out on a treasure hunt for finding the socks or the keys or kids’ cups ! So this is a great habit which can be inculcated over time to keep things at their right places !
8. Carve out time for a family stretch !  That’s right ! My 6 year old and 2 year old  love to stretch in the morning with me for a few minutes . That is such a happy time for us and certainly beneficial . Morning stretching has known and well proven health benefits which can be used by grown ups and kids alike 🙂
9. Aim to leave a bit Early  from the house . Leaving early from the house and reaching the Office a few minutes earlier gives a great feeling of accomplishment which you don’t want to miss . It sets a great tone for the day .
10. Practice Minimalism  . Minimalism deserves its own blog . This will always be the most important point I’ll make whenever I talk about having an easier life . Have only the stuff what you love and love to use . Less stuff makes everyday tasks so much faster and peaceful .