As the queens of multitasking, we woman can really try to pack a lot into our mornings. No wonder my husband laughs at me when I say I’ll be ready in 5. Here are some tips for you, the woman who has way too much to do each morning!

Shower less

Up until I became a mom, I used to think it was gross to not shower daily. So I did. Whether at night or in the morning, I always got my shower in and got squeaky clean for the day. Then I became a mom and everything changed. After having to go multiple days without stepping in a shower (because new mommyhood is no joke a FULL time job) and having to utilize a bunch of the tips to come in this post, I realized that there really is no need to shower every day!  And for someone like me with “combination skin” I found I was actually doing my skin a disservice by stripping it of its natural oils and over washing my skin and hair. My hair will actually become less oily over time now it is washed less often and I can clearly see that my skin is more hydrated. Woohoo! I just make sure to use a daily gentle face wash like this one (love the smell btw) and exfoliating cloth a lot like this one.

Shower at night

This is kind of a no brainer, especially if you can find a way to rock the messy hair look in the morning. But even if you can’t, blow drying and/or straightening at night will usually keep the crazy to a minimum in the morning. Plus it’s an awesome feeling to get in bed all warm and clean.

Dry shampoo

My fav dry shampoo as so far been Not Your Mother’s but when that runs out I revert to the trusty baby powder (we pretty much have it on tap at our house). Seriously though, this stuff is a life saver. Not to mention it gives my hair great volume. A+ in my book.

Find cute ways to wear your hair up

I had pretty short hair for years and the biggest problem was never being to just pull it up in a time crunch. I’ve finally gotten to the long bob (or lob as the kids say (; ) stage and I am so happy that I can wear my hair up, especially when things don’t always go as planned in the mornings (as they often do with a rowdy 15-month-old). Check out this awesome post of Top 10 Super Easy 5-Minute Hairstyles For Busy Ladies! Seriously loved this one. Wearing your hair up is an awesome way to forgo washing your hair for another day (or two).

Less eye makeup, more lipstick

Eye makeup is so much more of an exact science than lipstick, so if you’re running low on time in the morning try keeping the eyemakeup to a minimum and spice up the look with cute tinted lip. Besides as a rule of thumb, I generally tend to focus my makeup on either the eyes OR the lips in order to avoid wearing a “night time” look during the day. Even on a Saturday morning when the hair is in a bun and I’m wearing my boots that are really my slippers to the grocery store, I’ll dab a little color on my lips in the driveway before I head out.

Pre-make coffee

I know that 50% of people reading this (or more) will probably have a Keurig at home, but for those of you who don’t, pre-making coffee at night is a really easy way to shave a couple minutes of prep time in the morning. Or avoid the chance of having to skip the morning cup because you’re too short on time.

Pre pack your lunch

Besides being a huge timesaver in the morning, packing a lunch is a super way to ALSO save money and keep the weight off! Buying lunches every day might save you time in the morning but it’s certainly not going to do your wallet or your waistline any favors! Pack what you can the night before and for what needs to be made the day of, just have a plan for what you will make and make sure everything is easily accessible.

Lay out outfit

I am so freakin’ thankful that I have a really casual and laid back job working for my church right now! Such a huge blessing there. But even so, I can find myself running around the room trying on every shirt I own and loading a huge pile of reject outfits on my bed before I actually come up with an outfit half decent. SO instead of making (usually poor) last minute outfit decisions, I just hang up the next day’s outfit in the bathroom and have it ready to grab as I’m brushing and lotioning up for the day. This seriously can cut out 10-15 minutes of prep time in my morning routine and every minute counts!

Put everything in your purse/bookbag the night before

This is awesome for someone like me who has probably had two swigs of their morning coffee and is scatter-brainedly fumbling around trying to look and get put together before walking out the door. I am way less likely to forget something in the morning if I put it in my bag the night before. Not to mention the added bonus of just being able to grab my bag and go without having to spend 5 minutes grabbing my papers, laptop, etc.

Ask for help

This is a big one for me as a mama. Until David (our lil boy) was about a year old, I would always be the first one up in the morning to get him changed, fed, and occupied up until the moment I left for work. It’s not easy to do your mascara while a baby is climbing up your leg. About a year of this later, I realized, “Huh… Josh doesn’t work the same days I work… I’m always leaving late… HE can take the baby in the morning!” I know, huge epiphany there. Since I’ve asked Josh to help out more in the mornings, he’s naturally become much more of a morning person (woohoo!) and I get out the door waaaay faster than I ever did before. It makes for a happier baby too.
But this doesn’t apply only if you have kids. If you’re running late, ask your partner help you get out the door by getting your lunch together, making your coffee, putting what you need in your bag. Anything helps!

How do you get ready in the a.m. when time is against you! Share your own tips in the comments below! If you found this helpful, share with your pals!