“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” – Mark Twain

Ah the morning routine. Not having a routine in the morning could quite possibly be compared to eating a live frog. The chaos, the madness, the rushing and fumbling around could potentially wear you out before your day even begins and make you want to throw in the towel. I’ve always thrived off of a routine, as do most people, and science even backs this up. Getting your day started on the right foot is something you have to learn by trial and error, and today I’m sharing what I’ve learned over the years.

My Morning Routine

I wake up at 5:00 am and check my phone for e-mails and any notifications that came through over night. I use the Bedtime and Wake Up feature in the Clock app to set my bedtime and wake up time. If you haven’t heard of this, I highly suggest looking into it. Gone are the days of the obnoxious and anxiety inducing alarm clock. I wake up to the ever so gentle tune of “Early Riser.” I used to wake up at 4:45 am, but I am really trying to save time wherever possible in order to sleep in a few minutes later in the morning which allows me to go to sleep a few minutes later in the evening.

I wake the babies up at 6:00 am, so between 5:00 am and 6:00 am, I have a lot to accomplish. Once I stumble out of bed, I put my apple watch on first thing. I know, it’s weird – but I want to try to make sure every step is counted (have you ever realized the NEXT DAY that you were less than 100 steps from 10,000? I have…and a huge thumbs down to it!) I then make my way into the kitchen to make my two Dunkin’ Donuts k-cup pods in the keurig. While that is making, I also make two sippy cups of warm milk for the twins.

Once I’ve had a few sips of coffee, I’ve turned on the morning news, and am thinking more clearly, I start on my face. My morning routine for my face goes like this:

1. Cleanse – Wash with Elemis. You all know how I feel about the Elemis cleansing balm. Literally the best thing ever. I put in my contacts after washing my face….hands are clean and there is no product on them yet to potentially smudge on the contact lens.
2. Prep – Apply (in this order) Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid, Erno Laszlo Timeless Skin Serum, Erno Laszlo 3-9 Eye Repair.
3. After this, I wake up Lola and take her outside to go potty giving all of the product on my face time to “dry.” I don’t know if you are supposed to do that, but it really weirds me out when I try to put on make up and it doesn’t feel like the products have absorbed into my skin. I also feed her at this time.
4. Foundation/Powder – I use MAC Studio Fix which is a foundation and powder in one – this is a huge time saver for me. It’s full coverage and easy to throw in your purse for tiny touch ups throughout the day.
5. Blush – NARS blush in deep throat. It is the perfect rosy pink without being too much for work.
6. Eyeshadow – The palette I use is Naked Basics by Urban Decay. I think it is discontinued now, but there is a Naked Basics 2 that is VERY similar. It is perfect for creating a neutral matte eye and ranges from a very light creamy color to a darker taupe/brown. I also use it to quickly fill in my eyebrows.
7. Eyeliner – Almay Eyeliner Pencil – I have used this since high school. It has a built in sharpener which is a huge plus – one less step.
8. Mascara – Benefit They’re Real! – the BEST mascara out there. Here for Amazon, here for Nordstrom. It curls, volumizes, lifts, and separates lashes.
9. Lipstick – Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain in Crush. I have worn this lipstick for years now. I wear it in the summer, I wear it in the winter, and everywhere in between. This is a balm and stain in one and it doesn’t make my lips have that cracked look. Sometimes if I want more of a glossy look, I’ll apply a sheer lip gloss over the top.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY IGTV TUTORIAL ON HOW I APPLY MY MAKE UP.

Once I have my face done, I move on to hair. With my shorter hair, I usually wear it straight, especially on day 1. One days 2 and 3, you’ll probably see a cute headband, here and here, or a ponytail of some sort. Here are my favorite dry shampoos – I’ve listed a few and in the order I like them: number one favorite, pretty good and available at Target, more affordable and also available at Target.

I try to pick out my clothes the night before, especially if they need to be steamed. Remember, I’m trying to cut time, so steaming eats into any extra time I have. AND, it leaves you at risk of getting wrinkly again when you put on your seat belt if your outfit isn’t all the way dry. After I’m dressed, have brushed my teeth, put on jewelry, and made my bed, I then go wake up the babies. I am completely ready to walk out the door before I wake them up (except for if I am wearing heels that day.)

*At this point, if I haven’t already, I’ll load things into my car – food for work, work out bag, etc. I also lay out two diapers, wipes, their outfits for the day, complete with shoes and socks all on my bed so I’m not running around like a mad woman. I keep all of their stuff in a basket at the foot of my bed complete with Aquaphor, Butt Paste and applicator, hair brush, thermometer, and any other lotions I have for them. I keep Savannah’s tiny rubberbands in a jewelry catchall on my bedside table for easy grabbing.

I wake the babies up at 6:00 am with a warm sippy cup of milk. They drink this and then I change them, get them dressed and in the car all while trying to get out of the garage by ~6:20 am. My goal is 6:20 am, but I can leave closer to 6:25 am and make it to daycare by 6:30 am (as long as I hit the lights right getting out of my neighborhood.) One podcast I listen to every single morning is NPR Up First – it’s a 15 minute summary of what happened in the last day or so and things you need to know to start your day.

I believe that having a successful morning routine starts the night before. I try to do everything I possibly can the night before to eliminate wasted time in the morning. I know this is hard – ask me on a Wednesday night how productive I am 🙂

Here are a few things that help me have a successful morning routine:

• Load everything I can into my car the night before
• Things such as my laptop and food I’ll load into my car right before I wake up the babies
• Shower, wash and blow dry hair, shave the night before
• Lay out clothes and steam/iron the night before
• Have your routine written down somewhere (thoughts on paper seem to work better than thoughts in your head)
• Stay off of social media
• If you are bringing your food to work, already have it in the bag in the refrigerator and your non-fridge foods either in a separate bag or placed next to the fridge for easy grabbing
• Have your work out bag packed
• I don’t snooze. I already sleep as late as I possibly can, therefor leaving no time to snooze.

Where I differ from many other people is that I don’t meditate, read a devotional, take 15 minutes to journal, set an intention or any of that stuff in the morning. I already have so much going on in the morning, that I leave that stuff for the evening. I like to use these things as a strategy in the evening to help me settle down for the night.

Well, friends, here’s to having another successful week – getting things done, staying on top of to-do’s, and finding time to enjoy life 🙂 I’d love to hear your feedback on any tips or tricks you have for a successful morning routine.

Cheers – MP