There was a time when I used to think the morning rush was just part of being a mother.

You wake up, get the children ready, look for clothes, prepare breakfast, remember someone’s school item at the last minute, look for a missing shoe, answer about ten questions before 8 a.m., and somehow still try to get yourself ready.

With two children, I quickly realised that mornings can become stressful very easily.

And honestly, I don’t always get it right. There are still mornings when everybody is rushing around and I am wondering how we managed to get so far into the morning without anyone finding what they were looking for.

But one thing that has made a noticeable difference for me is doing a few things in the evening.

I don’t mean spending two hours preparing for the next day. I don’t have that kind of energy every night. By the time the children are settled, there are still dishes, laundry, and other things to deal with.

What I have found helpful is doing a few small things before I go to bed so that I don’t have to deal with everything when I wake up.

These are some of the evening habits I have been trying to keep, especially on school nights.

1. I Get the Children’s Clothes Ready at Night

This sounds very simple, but it has saved me from a lot of unnecessary morning stress.

I used to leave everything until morning. Then morning would come and one child would say, “Mummy, I can’t find my socks,” while the other was looking for a particular shirt.

Sometimes the uniform needed ironing too.

That was enough to start my day already feeling tired.

Now, whenever I can, I get their clothes ready before I go to bed.

I put out their clothes, underwear, socks and whatever shoes they will be wearing. If something needs ironing, I try to take care of it at night.

It doesn’t always take more than a few minutes.

And I have realised that the few minutes I spend doing this at night are much easier to handle than trying to find clothes while two children are waiting for me in the morning.

As my children get older, I am also trying to get them involved. They may not do everything perfectly, but I want them to start understanding that getting ready for school is not only Mum’s responsibility.

2. I Check Their School Bags

One thing I don’t like discovering in the morning is that something important was left out of a school bag.

That is when you hear things like, “Mummy, I need this for school today.”

Today?

Why are you telling me today?

I know I’m not the only mother who has had this experience.

So, before bed, I try to check their school bags.

I look at their books, homework, lunch bags, water bottles and anything else they may need for the following day.

If there is a special activity at school, I try to make sure I know about it before morning.

Sometimes my children pack their own things and I simply check them. I actually prefer this because they need to learn to take some responsibility for their belongings.

I am not trying to make everything perfect. I just don’t want to be searching for a missing textbook at 7:30 in the morning.

3. I Decide What Breakfast Will Be

Breakfast can become one of those small things that somehow creates a lot of stress.

You wake up and start thinking, “What am I going to make?”

Then the children start asking for different things.

One wants bread. Another wants something else. You are checking the time, trying to get everyone dressed, and still haven’t decided what breakfast is going to be.

I have found it easier to make that decision the night before.

It doesn’t mean I prepare an elaborate breakfast every night.

Sometimes I already know it will be eggs and bread. Other times it may be oats, pancakes, pap, or whatever is easy and available.

If something needs to come out of the freezer, I do that at night.

If I know I will need certain ingredients, I make sure I have them.

It is a small thing, but when I wake up already knowing what breakfast will be, I don’t have to spend part of my morning making another decision.

And as a mother, I have come to appreciate anything that removes one unnecessary decision from my morning.

4. I Prepare Whatever I Can for Their Lunch

Packing children’s lunch in the morning can be another source of pressure, especially when you are already trying to get everybody ready.

So I started preparing whatever I can the night before.

I may wash the fruits, prepare some of the ingredients, portion snacks or get the lunch containers ready.

If I’m making something that can be prepared ahead, I do it.

I don’t always prepare the whole lunch at night because some foods are better when they are freshly made. But even having a few things ready helps.

For example, if I know I am putting fruit in their lunch boxes, I can wash it and have it ready.

If I need certain containers, I put them where I can easily find them.

this simple preparation makes the next day’s job a little easier

5. I Do a Quick Reset of the Living Room

I have two children, so I have accepted that my house will not look perfect all day.

There will be toys.

There will be things on the floor.

There will probably be a cup somewhere it shouldn’t be.

And honestly, I don’t have the energy to keep cleaning the same things every five minutes.

But before I go to bed, I like to do a quick reset of the main areas we use. I do a quick reset of the main areas we use. I have found that a few simple home organization habits can make a big difference when you have children around.

I put away toys, clear the dining table, return things to their places and pick up anything that shouldn’t be there.

Sometimes it takes ten minutes or less.

I’m not deep cleaning the house at night. I am simply trying to avoid waking up to yesterday’s mess.

There is something about walking into the living room in the morning and seeing a reasonably tidy space.

It makes me feel like I have at least one thing under control.

And if I don’t get to do it one night, I don’t beat myself up about it. There is always another day.

6. I Look at What the Next Day Will Require

This is one habit I wish I had started much earlier.

Before I go to bed, I try to think about what is happening the following day.

Do the children have an activity at school?

Is there something they need to take?

Do I have somewhere I need to be?

Is there an appointment?

Do I need to prepare anything?

Sometimes the answer is no. Other times, I realised there is actually something I would have completely forgotten about if I hadn’t checked.

I don’t have a complicated planner.

I use my phone or I write something down. Sometimes I simply make a mental note.

The important thing is knowing what tomorrow looks like before tomorrow arrives.

Because there is nothing like waking up and suddenly remembering that your child needs something special for school that day.

