Make Weekday Mornings a Breeze: 7 Questions to Ask Yourself the Night Before

It's a familiar scene. You have had a bad day. Maybe it wasn't even bad really, but just incredibly hectic. You got home from work late or had appointments all day, or after school was a nightmare marathon of homework and more to-dos. Then came dinner and bedtime and now you're exhausted, quite possibly falling asleep sitting up while trying to catch the last half hour of your favorite show. You're so tired that you just might go to sleep right now and that would be a very big mistake…because you will regret this in the morning. You will pay for it when you wake up and you realize all the things that still need to be done.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself each night to make your morning rush to get out the door as seamless as possible:

Have GOOD morning.
Did I charge my cell phone?
My cell doubles as my morning alarm so a dead phone can mean a late start to the day. Leaving the house in the morning without a phone I also not a wise choice. It will invariably be the one day when your boss calls you on your commute, your bus breaks down, or your child gets sick and the nurse can't reach you.

Related: 8 ways for parents to streamline weekday mornings

Have GOOD morning.
Do I have enough food for tomorrow's lunches, drink, and snacks?
I had awakened to an near empty pantry a few times too many before I realized I had to stock and ration out hot and cold food items like a drill sergeant if I wanted them to last the full week. That means always monitoring how many of any given thing are left vs. the number of kids you have to dish them out to over the next few days.

Have GOOD morning.
Is the kitchen clean?
I know it's the absolute last thing you want to think about but I've been there, done this way too many times. When I get up the next day, and see a pile of pots and pans so high that I have to dig into it just to find a fork and spoon for breakfast, I am not only tired, but also annoyed about having to clean up the mess just to get breakfast and lunch ready.

Have GOOD morning.
Did I see my child's empty lunchbox today?
Chances are if it is morning and you haven't seen it the night before, it may be very well be filled with half eaten tidbits from yesterday's lunch. In any case, it will have to washed and dried before you need to fill it up again…in about 10 minutes!

Related: 10 time-saving tips for working moms

Have GOOD morning.
Where are my keys, transit pass, and work ID?
I can't tell you how many times I have changed bags to match a particular outfit and the left one of the above items in an old bag or jacket pocket. Leave these items by the table closest to the front door.

Have GOOD morning.
Did I take off my make-up?
The urge to just fall asleep without taking off your make-up or moisturizing is an urge like no other when you're drop dead tired, but your skin will always remind why you should have just done it last night. You'll pay in baggy eyes and dry skin, not to mention any bacterial infections that might easily sneak up on you while falling sleep with make-up on.

Have GOOD morning.
This one is for the kiddies…
Each day, ask your child if anything special is needed for school tomorrow at the earliest possible time they get out of school, (preferably on the way home) to ward off last minute trips to Staples at 9pm searching for Styrofoam balls. True story.

For 3 more questions to ask yourself the night before, visit Babble

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