5 Simple Morning Routines for Overwhelmed Moms

Too many to-dos? Margaret Gartlgruber shares five simple ways to find calm, focus, and control each morning before the chaos begins. 

If I were an artist, I would paint the image in my mind each morning: I am on a diving board about to plunge into a giant swimming pool, except instead of water, the pool would be filled with all the items on my to-do list.  

Sitting down with my coffee in the morning, it is difficult to know where to start. I have learned that by starting with five small things that take less than 30 minutes, there is order to my day, my home, and my mental well-being. Limiting my expectations of things to do every day and making those "to-dos" smaller, more realistic and concrete, I feel more accomplished and in control of my list. Challenge yourself, set a timer for 30 minutes, and see if you can get all of this done before the buzzer! 

Pray 

Begin your day with a small prayer, offering your day as a gift to God. This is the most important thing you will do all day. When you do this, you make your whole day a prayer.   

“Never waste a sacrifice,” a friend is fond of saying. The word sacrifice means to “make holy.” Offering your day includes sacrifices such as laundry, dishes, and all of the drudgery that comes with motherhood. When you can make all of this holy, it gives a profound new meaning to your daily routines and chores. Your entire day becomes prayer. 

Wherever you are in your prayer journey, challenge yourself to focus on one new small prayer that resonates. Work on doing it perfectly for the next two weeks. The key is starting small, doing it well, and then adding on. 

Make Your Bed 

I have never been a huge advocate of making the bed, until recently. I admit agreeing with my kids, "Why bother if you're just going to mess it up again later?" But after being challenged, I discovered that investing five minutes in making my bed each morning can provide an instant sense of accomplishment.  

Consider this: Assuming you sleep for 8 hours, that is 1/3 of your day. Shouldn't your bed, the place where your body spends 1/3 of each day, be a place of peace? Making your bed not only helps you feel productive but also ensures you have a tranquil space to retreat to at the end of the day. 

Tidy Your Kitchen Sink and Counters 

My rule is to clean my sink and counters every morning. Start the day with a clean kitchen and you will know you did something that day.  A clean sink and clutter-free counters can work wonders for creating a sense of order in your home. 

• Empty clean dishes from the dishwasher. 
• Move dirty dishes into the dishwasher. 
• Put away everything on your counters. 
• Wash the counters and inside your sink.  

Minimize clutter on the counters. Everyone in your home has stuff which ends up on the counters and multiplies! By limiting the things that stay on your counters, you will find that when stuff lands on them, it will be easier to control. The less clutter, the easier to maintain tidiness. 

Plan Your Main Family Meal 

I never knew when I got married that I would be responsible for feeding people for the rest of my life. Between the uncertainty of what I may want to eat in 10 hours, the likes and dislikes of my family, and a variety of dietary restrictions, it has become one of my least favorite responsibilities, and probably one of the most important! 

Meal planning in the morning, when you are fresh, can be a lifesaver. Spend a few minutes making this decision in the morning and you will alleviate stress when the 5 PM "witching hour" rolls around and all of the chaos that comes with it.  This will help keep your day in order.  

• Know what you plan on having.
• Double check that you have the right ingredients. 
• Write down what time you need to start preparing. 

Pick One Small Household Task: Only one! 

I have never enjoyed cleaning. I always think it needs to be perfect, and if I do not have time to do it perfectly, I just won’t do it.  

Lowering your expectations of how clean things need to be and focusing your efforts on completing small tasks each day will allow you to feel good about what you accomplished. Complete one small household chore each morning. Dust your bedroom, clean the toilets, or tidy up a specific area: something you can do within 10 minutes. 

Start Small, Get Good, Then Grow 

Simplicity is key. Do not let being perfect at something stop you. Recognize that you may be bad at first and be okay with it. Give your day, each day, to God. He loves you and wants you to be at peace. 

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Copyright 2025 Margaret Gartlgruber 
Images: (top and center) copyright 2025 Margaret Gartlgruber, all rights reserved; all others Canva
A version of this article was originally published on RuledByBananas.com.