The Secret To Having a Great Day!

Do you ever feel like there is just no time? No time to get any one thing done. No time for yourself. No time for your friends. No time for your passion project.

I read once that the prolific author Nora Roberts started writing for the first time during a snowstorm while she was a SAHM and her kids were housebound. Writing became her outlet. I love that story. But now that I’m a SAHM, I seriously do not get how she did it! How, Nora, how did you manage to write your novels with your crazy kids running around needing snacks and drinks and snacks and games and snacks and help and snacks!? And also with a household to run. And a husband to talk to. And friends to text a waving hand emoji to every now and then because there is just NO time for a longer conversation?

It really feels like there’s no time during the summer months when your beautiful, well-behaved children are out of school. Those once too brief few hours while the kiddos were gone now seem like glorious eons of freedom that you would gladly give your right arm for. (Ok, maybe your right leg because your right arm is too busy making snacks.)

Well enough! We must take back control. And while I concede that during this time in our lives there are so many things that are out of our control (hello early wake ups, sick kiddos, and cranky husands), I will fight for the few things we can control. And that starts with creating your Morning Routine.

By religiously sticking to my morning routine, I set myself up to have a great day where I know I’ve accomplished at least one thing that is just for me.

A morning routine gives you structure and a feeling of control over an already chaotic day. Start creating your routine now, during these last few weeks of summer, so that when fall comes and school blessedly starts again, you’ll be ready to stick with it. You’ll be committed to it. You’ll realize how important it is for your sanity, for your creativity, and for your ability to face the day with a smile and a positive attitude.

Are you ready for your new morning routine!? Here we go, mama…

Step 1: Get up 30 – 60 Minutes Before Your Kiddos.
I know, I know. Yeah. Right. But seriously…just try it! We are almost always too tired after the kids go to bed to do anything that is just for us at night. And TV is a way too attractive offer – curse you, Big Brother! Morning is the most productive time of day to take time for you.

Step 2: Hydrate.
Drink a glass of water before you do anything else. Keep it on your nightstand, and suck it down before you even get out of bed. Cleanse yourself from the first moment of the day. Every mentor I’ve had says to drink half your body weight in ounces of water, and these people are super successful. We should listen to them 🙂 Water is the elixir of life, and it makes you feel so refreshed right as you wake up.

Step 4: “You” Time.
Now spend the rest of your blessed quiet time doing something just for you. Journal, meditate, sit on your porch with a cup of coffee, goal-set, read, stretch. Do whatever it is that fuels your inner pilot light and clears out the cobwebs in your brain. This makes room for creativity, positivity, and endless possibility. But absolutely no laundry, dishes, or cleaning allowed, lady. This about you and your inner sense of happiness. This is about feeling like you have accomplished something that is only for you – not for mom, not for wife, not for friend, not for daughter. For YOU.

The Daily Soul Sessions tribe consists of 3 sisters – Kate, Kacey, and Kara Coppola. Our mission is to offer a consistent – and short! – daily practice for moms to come back to themselves and find creativity and inspiration through the grind of motherhood. We do this through our books (The Daily Soul Sessions For Every Mama and The Daily Soul Sessions For The Pregnant Mama), our 30 Day Journaling Challenge for Moms, and our social media tribe!  Let’s THRIVE, not just survive, mama…come join us! Learn more here: www.thedailysoulsessions.com