Getting ready in the morning is a frantic, stressful time for many people. Getting yourself ready can be difficult enough, but if you have children, mornings are often a race against the clock.
You want to arrive at work calm and ready to take on your day. Nursing can be a stressful and emotional job, so the less you stress before your shift, the better nurse you’ll be when you get to work. Here are a few tips to help your mornings, or whenever you’re getting ready to head to work, run smoothly. You may know these tips already, but actually implementing them is what will give your morning routine a makeover. Give yourself a challenge to do all of them for one week and see how you feel.
Who, What, Wear
Before you turn in for the night, lay out full outfits for yourself and your kids. Have everything ready right down to everyone’s shoes and socks. If you spend time in the morning searching for missing shoes, you’re adding to your stress, not to mention wasting time. It’s a good time to see if your work uniform is clean or if you need to throw it in the washer. It’s better to find that out the night before than in the morning when you’re trying to get ready.
Get Small Tasks Done Before Bed
There are a lot of small tasks that you probably do in the morning that you could do before you go to bed. Do you make coffee every morning? Try getting your coffee maker prepped with water, a new filter and ground coffee before bed so that all you have to do in the morning is turn it on. Do you pack a gym bag and/or lunches for the kids? Get everything ready so that all you have to do is grab and go.
Skip Technology
If you are the type to get engrossed in the morning news or checking Facebook, avoid technology in the morning. It may be hard to pull yourself away and make it out the door on time. Get your news fix by listening to it on the car radio or your phone on your way to work and do a quick Facebook check on your break.
What other ways can you save time and be more productive in the morning? Take a few minutes to think about your morning routine and how you can make small adjustments. Getting into the habit of doing as much preparation for the next day the night before as possible and avoiding distractions in the morning, you’ll get your day started right. And you will feel the positive effects all day long.
Denene Brox is a Kansas City-based freelance writer.
Image Credit: Stuart Miles / freedigitalimages.net
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