15 Ways to Get Out of the House On Time

School is starting next week.  That means getting back on a schedule, finding our routine again, and instilling some time management strategies.  Let’s face it – getting out of the house on time can be a struggle, especially if you have kids.  Here are a few tips to try that may help your mornings become a bit less stressful.  Remember, all of these may not work for you, but you may find a few to try.

1)  Get the clothes ready the night before.  My daughter is known for her morning issues of deciding what she wants to wear to school.  Rather than going through that drama each morning, I try to have her pick out clothes the night before.

2)  Pack backpacks, briefcases, etc the night before.  There is no need to search for yesterday’s homework.  Everything should be packed and ready to go.

3)  This tip just basically expands upon tip #2.  Everything needs to be ready to go and in one location.  This includes backpacks, hats, gloves, coats, briefcase, purse, keys, etc.

4)  If you have a hard time getting up in the morning, try moving your alarm clock to the other side of the room.  That way you’ll have to get up to turn it off.

5)  Take showers at night.  Some people enjoy a morning shower.  If it doesn’t matter to you, then take it at night. 

6)  Try setting your clock forward a few minutes.  Chances are you’ll forget it’s moved forward and you’ll be ahead of schedule by a few minutes.  If you don’t want to move your bedroom clock forward then try this with the other clocks in the house to keep the kids a few minutes ahead.

7)  Set the table the night before.  If the kids are having cereal for breakfast in the morning set out the spoons, bowls, and boxes of cereal. 

8)  Crank up the music.  Some people have a hard time getting motivated in the morning.  Sometimes lively tunes will help get us going.

9)  Give the kids a wake up warning.  After I get up and start getting ready, I go open my kids’ bedrooms doors and say, “Good Morning” or something along those lines and I open up the blinds.  That wakes them up a little and gives them time to stretch and know that they need to transition into wake up mode.  It actually helps with the morning grumpiness.

10)  Don’t allow the tv to be on.  We have a no tv rule on school mornings.  My kids will stare at the tv even if the news is on.  It makes them slower and causes them to go into sort of a trance. 

11)  Make it a contest.  Kids are very competitive.  Start a contest to see who can get ready the fastest or on time.  Be sure to encourage good behaviors about this and not to allow teasing.  If this is too much, then you may want to alter this a bit to where you all discuss the morning while you’re in the car and everyone can grade themselves on how they did.

12)  Consider breakfast on the go.  Sometimes we have those days where I can’t get my kids moving no matter what I do.  On those days, we skip breakfast at home and eat it in the car.  It’s usually something simple like a granola bar, fruit and cereal bar, or dry cereal.  I also give them milk or juice in a cup with a lid.

13)  Make lunches the night before.  There’s no need in trying to make the sandwiches in the morning.  There’s too many other things to tend to.  Try to make lunches at night.

14)  Enjoy a reward.  Perhaps you might want to try offering your kids an incentive.  Maybe if they get out of the house on time each day during the week, you could take them through the drive thru on Friday for a muffin, bagel, or some other treat.

15)  Encourage teamwork. I’ve been trying to teach my kids this for a while.  (Some days they show it.)  I teach my kids to encourage one another and to help each other.  A simple “Come on, we need to hurry” from a sibling can sometimes go futher than mom’s nagging voice.  Also, when my kids are getting buckled, sometimes they’ll sing a song they hurt on Nick Jr – “Keep trying. Keeping trying.  Don’t give up. Never give up.”  I think it’s from Yo Gabba Gabba.

Well those are a few tips to get you thinking about your morning time routine.  Are there any tips you’d like to use?  I hope you’ll also share some of your favorite morning time management tips.  

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