I’m sharing my productive fall morning routine in the hope that it will inspire you to craft your own. If you love living seasonally, becoming more productive, yet embracing slow, intentional living, then keep reading! I’ll share my best tips for crafting a morning routine that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.
I love all things seasonal. Every few months I get restless and am ready to switch things up.
Related: Romanticize Your Life As A Homemaker
Not only is eating seasonally better for our bodies, I believe leaning into the season you’re in is good for the soul.
Today I’m sharing my ideal productive fall morning routine as a homeschool mom. This doesn’t mean I do every one of these things every single day, but this is what I aim for. Not only does it help me stay on top of things, it actually helps me look forward to and enjoy getting up early.
Even as we lose daylight and get closer to that darkest day, the winter solstice.
So here’s my step-by-step routine, and keep reading ’til the end to hear my tips on making a productive morning routine work for you.
Productive Fall Morning Routine For Homeschool Moms
Beet Kvass
Probiotics are a good idea year-round, but especially as we move into the darker months, a.k.a. cold and flu season. I down a small glass of beet kvass every morning because it’s chock full of amazing benefits. You can learn all about that in this post!
Open Curtains and Windows
Where we live, fall is usually very mild, at least until November. I love throwing open the curtains to let whatever light there is in, and if it’s not too chilly, some fresh morning air helps wake me up and air out the house.
Move My Body
I’m not the kind of person to jump out of bed and immediately start doing burpees and jump squats, but I love to start the day with movement. I used to try to do my bible reading first thing, but sitting in a comfy chair and reading 1 Chronicles or Leviticus doesn’t exactly shake off the sleepies. So now I start off the day with Pilates. I love Move With Nicole on YouTube because my whole body feels more mobile and awake afterwards.
Oil Pull and Shower
Oil pulling is another great thing to do first thing in the morning. Not only does it help rid your mouth of harmful bacteria, there are also loads of other great benefits. It’s especially great to do approaching that cold and flu season. I wait until after my workout, then oil pull with plain coconut oil while I shower. Remember to spit the oil out in the trash, not a drain, and brush your teeth right after.
Bible Reading Plan
Sometimes I listen to the audio bible while showering and oil pulling, but often I use my notetaking bible and try to slow down and carefully absorb what I’m reading. I use the Bible Recap plan to help me stay on track. I also use this time to pray.
Cozy Breakfast
I love a comforting breakfast, especially in the fall. Once we start school for the year, my goal is to be through my morning routine and have breakfast ready before the rest of the family is awake. It definitely helps if I make breakfast ahead of time! Here are just a few of our favorite cozy breakfasts:
- Sourdough Applesauce Protein Muffins with Collagen and Cream Cheese
- French Toast Casserole
- Best Sourdough Tuxedo Muffins
- Sourdough Waffles
- Simple Healthy Sourdough Crepes
- Sheet Pan Bacon
- Soft Baked Granola Bars
- Healthy Breakfast Scones
‘Game Face’
This term comes from Mystie Winckler at Simply Convivial.
The idea is to choose 3 things that will signal (to yourself and your kids) that it’s time to start the day. Keep it simple and short. The 3 things shouldn’t be an hour-long workout, clean the whole house, and get glam from head to toe.
The ‘game face’ step comes after your morning routine, and each thing should only take about 5 minutes.
My 3 are get dressed, do something with my hair, and grab a drink. Then I can sit down with our homeschool books and supplies and get started.
This also helps my kids get into our routine because it uses visual signals. While I’m finishing up my own routine, they should be completing theirs. And when Mom is dressed, doesn’t have bedhead anymore, and has a drink in our homeschool place, it’s time to start!
So choose 3 simple tasks that can trigger yourself and your family to get serious and settle into the homeschool flow.
Craft Your Own Productive Fall Morning Routine
As we move into fall and starting the homeschool year, it’s a great time to take a look at your routines and freshen things up.
Here are a few suggestions to help you start creating a morning routine you enjoy:
Start The Night Before
As you start planning your morning routine, think about the night before as well. What can you do to set yourself up for success?
For me, I need to make sure I’m heading to bed by 10:30. I’ll read a short passage from Flowers From a Puritan’s Garden or something, plug in my phone and hopefully be asleep by 11:00. This helps me get enough sleep while still being able to get up with plenty of time for my routine.
Maybe for you it’s laying your clothes or workout clothes somewhere you can easily grab. Since you’re probably getting up first, you don’t want to be rummaging around in the dark, or turning lights on and making lots of noise. The goal is to get your things done before the kids are awake, right? So let them sleep!
