Awhile ago I shared my secret about how I don’t feel busy, even though I have five kids. If you’re a new reader and didn’t realize I had five kids… yeah, my life is a little bananas. I don’t want to put up this false front that I have everything in my life completely together (did you see last night’s Instagram post?!). I’m still stumbling daily and figuring it out as I go along! You know what though, that’s okay. Life is about progression and not perfection. So for those of you who have said to me, “I don’t know how you do it” just know that it’s gradual. I shift and change and grow a little at a time. One of those things I’ve been shifting slowly is my morning routine. In my quest to streamline my mornings I’ve had to face some hard truths about how I was really the one stopping myself from having a productive morning! I’d love to share some thoughts about having a stress-free morning in the hopes that it helps someone else out there!

tips for a productive morning

leave your phone alone

If you’re like most people your phone is probably one of the first things you look at in the morning. Maybe you use it for an alarm, or you like to check the weather. A lot of people keep their daily tasks and appointments on their phones. There’s several reasons to reach for it first thing!

However, what happens when you reach for your phone first thing so you can check the weather? You see you have a text message so you open it up to read it. Which will remind you of the email you had been waiting for so you check that. You got a newsletter from your favorite blog so you catch up on their latest post. Then that reminds you of the funny meme you saw on Facebook that you wanted to share… before you know it you’ve entered into your very own version of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and you’re wondering what you just spent the last hour of you life doing.

Want to have a stress-free and productive morning? Don’t reach for your phone first thing in the morning! If this is particularly hard for you then start small–set yourself a goal of 30 minutes. That should give you enough time to get up and get ready for the day before checking your phone. Then expand your screen-free goal to one hour. My current goal is not to look at my phone until I drop my kids off at on-site classes on the days they have them. When we have homeschool days I try to avoid it until we’re done with our learning for the day. Does that always happen? No. But I notice a huge difference in the days when I meet my goal and the days that I don’t.

get yourself ready first

If you’re a mom there’s a good chance that you struggle with your mornings because you’re so darn tired. Those sweet little angels sure know how to suck all the energy out of us, don’t they? I know several moms who have hard time getting up before their kiddos. However, if you can make that shift you’ll notice such a difference in the chaos and have a much more productive morning.

Get out of bed and get yourself ready first. Take care of yourself before you reach for your phone. Don’t get the kids ready before you’re ready. Get ready before you have your morning cup of… whatever it is you drink. Personally, I’m a hot water with lemon and honey type of gal.

I have heard so many people share that they just feel better when they take the time to get dressed, or put on makeup, or do their hair in the morning. But did you know there’s actually scientific evidence to back it up? Studies have long shown the impact on our appearance and dress not only on how others perceive us, but our own way of thinking. Set yourself up for success by getting yourself ready first thing.

I realize that some people like to get their exercise in first thing. If you enjoy working out first thing in the morning be sure to get changed and ready for the day right afterwards. Don’t fall into the trap of wearing your workout clothes for the rest of the day. But hey, if you do don’t feel badly, it happens to all of us sometimes!

don’t forget to fuel your body

Truth be told, during the week I often don’t have breakfast. I’m not usually that hungry and I don’t like to force it. However, I do love having my superfoods in the morning! Not only do I notice a difference in my morning, but in my whole day; I feel more alert as I go about my day. I also feel like my daily superfoods and probiotics are one of the reasons that I stayed so healthy during cold and flu season this past year.

MacroLife Naturals is what I drink for my morning superfoods drink. I first learned about them from the WOW Summit last year and I’ve been drinking them ever since. My favorite way to drink them is with a small handful of frozen fruit, a scoop of Macro Greens or Miracle Reds, topped with water, and blended smooth. If you’d like to give them a try you can use code LITTLEDOVE for 35% off your order!

listen to some motivation

I used to listen to Instagram Stories in the morning while I was doing dishes or getting ready or whatever I was doing in the morning. I enjoyed catching up with my online “friends” first thing. However, I realized two things–ONE, my mornings were feeling rushed and chaotic and I needed to do something to change that. TWO, there had to be a way to have a more productive morning.

I started changing what I listened to first thing in the morning and much like leaving my phone alone, it made an impact on my whole day. I personally like to listen to some religious talks in the morning. Or sometimes I ask Alexa to shuffle songs by Anthem Lights. Really though, anything that helps you feel calm and centered in the morning or motivates you to have a great day would be a good choice! Maybe you’d like to listen to a devotional, or an uplifting Podcast (I said uplifting, not True Crime, okay? Big difference.), or your favorite motivational music. Whatever it is make sure that it’s setting you up for a great day and not adding to the chaos in your life.

What do you do to have a productive morning and start your day off right?

Images in this post were taken by Shelby Mousley Photography.