7 Best Habits for a Productive Mom Morning Routine

There is nothing like a good cup of coffee in the morning!

I literally can’t start my day without one – it’s just not the same. Having a cup of coffee is one of those things I started doing in college and stuck with!

Routine, right?

It’s never too late to start a new morning routine – and each time we enter a new part of life, it’s perfectly natural to adjust yours!

Creating an awesome mom morning routine took about 2 years for me – and I know that when we’re fortunate enough to welcome another child into the mix, we’ll have to make some more adjustments.

The important thing is feeling good about starting your day!

This post provides a glance into my weekdays (working at home and on the go) plus several ideas for creating a morning routine to fit your needs.

Let’s get started!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I could earn a small commission if you make a purchase using one. This comes at no additional cost to you and all recommendations are based on my experience.

More ideas for busy moms: 

• 120 Self-Care Ideas for Every Mom
• 9 Productivity Boosting Tips for Moms

How to Make a Morning Routine

Your morning routine needs to reflect who you are and make you feel accomplished before you move on to conquer the rest of your day.

My 7 step mom morning routine includes accomplishing three daily goals.

For me, these goals might include three of the following:

• Workout for 30 minutes
• Clean out the fridge
• Re-organize cupboards, drawers, etc.
• Meal plan for the week ahead
• Grocery shopping
• Wash and put away a load of laundry
• Respond to work emails
• Create 3 new pins for Pinterest
• Publish a new blog post – since blogging is my full-time job!
• Revise an old blog post
• Review Google and Pinterest Analytics to see what’s working

I like to keep things simple because it gives me a sense of accomplishment.

I also find that the number 3 feels more productive than 2 and less overwhelming than 4 which is why it’s a common theme in my goals lists!

I use a note pad like this to keep track of my goals in addition to planning the week ahead with a great planner – maybe I’m old school but I like crossing things off after I finish them!

7 Step Weekday Mom Morning Routine

Being a work at home mom is something I’m incredibly grateful for but it does have its own set of unique challenges.

These morning routine ideas for moms are based on my own daily routine from Monday to Friday.

Since my husband works full-time in the Vancouver film industry, my weekday morning routine is quite different from our weekend morning routine.

J’s average work day is between 12 to 20 hours long.

I wish I was kidding!

From Monday to Friday, I’m on my own – we wakeup after J’s left for the day and most days, we’re asleep before he gets home.

This means all child care, chores, errands, etc. are my responsibility.

And as a result of his crazy schedule, being able to work from home has been an absolute blessing for our family.

So, let’s talk about balancing solo parenting 5 days a week with work and household responsibilities.

Wake up (6:30am)

M wakes me up about 99% of the time – she’s either crawled into bed with us around 3:30am or comes running in from her room at about 6:30am!

Nothing beats a little one’s hugs and kisses to start the day.

Make the bed (6:35am)

There is something so satisfying about making your bed the moment you leave it!

Since we purchased this bedding, there’s also only one sheet to deal with – easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

The whole process takes less than 5 minutes.

Make coffee (6:40am)

I don’t know if I’d be able to get out of bed without coffee!

And since we got this Miele espresso machine, it’s that much easier – so long Starbucks, the coffee is consistent and WAY better at home.

Our espresso machine makes one touch drinks so, I have a cappuccino ready to go in under 5 minutes. Talk about winning at mom life!

Create a to do list (6:45am)

I like to start my day by creating a list of priorities.

Whether it’s bills that need to get paid, emails that need responding to, or family obligations, I place the 911’s on top and tackle each responsibility according to its importance.

I take between 20 to 30 minutes a day to do this while M plays with refrigerator magnets or flips through board books – Chris Ferrie is one of our favourite authors!

Eat a healthy breakfast (7:15am)

What healthy morning routine is complete without making time for breakfast?

Our breakfasts are pretty basic but really enjoyable.

M and I both love scrambled eggs, so I’ll cook up a few eggs for the two of us in addition to a protein and some chopped fruits and veggies – we love grape tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and/or raspberries in the morning.

I think one of the keys to an easy morning routine is coming up with a breakfast plan you can eat on the daily – it just sets your day up for success!

I normally start prepping and cooking around 7:15am and we’re eating by 7:45am.

I like to take meal time to hangout with M!

We eat and chat for between 20 to 30 minutes each morning.

Independent Play / Work Time (8:15am)

Since I invested in a multi-purpose sensory / Lego table for M, I can get a lot more work done without relying on screen time to keep her entertained.

I purchased a FLISAT Children’s Table from IKEA with a different number of bins that we use for activities like:

• Lego
• Trains
• Scooping
• Sorting
• Colouring
• Stickers

But if she’s not in the mood for table time, I also pitch the following independent activities she can do while mama works:

• colouring books and/or new exciting colouring pages from Pinterest – mixing it up between felts and crayons helps keep it exciting too
• big board books with lots of pictures and words
• jumbo puzzles – her alphabet and numbers puzzles are favourites
• reusable stickers and scenes – these were also a life saver during potty training!

I try to accomplish something around the house and then create and launch three pins for my blog on Tailwind each morning while M plays.

Since I go back and forth between reusing and creating new templates, the process of designing new pins takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour – it also depends on how long M is entertained!

Once I get through that, I’ll gage how M is doing and might move onto researching an upcoming blog post or creating a promotional post for Instagram.

I like to take between one and two hours to work on my business every morning.

Workout (9:15am)

This is a slightly new addition to our morning routine.

When M was younger, I used to try and work out on my Peloton during her naps or in the evenings after she went to bed.

But after she stopped napping, I found myself more tired than ever and lacking the motivation I needed to make exercise happen.

