8 Things To Do Before 8 AM | Successful Morning Routine

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Simplify your life by skipping the time wasters. Try these 8 things to do before 8 am to make your day run smoothly and less stress-filled as you simplify your life.

Before having kids, I had an idea in my mind about what life would look like. I would fix breakfast every morning since it’s the most important meal of the day. We would take a quick walk in the morning or do morning workouts together. There would always be clean clothes. My kids would be polite and perfect. I thought if we set goals and were early risers, we’d start each day on the right foot and we’d become productive people.

Instead, I was drowning.

I couldn’t breathe. Life was overwhelming. I wasn’t creating good habits. My mental health was lacking and I was far from getting enough hours of sleep. My energy levels were waning. Morning time was anything but simple. There was no such thing as a productive day. Cereal was the go-to breakfast food, and I rarely sat down to eat.

I knew that I couldn’t keep up with what I was doing, but at the same time, I didn’t know how to put an end to the vicious cycle.

How do you stop the cycle of overwhelm and pivot to a positive outlook and better life?

I told myself that this was my life now. This is just what life looks like with four kids under eight.

Hindsight is 20/20. It didn’t have to be that way. We could have a simple morning routine that set the tone for the rest of the day. I didn’t have to be frazzled all the time and put our fires 24-7 until I collapsed in bed.

That is the lie I believed.

But how do you create a simple morning routine and makeover your mornings when you aren’t morning people?

It was going to take a HUGE shift in my way of thinking as a night owl who enjoyed those late nights. I was going to have to train myself to go to bed earlier and adopt those early hours as my own. This night owl was going to have to make over her mornings and get a healthy amount of sleep.

A plan was needed for the best way to start my morning. I needed a morning makeover. Our morning routine needed to begin with simple morning lists that were actually followed.

It took a couple of weeks but I realized that there were several things that I needed to get done every morning before the kids got up in order for a less chaotic day.

The best morning routine starts at the end of the day. These ten things before 10 PM have made a huge difference in how my week goes.

I’m not going to say every day is perfect, but there was a lot less crazy. Even with four kids and working from home. Healthy habits aren’t always easy to start but they show me that there are better ways to create the perfect morning routine. Here is my 8 am morning routine.

8 Things to Do Before 8 am | My Morning Routine List

Here is a simple 8 am morning routine of 8 things you can do before 8 am to start your morning off right. With this morning schedule routine, you can establish a successful early morning routine and get these 8 things to do in the morning done in no time. You don’t even have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to get them done!

Important things first. This will be the key to starting daily routines for you and your family even if you aren’t a morning person. This is for all you night owls too.

What Should I Do Before 8 am?

1. Start the Laundry

Every simple morning routine should start with laundry. A lot of people struggle with laundry. It’s a hated chore that gets pushed aside on a busy day. There are laundry chairs, laundry treadmills, and laundry that gets left in the washer for days.

It doesn’t end there, though. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to rewash loads of clothes multiple times. Right now though I’m washing a load of laundry but forgot to actually add the clothes. Oops!

Have a plan on when you will put it in the dryer.

For me, it’s washing a load after the kids are dressed for the day and putting it in the dryer when the littlest goes down for her nap or when she wakes up since the laundry room is on the second floor.

2. Drink WATER

On my list of first things first in the morning, water is a must. A glass of water should be the first thing you drink in the morning, then you can drink your much-needed cup of coffee.

Don’t like plain water? That’s okay. Infused water tastes great and helps you get in your daily water needs.

3. Empty the Dishwasher

It’s like a clean slate. When the dishwasher is empty, as dishes get dirty you can bypass the sink and put them straight in the dishwasher. That leaves you with a clean sink.

I don’t know about you, but a clean sink helps my sanity in hard times. This is a huge one if a sink full of dishes makes your anxiety level go up.

Definitely add it to your list of 8 things to do before 8 am simple morning routine.

4. Read your Bible

In some seasons this can seem daunting. So impossible that we make excuse after excuse on why we can’t sit down long enough to read and meditate on God’s Word. Let us not give up.

Write down Scripture verses and post them throughout your house. Read one Proverb a day until it becomes a habit and you crave that time delving into the Word. It’s not impossible.

5. Plan Your Meals

Do you like to meal plan? I don’t. That’s how I knew I needed to add this to my simple morning routine.

Know what you are having for dinner.

Make a simple list of meals your family loves to eat. Meal planning is so important in sticking to your budget and maintaining a lower stress level at home.

When you know what you’re having for dinner in the morning, you can prep the ingredients early in the day and won’t be standing in front of the pantry and fridge while your children are tugging on your pants and legs begging for food.

Don’t forget to have a healthy breakfast!

6. Get Dressed

Did you know that getting dressed is an important part of a simple morning routine?

This sounds silly, I know. It’s amazing the difference between the flow of the day when I am dressed and ready to tackle the day when the kids wake up and the days when the opposite is true.

Is your closet overwhelming? There is a solution. First things first, streamline your wardrobe.

It’s amazing the difference it makes when you’re ready to tackle the day.

7. Brain Dump

Doing a brain dump will help in your morning makeover. Make two columns on a piece of paper, or purchase these brain dump sheets on Etsy. On one side write down what you are thankful for. On the other write down all the things weighing on you.

Your to-do list, everything that you know you need to get done, future events, things that you want to do, and every thought that comes to mind, write it down.

You don’t have to write it in any kind of order, just write down everything. It’s amazing how much brain capacity we take up just trying to remember everything. Once it’s written down, you can visualize what needs to happen and make your to-do list.

8. Simple Morning Lists

Make a simple morning list of things you need to get done. After you write it down, prioritize those items.

What absolutely has to happen?

What could be done tomorrow if life happens and disrupts your list?

Pick three things. If you get to more, awesome! If not, no worries. There is always tomorrow.

Notice What Is NOT On The List

Did you notice what wasn’t part of this simple morning routine?

Checking social media. Checking email. Catching up on the daily gossip. While tempting, those are total time wasters.

If you want to streamline your day and get more accomplished, skip those and start with the non-negotiables.

Don’t worry if you hit the snooze button too many times and wake up feeling behind. Commit to not wait until the next day. Start when you can and complete your important tasks. The perfect time to start is now.

Your Simple Morning Routine Makeover

Do you need a morning makeover? What is your morning routine to start the day out right?

Do you follow my list of 8 things to do before 8 am during your morning routine, or do you have a totally different plan each morning?

Do you try to do these 10 things before 10 PM to improve your productivity?

Consider making your simple morning lists the night before so you know exactly what you need to tackle when you wake up in the morning.

Need more morning routine examples? Here is an early morning routine for students for summer example.

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