Some other ways you can start your morning routine the night before:
- Open your curtains to allow a little sunlight in to help you wake up naturally
- Set an alarm with a tone that doesn’t jolt you (my phone actually allows me to use a song!)
- Jot down a few things you want to accomplish so you’re ready to go and don’t forget anything
- Make breakfast the night before
- If you have a morning devotion time, set out your things in a comfy spot
- Load the dishwasher and run it so you can unload it in the morning
- Tidy up the house before bed so you wake up to a clean, pleasant environment
Budget Your Time
What does your morning look like right now? Do you have to be out the door at a certain time? If so, work backwards from there and figure out how much time you have. For us, it’s starting school at 8:30.
What time do you need to get up? What can you plug in where? Start jotting down elements you want to have and adjusting until it seems very doable. Then give yourself time to get used to it.
You might need to start with getting up 20 minutes earlier, then after a few days another 20 minutes earlier, and so on. Naturally, you won’t be able to complete your ideal routine this way, but work your way up to it.
Once you have your wake up time and your “start” time (whether that’s getting out the door, starting homeschool, or something else), you can start adding in those elements and adjusting as needed.
Choose Something To Look Forward To
There’s such a difference in going to bed dreading the things you have to wake up and do, and going to bed looking forward to something enjoyable. You’ll sleep better and you’ll be more excited to get out of bed in the morning.
I always look forward to my morning coffee, and breakfast with my family. Making breakfast ahead of time, or starting something like sourdough, helps me get out of bed in the morning. I get excited to see how my overnight waffle batter turned out, or to score a design on my sourdough loaf and get it baking.
A few ideas to get your wheels turning:
- a walk in the crisp air with favorite music or a good audiobook
- an invigorating yoga flow on YouTube
- bible time and prayer with a cup of tea (try this London Fog recipe)
- working on a project or hobby for a half hour or so
- start your day with your mother culture habit instead of doing it in the afternoon
- light a candle and write in a journal
You can probably think of lots more ideas. Just choose one thing to add to your morning routine that, when you’re lying in the dark, in your cozy warm bed, makes you willing to step out into the chilly air and get your day started instead of hitting that snooze button.
Add Something That Will Make The Rest Of The Day Easier
Along with something enjoyable, we need to add in some practical things. For me that’s not only completing my personal routine to have that out of the way, but also having breakfast ready, and our school things in order. That way we can get rolling as soon as the kids are up.
Here are a few more examples:
- starting a load of laundry first thing
- unloading the clean dishes so you can start adding dirty dishes throughout the day
- tidying up anything that got left out the night before
- getting your morning basket ready for the day
- gathering back packs, supplies, lunches, etc. to get the kids to co-op
- checking something off your work list
- checking emails or replying to messages
- one household chore like cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming the living room
- getting that workout in
Create Your Own ‘Game Face’
Remember, these 2 or 3 things should be small, quick things that aren’t necessarily a part of your morning routine before the kids are up.
The point of the ‘game face’ step is to shake you out of whatever you’re doing or stuck on when the time is approaching for school to start.
I tend to linger over breakfast and coffee. When 8:20 approaches, I know I need to ‘put on my game face’ and get moving to start school at 8:30.
Here are some examples of Game Face elements to get you thinking:
- brush your teeth
- put on a bit of make up
- get dressed
- fill up your water bottle
- refill your coffee
- put in your contacts
- light a candle in your school area
- take the morning basket or bookstack to the school area
This might seem overly simplistic, but be consistent with your 2 or 3 steps and you’ll train your brain to switch from morning mode to starting the day mode.
Write Down Your Routine
Now that you have all your elements, don’t try and keep them all in your head!
Whether you keep a planner, a mom binder, a note in your phone, or stick things to the fridge, have your morning schedule somewhere you can return to it.
It can be as simple as sentence fragments on a post-it note. Just get it out of your brain and onto paper. As time goes on, you’ll find a rhythm and won’t need to keep checking your list, but to avoid frustration write it down to get started.
You might need time stamps, you might not. Some people enjoy having a playlist they listen to every morning because it helps you unconsciously keep track of time.
Oh, this song’s on. I only have 3 songs left. Better get a move on.
You could also set timers or alarms for when to switch activities until you get the hang of it all.
I’d LOVE to hear all about your morning routine in the comments. Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged. If you don’t hit everything on your list, or you have a hard time getting up on time, just try again the next day. Enjoy the season you’re in!
I think you’ll also enjoy these posts:
- How To Romanticize Your Life As A Homemaker
- Anchors In The Homeschool Day: Keep Yourself Moving And Motivated
- Ideas For Mother Culture
- 5 Ways To Beat Perfectionism- Build Habits That Last
Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Tara
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