These days, our fitness space is a combined toy room and gym so, I can work out while M plays.

I normally choose a 20 to 30 minute Cycling or Strength class to start my weekdays and on days where I need to clear my head (and I have the energy), I’ll do a 45 or 60 minute Scenic Cycling ride in the evening.

The Spintray has been a great addition to my bike and allows me to do some writing on Recovery ride days.

After my morning routine workout, I’ll take a quick shower and let M play games on my phone while she waits for me – Bimi Boo makes our favourite educational games for toddlers.

Adventure Time (10:00am)

We start getting ready to leave the house around 10:00am.

I like to help Marina get dressed and style her hair before I get to myself.

Makeup in under 5 minutes

I like doing just enough of a touchup to be prepared in case I run into someone 😛

And since time is so valuable these days, I’ve narrowed down my daily makeup routine to ridiculously simple essentials:

1. brush eyebrows
2. fill-in eyebrows
3. curl eyelashes
4. apply mascara

It takes less than 5 minutes.

You’re beautiful, mama, and you probably don’t need anything more than that yourself!

Try it one day and see!

Toddler Outings

During our time out, we’ll usually do one of the following:

• grocery shopping
• explore IKEA
• walk around the neighbourhood
• walk around the park
• visit a playground
• visit Baka and Deda (my amazing parents)
• visit Kuma (my sister)

Since M dropped her naps, she’s a lot more active and I find that taking her somewhere is a great way to burn energy and reflect on things we’ve learned earlier in the week.

But even something as simple as playing together in the backyard is a great morning activity!

Our outings last between two to three hours and we’re normally back home in time for lunch.

More ideas for moms to work at home: 

• 25 Legit Stay at Home Mom Jobs for 2021
• 5 Things All Moms Must Do Before Starting a Blog
• 30 Crafts to Sell to Make Money + Real Small Businesses Killing It!

Working Away From Home Mom Morning Routine

Before lockdown, I briefly took on part-time office work in the film industry – my husband and I also run a film supplies rental business.

This morning routine for working moms looks a little bit different with the addition of deadlines!

Since I usually start work around 8:00am, here is what a typical morning would look like:

5:15 am – wakeup

5:20 am – coffee

5:25 am – shower

5:40 am – makeup

6:10 am – hair

6:30 am – Marina wakes up

6:35 am – quick breakfast (prepped the night before)

6:45 am – pack Marina’s activity / lunch bag for Baka’s (grandma’s) house

6:50 am – dress Marina

7:00 am – drive to Baka’s house for dropoff

7:25 am – drive to work

8:00 am – begin work day

Working Mom Morning Routine Pro Tips

As a work at home mom, I tend to do a little bit in the morning but save most of my “mental work” for evenings.

Doing less demanding tasks in the a.m. is just easier with a toddler!

I also invested in plenty of independent play toys for toddlers to make our mornings easier.

This allows me to shower, get ready for the day ahead, and take care of business on the home front.

Marina’s favourites are her:

• alphabet and numbers magnets (Level 100 Mom Hack: When she’s bored of sticking them on the fridge, I’ll pull out a muffin tin!)
• LEGO Duplo (do yourself a favour and get a Duplo baseplate – hands down one of the best independent play toys I’ve ever purchased)
• and her gigantic board books – she’s loves the ones on words and animals most!

Other things I like to do to make mornings even easier include:

• prepping overnight oats for Marina’s breakfast when I know I have a big day ahead
  • this lets me skip cooking for two and I substitute a Keto bar and some easy prep fruits and veggies (see below) for my own breakfast
• pre-chopping fruits and veggies
  • M is usually pretty hungry in the morning, so pre-chopped cucumbers, strawberries, etc. are a great thing to have on hand
• stocking up on easy to prep fruits and veggies
  • mandarin oranges, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, apples, grape tomatoes, etc. that require minimal prep work make it easy for me to give M a healthy snack while she plays so I can prep for excursions, meetings, work, etc.

Morning Routine List of Ideas

Use the following list of morning routine ideas to create your own ideal schedule:

• make your bed
• wash your face
• have a cup of coffee (or two!)
• have a glass of lemon water
• make breakfast
• take a shower
• work out
• write a to do list
• brush your teeth and floss!
• journal
• meditate
• go for a walk
• put in a load of laundry
• unload and reload the dishwasher
• do a quick tidy of the highest traffic space in your home
• do an activity with your children
• makeup and hair

Mom Morning Routine Checklist

Your morning routine should:

• Make you feel good
• Give you an idea of what the day ahead looks like
• Involve or keep your kids entertained
• Include a nutritional aspect
• Allow enough time to accomplish all tasks in your allotted timeframe
• Include at least 3 manageable activities you can complete daily

As moms, we often put our needs last.

But eating and getting enough rest is essential for us too!

Coming up with a great morning routine can help you feel that much more satisfied about your accomplishments at the end of the day and it’ll help boost your mood and self-esteem.

So, use the above as a morning routine checklist while you create a plan that fits your needs!

My 7-step morning routine for living my best mom life includes:

1. Making the bed
2. Sipping on my favourite coffee
3. Creating a to do list
4. Eating a healthy breakfast
5. Accomplishing a work task and/or household responsibilites
6. Exercising
7. Taking time for my little one

The best morning routine for success is the one you can commit to, mama! So, what activities will you make an effort to accomplish each morning?

Share your goals in the comments below 🙂

More ways to keep kids busy while you work: 

• 10 Best Wooden Toys to Keep Busy Toddlers Entertained
• 52 FREE Printable Alphabet Coloring Pages for Toddlers and Preschoolers