6 Essential Prep Tips to Having a Stressless Day
The Intentional Mom Planning System is where you need to start with our incredible collection of product options. It will help you establish the basics for your life & home so you’ll finally have a plan, save yourself time, and go to bed feeling like you accomplished something every day (because you did). Save up to 60% HERE!
If there is one thing I love, it is preparing for things in order to make things go more smoothly. Maybe it is because I have such a large family, but I find that it is nearly impossible to get through a day without having done quite a bit of prep work during my quiet time in the evenings or in the mornings when my mind can actually think properly. If I were left to deal with meals, clothing, calendars, schedules, and getting things needed to take places in the midst of my crazy, busy family, I think my mind would explode!
I find six areas to be essential, and I call these my six essential preparation tips to having a stressless day.
My calendar
This also means my schedule, and I must have a clear handle on my schedule, calendar, and any conflicts before my day starts with my kids. My mind simply is incapable of doing this in the midst of everyday life. I’ve written a great deal about how that looks in my life. You can read about them in Is Your Calendar to Blame For Your Stress? Is Your Planner Not Working? Why I Make Lists and Why You Should Too.
Clothing
I like knowing what I will be wearing ahead of time but more importantly, having my little kids know what they will be wearing. Oftentimes I put their outfits for the week together on the weekend, but I at least always get them together the night before and make sure that my little ones know where to find them. Not only is this more efficient, but it also lessens the amount of battles in the morning with this one thing handled ahead of time.
Kitchen prep
I must have a clean kitchen when I wake up in the morning. Although this may be a pain at night at times, I find that the effort I put forth in the evening always far outweighs the stress I feel in the morning if I walk into a kitchen that is not primarily clean.
Meal prep
I meal plan on the weekend so that is always done, but I also get a major jump on meals for the day ahead of time. I almost always have breakfast ready for the morning, and much of the day’s meals are also prepared ahead of time. You can read more about that in 8 Meal Prep Tips That Will Save You Loads of Time.
School prep
We homeschool so that leaves me with a lot of things to get ready, which is always done at night. Even with homeschooling, however, I do have kids that have places to go nearly every day. For this reason, we have all of their things packed and ready to go by the door the night before. This would include school things for classes away from home, sporting equipment, music equipment, and their shoes. Having these things ready in the morning makes for much less stress when we are trying to get out the door.
On the go prep
This refers to my things. I am always having to run here and there whether it is to head to a store or errands, get to an appointment, or take my kids here, there, and everywhere. I always, always, always, have a to-go bag packed and ready by the door. You can read more about how exactly I do this in An Essential Tool For Moms on the Go.
There are so many things that you can do when you’re not in the depth of the hustle and bustle of life that can make your life so much easier. These are my 6 essential prep tips, and I would love to hear if you’ve got some different tips. Feel free to share in the comments!
This post is based on day nine in Crystal Paine’s new course, Make Over Your Evenings. We are working through this course together as a community, and you can still join in. Click on the graphic below to purchase the course, it’s only $17, and there is even a money back guarantee!
