How to get ready in 1 hour on a school morning? That can be a tough challenge if you have to not only get yourself but also your kids ready.
You might spend as much as one whole week getting ready each year. 30% of Americans spend this much time on their morning routine, according to a recent study by YouGov.
If you are a working mom, chances are you spend way more than one week per year on your morning routine.
Not only do you have to get yourself ready and look good for the office in a suitable business outfit and makeup, but also have to deal with kids’ outfits, lunch bags, school bags, last-minute homework, tantrums, and other morning inconveniences.
This can make the start of your day extremely stressful.
The good news is you can probably make your mornings more enjoyable and efficient if you follow my easy tips on How To Get Ready In 1 Hour On A School Morning.
A Relaxing Morning Starts The Night Before
Mornings are stressful as a working mom. It is stressful getting out of the house in the morning. An enjoyable and efficient morning routine starts the night before.
For starters, make sure you and your children have a good bedtime routine.
What do I mean by that? Ensure that you ideally go to bed at night and get up in the morning at the same time every day.
This will make it easier for you and your children to get up refreshed and rested in the morning and will give you a better start to the day.
It helps tremendously stick to a fixed bedtime and wake up time – even at weekends; this way, it will be easy to get up during school nights.
You can also cut at least 15 minutes out of your family´s morning routine by preparing some essential things the night before, such as:
- choose your and your children´s outfits
- pack your and children´s bags or have them pack their own if they are old enough
- make sure all the lunch boxes are clean and sitting on the counter, ready to be filled in the morning
- any extensive beauty routine like washing & drying your hair should be done the night before
Streamline Your Office Wardrobe
You can save a lot of time when it comes to your office wardrobe.
Less is more in this case, and it helps to minimize your office wardrobe to essential and nice-fitting pieces. Here are some awesome tips on putting together a simple work wardrobe that will save you time and lets you focus on the important things.
In particular, pay attention to the style (business formal, business casual, etc.) and the colors in your business wardrobe, choose a set of colors that suit you, and minimize the number of colors. Everything you own will match this way, and it will save you from trying different outfits on, and this SAVES PRECIOUS TIME in the morning :).
If you are unsure which colors suit you, my article on “3 Genious Ways To Find The Best Colors For Your Skin Tone” will be extremely helpful for you.
If you are not sure about the office dress code in your working environment, check out my article about “How To Get That Dress Code Right” here.
Streamline Your Beauty Routine
Your beauty routine can be done in less than 30 minutes each morning.
Shower at the opportune time – some people like to shower first thing in the morning, others in the evening. Shower, when it is most convenient to you – when the kids are in bed or not awake yet – whatever works for you.
A real time-saver is doing your hair in the evenings. I find it takes too much time in the morning to wash and dry hair.
Any beauty indulgences like hair styling, facial masks, manis, and pedis are best done in the evenings.
When it comes to makeup, try to avoid any experiments in the morning. Know how to apply a simple but classy makeup for the day and apply the same make up every morning.
If you want to experiment – best to do that at weekends, and once you can routinely apply the new style, you can adapt it for the morning routine. Generally, my advice is to avoid any experiments in the morning – remember, our goal is to get ready faster on a school morning.
YOU First – Every Morning!
Mornings as a working mom a usually stressful and rushed. To make them more enjoyable and to get off to a good 
start, make sure you do something for yourself first thing in the morning.
Have a cup of coffee, go for a run, meditate, journal, or just sit there and enjoy the peace.
Make sure you set at least 15 minutes of “YOU” time aside every morning.
I have been doing this for a few years now, and I find it makes a huge difference to my day and mood.
I have created that extra time for myself by waking up before everybody else in the house. I love peace and quiet in the morning, and this habit helps me set a calm tone for the day.
Make Sure You Have Time To Get Ready In Peace
Make sure you find time in the morning to get ready without distractions.
Ideally, get ready before the children get up. If that is not possible, make sure they are used to performing their own morning routine, getting themselves ready independently.
With children at kindergarten age, this can still be challenging. I used to handle that by giving them 15 minutes of their favorite cartoon before leaving the house. I know it is not ideal, but this gave me time to get myself ready while they were happily watching Dora or Paw Patrol.
Prepare A Simple Yet Nutritious Breakfast For The Whole Family
When I was little, my mom would get up at 5:30 every morning and set the table for breakfast for the whole family.
Whereas this was lovely and incredibly great of my mom, I think you are allowed some shortcuts as a working mom – yet you still want your kids to eat a healthy breakfast. So my recommendation is to go for simple yet nutritious breakfasts such as a smoothie or overnight oats.
My favorite breakfast on a weekday is a simple yet delicious banana & berry smoothie:
Here is the basic recipe for 1 person:
Ingredients: half a banana, a handful of berries, 1 cup of Yogurt, Milk or Soy milk, some almonds or nuts.
Directions: Mix all ingredients in a nutribullet or similar, and voila- a breakfast full of protein and vitamins.
If you don´t have time to have breakfast at home, just take this smoothie with you to work. You can have it during the commute or at your work desk, and you will have had a healthy & nutritious breakfast to boost your energy for the day! I recommend investing in a good shaker and a nice to-go cup.
Use Available Transport Services For Your Children
I used to drive my son to kindergarten and school every morning.
