"If you woke up this morning to cute, little fingers poking you in the face to wake up, I’m right there with you. A lot of my days start off like this, but some mornings also look like 2 a.m. teething or “Mommy, I wet the bed” wakeup calls. Other mornings? My alarm goes off, and I forget where I am (well-rested nights like this are my fave). Needless to say, as a mom of a 4-year-old and an almost 1-year-old, I never know what kind of morning I’m going to get. What I can count on are a few things in my morning routine that never fail me. These tasks on my ‘opening shift’ to my day are what make me feel like I’m starting the day off right.
The viral TikTok ‘closing shift’ trend caught my attention last year, so when people started posting their ‘opening shifts’ online, it made me think, “Why didn’t I think of this morning routine term for moms?” While a closing shift gives me a clean slate to start the next day, an opening shift gets my day started on the right foot—regardless of if it started in pleasantry or managing a meltdown. From defining an opening shift to how I prioritize it, I’m sharing my personal tips and tricks to making a morning routine as a mom of two littles successful, especially if you’re also in a busy stage of life.
What is an opening shift for moms?
In college, I worked as a waitress at a busy Tex-Mex restaurant. While I am a foodie, I’ll admit that running around with 10 drinks on one tray (and accidentally spilling them on guests a time or two) during a busy dinner rush was not my favorite. What was my favorite part? The opening shift. The slow start to the morning organizing the restaurant, setting the tables with newly wrapped silverware while sipping on my coffee, and greeting the morning service guests was a nice way to ease into the day. I prefer this rather than the chaos witnessed during the middle of an evening shift.
An opening shift at home is just like this—minus the actual restaurant part, and your said employees or guests are tiny humans that live with you. Like an opening shift at a restaurant, they’re the top things to check off your list to start the day. The important part for me is to first separate my morning into three categories: the non-negotiables, the chores, and the extras.
My non-negotiables to an opening shift routine
After becoming a mom, I quickly learned that Murphy’s Law—anything that can go wrong will go wrong—also applies to motherhood. I know I’m not the only one that’s woken up to a diaper blowout, an unexpected bath time, with a sanitized-deep-wash-to-the-bed-sheets kind of morning. With that being said, however, whatever happens in my morning, I stick to the same three things I know are easy to do and take number one priority. Besides getting the kids (and myself) ready and fed for the day, these non-negotiables are simple. And I know I can always do these tasks quickly, even if Murphy’s Law greets me in the a.m.
Drink water
Keeping up after two littles means that staying hydrated throughout the day is important. Some benefits to drinking water first thing in the morning include fighting off fatigue and improving memory. While I can definitely identify as a Type C mom at times, I do try to stay on my A game when it comes to keeping up with the mental load. So, that means staying hydrated. Once I’ve drunk a full glass of water, I treat myself to a cup of coffee.
Open the window blinds
This task may seem a little random, but opening my window blinds and drawing back the curtains makes a load of difference to my day. Besides the fact that this can be an energy saver for your home during the cooler months, it can also be a mood booster.
Eat breakfast
I’ve learned the hard way that skipping out on breakfast does not look good on me—cue fatigue and a hangry mom. I tell my son that breakfast is an important meal, so I can’t skip out on it either, even if the morning is busy. A morning breakfast not only helps with metabolism, but it helps to get the brain going, too.
Chores during my opening shift
Depending on the day, I pick one to two chores to complete. It can be something like unloading the dishwasher that I started the night before or starting a load of laundry. I’ll add, other than moving the clothes to the dryer, I wait to put the clothes away until the evening. I’m also notorious for pushing it back to the next day, too. The chore list is never-ending, and doing these tasks sprinkled throughout the week makes Sunday chore day less daunting.
The ‘extras’ to my morning shift routine
The ‘extras’ to an opening shift are the cherries on top to a good morning routine for moms. These aren’t tasks per se, but they’re things I do for ‘me-time’ when there’s time available. Depending on how the morning goes, this is what the extras to my opening shift can look like.
If I’m up before the kids…
On weekends, I like to catch up on the next rom-com book I’m reading or have coffee in bed. For busier weekdays, I might get an earlier start to the workday before the kids get up.
If I slept well…
I like to get a quick sweat sesh in when I feel well-rested. I love HIIT classes, but yoga or a quick walk with the kids is great, too!
If I was up more than once with a kid during the night…
You’ll find me taking it slow. I usually treat myself to an under-eye mask or a cup of coffee from a local coffee shop after school drop-off.
If the kids wake up before I do…
Believe it or not, little kids like to wake up before the sun is up. It may not sound like an ‘extra’ here, but mornings like this call for a short walk to our neighborhood park before school. And if your kids are anything like mine, this makes their day. Plus, there’s no rush, and I have time to sip on my coffee as they play.
Make your opening shift successful
Depending on your everyday life and schedule, your opening shift may look a little different than mine. But knowing what your non-negotiables are, your preferred morning chores to tackle, and what you consider as ‘extras’ can help your morning experience run more smoothly with your family. The great thing is that it’s your opening shift, so tweak it to however it suits you best.
Patty Schepel, Editorial Assistant
As the editorial assistant, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.