Updated November 2021

6 Tips for a Stress-Free Morning

Do you start every day with a morning stress relief meditation, followed by a great workout, then a leisurely coffee and wholesome breakfast while you read the news or catch up on your favorite blogs? We hope so, because that sounds awesome!

But, if you're like most of the people we know, your morning goes more like this: wake up, hit snooze, groan, hit snooze again, spend 10 minutes staring at your closet wondering why you have nothing to wear, rushing through your shower-hair-makeup routine, all the while trying to chug a cup of coffee (which is now cold), searching for your keys and phone, realizing your purse doesn't match your outfit but it's too late to change it now, skipping breakfast, and dashing to your car while trying to quickly scroll through your Instagram feed and wondering why you're ALWAYS LATE!

And, if you're a mom, well... then you're doing all this while also trying to get your kids dressed and fed and out the door. What causes anxiety in the morning? Everything! I got whiplash just reading this back. So, we came up with these 6 easy tips to add to your morning routine to reduce stress. Try them out, and let us know what works for you!

1. Use smarter hair and makeup products.

We love products that multitask & give us extra time. 

• Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look All Over Face Palette

  Charlotte Tilbury makes this gorgeous makeup palette that has everything you need in one small, beautiful package. Don't waste time looking through dozens of eye shadows, blushes, & bronzers when you can just grab this one and be done! The colors give you enough variety to create a day and a night look, and it's compact enough to throw in your purse. 

• Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo

  Our first option for hair is simply to go to the DryBar every week and never think about styling it again. (They give you free champagne!) But if you can't do that, use their Detox Dry Shampoo. We use this to extend hairstyles for a few days, and it smells unbelievably delicious. Nobody will notice you skipped your morning shampoo, and you save all that styling time.

• Bumble and Bumble Curl Reactivator

  Have crazy curly hair? The kind that looks cute the first day, but then is a weird half-frizzy, half-curly mess the next morning? Yeah, us too. Use this curl primer/reactivator in the morning and go! It totally rejuvenates your curls, smells awesome, and conditions & tames frizz. (The Bumble & Bumble curl cream is awesome too!)

• The Dyson Airwrap Complete

  This product is a bit pricey, but it’s amazing. It dries AND styles your hair super fast, therefore using less heat. And, it works with all hair types! Use it to volumize and style or tame it down - whatever your heart desires!

• Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer

  For skincare, I'm obsessed with this. It gives you coverage, moisture, and sunscreen all in one. With an SPF of 47, this tinted moisturizer will keep you protected. And, we should all be better about putting sunscreen on daily!!!

2. Get your outfit together before you go to bed. 

We know you've heard it - we have too. But that was before we found these awesome solutions. 

Pick out your clothes before you go to bed, and hang the entire outfit together. This includes shoes, accessories, and undergarments. (We can't tell you how many times we wanted to wear that perfect white blouse only to find that our only nude bra was in the wash. Sigh.) Take the entire outfit and hang it on a beautiful clothing rack, a simple rail, or fold it neatly on a chair...anywhere, as long as it's all together and away from the rest of your closet. 

This clothing rack, from Urban Outfitters, is the dreamiest solution. Wouldn't you wake up so happy every morning seeing your outfit of the day displayed like this?! 

Not enough space for a full-size garment rack? No problem! Get a space-saving corner clothes rod. Simple & beautiful. 

3. Always know where to find your keys, wallet, & phone. 

Create one designated space for these essentials, and never spend your mornings searching for a far-off ringtone.

Put a table in your entryway where you can neatly store your essentials, mail, and even shoes. Do this and you'll never need to search for your things again. Don’t forget to add a plant or two!

Don't have the space for an entryway table? Get creative with your wall space! Try this wall shelf and hook piece from Urban Outfitters!

4. Don't touch your phone! Yes, really.

But if you just can't help yourself, at least unsubscribe from the hundreds of junk emails that clutter up your inbox. 

Apps like unroll.me do it for you (for free!) in one easy swipe. Imagine the time saved by no longer having to scroll through to find the one email you really wanted to read, or worse...trying to manually unsubscribe from all of them! 

5. Make breakfast while you're making dinner. 

You're already in the kitchen, so use this time to make breakfast for the next few days (or weeks)! You can pack the kids' lunches for the next day, too. 

• Overnight oats are the simplest thing in the world. Prep a few days worth by putting oats and any other ingredient you like in a mason jar. Add milk and shake it up (or stir, if you're using a bowl). Leave it in the fridge overnight and your breakfast is ready to go. This is a great option for kids, and they can help you prep them! Substitute chia seeds for the oats and you've got an awesome chia pudding the next day. Our favorite toppings are cacao nibs, walnuts, cinnamon, and berries. 

• The go-to breakfast in our house is frittatas in a muffin pan. You'll have single serving breakfasts for days! Beat a dozen eggs, add any ingredients you love (broccoli & cheddar, ham & Swiss, asparagus & onions), pour evenly into a greased muffin pan, and bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes. We make several dozen at a time, eat one dozen throughout the week, and freeze the others. When you're ready to eat the frozen ones, just pop the single servings in the microwave for 30 seconds and you're ready to go! (We wouldn't recommend adding tomatoes or mushrooms, as both tend to make the frittata a bit soggy.)

• Another option is to pre-make breakfast burritos in bulk. Scramble eggs then mix them with potatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, onion, and whatever other veggies you like. Wrap them in foil and freeze them. Pop them in the microwave when you’re ready to eat them and you have a hearty breakfast on the go ready and waiting.

I hope you enjoyed these morning productivity tips for success!! We think with these, you’ll figure out how to make the perfect morning routine.

Originally published 01/04/2017