My recommendation is: don´t drive them if a pick-up service such as a school bus is available in your area. This can save you some serious time, and it is also good for your children to mingle with others, get to school ahead of time.
My son has been taking the school bus for the last 2 months now and loves the ride every morning.
Avoid Distractions For You And Your Children In The Morning
Sometimes it is easy to have the kids watch an iPad or TV for a short period; if you need your peace to get ready, see my point above.
However, make sure the time is limited for that. Otherwise, you might end up having to nag them to get off the iPad to get to school/kindergarten on time. You want to avoid that; it is too much distraction for the children and extra stress for you.
The same goes for yourself. I LOVE checking my social media first thing in the morning, but it makes my morning routine longer. So my recommendation is: don´t do any social media or news in the morning. This will save you precious time and help you to get ready way faster on a school morning.
The Breakdown – How To Get Ready In 1 Hour On A School Morning
So with all the time savings, here is your streamlined morning routine on a school morning:
15 minutes – time for yourself
10 minutes – prepare breakfast and pack school snacks for kids
20 minutes – shower, make-up, get dressed
10 minutes – make sure kids are ready, help them if needed
5 minutes – school bus drop off
What Works For You In Getting Ready On A School Morning?
The morning doesn´t need to be stressful. If you consider how long things really take and concentrate on a set morning routine, you will save precious time.
Obviously, this will not work out every morning – things will come up, and you will have to be flexible and adjust.
But if you manage to implement some time-saving tips, you will get to work a bit earlier, which means more time after work and for things you enjoy.
What works For you in getting ready on a school morning?
I would love to hear all about your personal experience and time-saving tips. Please leave a comment below – I look forward to the discussion!
Source: yougov.com
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A very good post with excellent tips to help the morning go smoothly.
We all know that with children it is easier to have a routine as it keeps them calmer and happier. They find comfort in doing the same things at the same time. If they are fine it makes your life easier and gives you time to get ready without stress.
There wi always be odd times when there is something that goes wrong but starting the morning well makes for a much better day.
Thank you, I enjoyed the post.
Hello Linda, you are spot-on about keeping a routine, it makes things so much easier with kids. I am glad you enjoyed the post and thank you for your comment!
This is great advice on how to get ready in 1 hour in the morning. with a 3 year old in the house it’s always great to have a routine and to do certain things the night before. We all shower and do our hair in the evening and nails in the evening, reading at bed time helps us to feel relaxed and ready for sleep, this makes for a smoother run in the morning. There will be a lot of parents who will learn a lot from this.
Hi Lisa, with a three-year-old in the house, you will know exactly what I am talking about when it comes to getting yourself and the family ready in the morning 🙂 When my son was that age, he would take AGES walking from the front door to the car as he examined every rock, flower, butterfly, etc. that he saw on his short way to the car. Children at that age love to be immersed in things and take their time. It can be a challenge to get out of the house on time then. You are so right about having a routine and a calm, relaxed evening; those two things are so important!
I know that many persons would love reading your post because there are so many helpful tips to get the most out of your morning in one hour. I know how it can be when your busy running around trying to beat the time, kids moving at a slow pace as you try to get time to speed it up so you can stay ahead of the time. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Norman, thank you for sharing your experience! So, you know exactly where I am coming through when it comes to getting ready in the morning with a family in tow, LOL. I hope some of the tips helped you gain a different perspective and help you in everyday life. If you know a family man or woman that is rushed off their feet every morning, please share the article – it might help them be less stressed, which is my goal :). All the best, Drea
You know even though the majority of my siblings schooling has been done online because of COVID, I cannot emphasize enough how helpful this will be once they get back into actually attending classes. My moms struggle so much to get them up, ready, and going and reading through this, I know she will have a lot of appreciation for this information. thank you so much for this
Hi Misael, your comment made me smile because I can relate to what you say so much. Luckily the morning stress has been relieved a little bit because many moms can work from home now. However, homeschooling is also not a walk in the park, unfortunately. Anyway, I am glad I could help make your mom´s life a little bit easier with this article. Have a great day! All the best, Drea
Your synchronizing of all tasks makes it easier to streamline getting ready in the morning, and all your tips are time savers freeing up valuable time that can be used productively.
Especially highlighted for me was the me-time slot.
This has proven to be highly beneficial for moms and the entire family, as a mother sets the tone for the start of the day every day!
Have you ever wondered how a day could run so smoothly and everyone is nice to each other? Or wondered how it could all run amok and things are not working out?
Take note of how the morning began for you!
You set the tone for the day for your family. It is an unspoken privilege of a mother, so make sure you choose to make time in the peace and quiet to muster up the strength for the day, and you will see how much it benefits all in the long run!
Hi, thank you for taking the time to comment on my post. Yes, me-time can truly be a lifesaver when it comes to starting the day calmly and positively. When things are well prepared for the morning routine, it all runs more smoothly and more enjoyable for all. I can’t entirely agree that it is only the mother´s job to get the morning off to a good start, as naturally, all family members contribute to that. But absolutely, my experience is that when I am calm and have had some “me-time”, I have a lot more patience for everything going on in the mornings, and getting out of the house is fun and not stressful. Thanks again for your comment. All the best, Drea