I would rather remember it while I am still awake and have time to do something about it.

7. I Put Things Where I Know I Will Find Them in the Morning

I have learned that some things don’t actually disappear.

I just put them somewhere I can’t remember.

Keys are a good example.

Shoes are another.

Water bottles, school bags, chargers and other everyday things can somehow end up in completely different parts of the house.

So I have started giving certain things a regular place.

School bags go in the same area.

Shoes have their place.

My keys go where I know I can find them.

The children’s water bottles are prepared and kept where they can easily be picked up.

This may sound like something very basic, but it makes a difference when you are already running late.

I don’t want to spend ten minutes searching for something that I could have put in the same place every day.

It also helps the children.

If they know where something belongs, they can look for it themselves instead of immediately calling, “Mummy!”

And believe me, I appreciate those little moments when I am not the first person they call for something they can find themselves.

8. I Prepare Something for Myself Too

This is one area I am still learning to take seriously.

As mothers, it can be very easy to spend the whole evening preparing things for the children and forget that we also have a morning coming.

So now, whenever I can, I prepare something for myself.

I choose what I am going to wear.

I put my bag together.

I make sure I know where my keys are.

If I have somewhere to be, I check that I have what I need.

It may only take a few minutes, but those few minutes are useful.

There have been mornings when I have gotten the children ready only to realise that I haven’t even thought about what I am going to wear.

Then I am standing in front of my wardrobe, already feeling rushed. Preparing myself at night doesn’t mean I have everything figured out. It just means I remember that I am part of the morning too. And as I have talked about before, motherhood can feel heavy sometimes, especially when you are constantly trying to keep up with everyone else’s needs.

9. I Try Not to Leave Everything for “Tomorrow”

I used to tell myself, “I’ll do it tomorrow morning.”

Sometimes tomorrow morning came and I regretted saying that.

Of course, there are things that genuinely need to wait until morning. But there are also many little things that can be done in five minutes at night.

A school form can be signed.

A bag can be packed.

The kitchen can be cleared.

Clothes can be laid out.

A reminder can be set.

Something can be put where it needs to be.

When I leave all these little jobs for the morning, they somehow become much bigger because I am trying to do them while getting everyone else ready.

So now, when I notice something that will make tomorrow morning easier and it will only take a few minutes, I try to deal with it before bed.

Not always.

But whenever I have the energy.

10. I Give Myself Some Time to Actually Rest

This is probably the habit I struggle with the most.

After the children are asleep, I look around and see everything else that still needs to be done.

There may be dishes.

Laundry.

Something to tidy.

Something I need to prepare.

And if I’m not careful, I can spend the entire night doing things for everyone and go to bed without giving myself a proper break.

I’ve realised that I need some quiet time too.

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.

I can take a shower and sit for a few minutes.

Sometimes I watch something.

Sometimes I scroll through my phone more than I should.

Sometimes I just lie down.

The point is that I don’t want every minute after the children go to sleep to become another task.

Being productive is not the only reason I am allowed to stay awake.

Sometimes I simply need to rest.

And when I get enough rest, I notice that I am much better able to handle the next morning. Getting enough sleep also matters, especially when you are already juggling the needs of your family. The CDC’s sleep recommendations are a helpful guide to how much sleep adults and children generally need.

What I Don’t Do Every Night

I think this is important to say because sometimes you see these beautiful evening routines online and it looks like everything has to be done every single night.

That is not my reality.

There are nights when I am tired.

There are nights when the children have kept me busy.

There are nights when I look at the house and decide that some things can wait until tomorrow.

And that’s okay.

I don’t try to complete all ten habits every night.

Some evenings, I may only prepare the children’s clothes and school bags.

Other evenings, I may do a quick tidy and prepare lunch ingredients.

It depends on how the day went.

For me, the purpose of these habits is not to create another list of things I have to accomplish before I am allowed to sleep.

They are simply little things that make my mornings easier.

The Two Habits I Would Start With

If you are reading this and thinking, “There is no way I am adding ten more things to my evening,” I completely understand.

Don’t.

Start with two.

For me, I would start with preparing clothes and checking school bags.

Those two alone can remove quite a bit of morning stress.

Once you get used to those, you can add something else.

Maybe preparing breakfast.

Maybe getting lunch ingredients ready.

Maybe putting everyone’s shoes and bags in one place.

You don’t have to change your entire evening routine in one day.

My Evening Routine Is Really About Making Tomorrow Easier

Having two children has taught me that small preparations can save a lot of unnecessary stress.

I cannot control everything that will happen in the morning.

One of the children may wake up in a bad mood.

Someone may spill something.

Someone may suddenly remember an assignment.

We may still run late sometimes.

That is life with children.

But I can control some of the things I prepare for.

When I get the clothes ready, check the school bags, think about breakfast and tidy the main living area, I am making the next morning a little easier for myself.

And sometimes, that is all I need.

I don’t need a perfect routine.

I don’t need to wake up at 4 a.m. just to prove that I am organised.

I just need to stop making my mornings harder by leaving every little thing until the morning.

So if your mornings have been feeling a little too rushed lately, try doing a few things tonight.

Get the clothes ready.

Check the bags.

Decide on breakfast.

Put the shoes where they belong.

Then go and rest.

Because tomorrow morning is coming whether everything is ready or not. I would rather meet it with a few things already taken care of.