It’s the same scenario being played out in homes around the world:

It’s a school day, kids running late to breakfast, braiding of ponytails, searching for missing shoes, organizing of soccer bags, studying for spelling tests.

And if your home is like the millions of other homes with two working parents, there is an additional element: pinging from all your mobile devices. This scenario is stressful, hurried and distracted. Not the way mom, dad or kids should start their day.

What simple things can we do to make our mornings more calm, less rushed and with fewer distractions? The Enabler (that's me!) went straight to an expert for answers.

As a working parent, Heather Lambie has first hand experience with this scenario, and as a professional organizer she has helped hundreds of busy families with time management. I sat down with Heather to get her tips for creating a happier morning routine for working parents.

The Enabler: Heather, help me out here. I have enough to do in the morning, so what can I do the night before to avoid the morning chaos?

Lambie: Besides the obvious night-before preps, to avoid chaos in general, keep one calendar in a common place where everyone can see it. What you don’t want is your work schedule on your phone, your husband’s work schedule on his computer and the kids’ activities on a calendar in the kitchen. One calendar. One place.
 
And I know this isn’t a “night before” thing, but if you notice your mornings are hectic, you (and your family) just might not be getting up early enough. Many people underestimate how long it actually takes them to get up, get ready and get out the door each morning.

Just once, (perhaps on a weekend) do a morning “fire drill” and time how long it takes your kids to eat their breakfast, your husband to brush his teeth, you to take a shower. Does it take longer than the hour you’ve been giving yourselves each day? Adjust your wake-up and bedtimes accordingly.
 
The Enabler: How can I better organize my workday so my morning isn't so frantic?

Lambie: Simply tidy up your desk each evening before you leave work. File, sort and purge. Then make a “Must Do” list of the top five things you must do  or accomplish the next day for you to feel productive. Leave the list  on your keyboard so it can act as your starting point when you arrive  the next morning.
 
Of course, the simplest and most obvious answer to making mornings less
frantic is probably the one you don’t want to hear, but it works:  Wake yourself up earlier! That’s right.

If your husband and children wake up at 7:00 a.m., set your alarm for
6:00. Give yourself a full hour to gather your thoughts, write in a
journal or take a run. Use this quiet time to focus on getting yourself
physically and mentally ready so you don’t start the day feeling rushed
or forced to multitask by applying mascara while you tie a little shoe
and gulp a coffee—not the best way to start a day.
 
The Enabler: I'm getting pinged by work while getting the kids off to school. How can I stop that?
 
Lambie:
Reinstitute office hours and simply turn your phone to silent until you get to work. Just as you create boundaries for your children (what is acceptable and what is not), so must you create boundaries for your = work place. It is not acceptable for your boss to expect you to text him or her back while you are driving your precious children to school. It can wait until you get there!
 
Further, I recommend you stop launching email as your first item of business when you arrive at work. Instead, focus on that “Must Do” list you left  yourself yesterday evening (in Question 2). Cross at least two items off that list before you even open email. This allows you to spend your most productive morning mojo accomplishing tasks, not responding to them.

Heather’s practical 6 tips to achieve a happier morning routine:

1. wake up a little earlier
2. consolidate your calendars
3. reinstitute office hours with your colleagues
4. end your workday with a to-do list
5. start your workday with that to-do list
6. stay out of email until you’ve cleared a couple critical things off that to-do list.

 

Your Turn: What are you doing to create a happy morning routine at your house? Leave a comment below or email me at heather@psdnetwork.com. To get more parenting and organization tips from Heather Lambie check out her blog!

You can follow both of us on Twitter @heatherlambie and @hsboggini. What did you just say? You’re not on Twitter! Don’t worry. My next post is a non-technical starter kit for first time Twitter users. You’re gonna love it!