Tips for Getting Out of The House on Time in The Morning

Weekday mornings can be a busy and difficult time for families. It can often be hard to get out of the house on time in the morning. This can mean that children are late for school or care arrangements and parents are late for work and other commitments. Sometimes this can feel like an ongoing battle! However, there are a number of strategies you can try to help make your morning routine as smooth as possible for your family.

1. Prepare lunches the night before. Have school and work lunches packed and ready to go in the fridge.
   
   
2. Pack bags the night before. This will ensure that you and your children are not rushing around looking for essential items in the morning.
   
   
3. Wash and iron school uniforms and work outfits in advance. This will reduce the stress and burden of having to prepare outfits in the morning.
   
   
4. Make the mornings a ‘no electronics zone’. This means no television, no mobile phones, no iPads, no video games etc. This will eliminate unnecessary distractions as you and your children are trying to get ready to leave the house.
   
   
5. Create house rules and/or chore charts about key expectations. This will help ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them in the mornings.
   
   
6. Create a timetable. This will help keep everyone on task and may help children better manage their time in communal areas such as bathrooms.
   
   
7. Create an activity schedule for young children. This can include pictures of the key things they need to do each morning (i.e. make their bed, brush their teeth, get dressed, etc). They can refer to this to keep them on task and even tick things off as they go.
   
   
8. Check in with children the night before about what they have on the next day. This will help to make sure there are no sudden surprises about what they need for school.
   
   
9. Ensure that children complete their homework the day before. This will prevent them from rushing to complete it in the morning.
   
   
10. Make sure the car has fuel. This will eliminate the need to stop for fuel on the way to school or work.
    
    
11. Get up 15 minutes earlier. This will help factor in a buffer in case unexpected difficulties emerge.

These are just a few tips for getting out of the house on time in the morning. You can build on these ideas. Pay attention to your morning routine and think about other ways that you can streamline your mornings. Remember, sometimes the simplest ideas make the best solutions.