First 59 Minutes of Your Day: 15 Thoughts & Challenges Faced By Individuals Each Morning

I feel my husband get out of bed and though the world outside is still pitch black, I know it must be time to wake up. I roll over to look at the clock and am reminded of just how insanely early it is. I have never considered myself a morning person, but when you’re a parent, you’re sort of forced to be one. I immediately think three thoughts: what will I feed the kids for breakfast, what will I pack my daughter for lunch, and what will I cook for dinner? I then wonder if anyone else is thinking about dinner at 6 AM in the morning. Mami. She used to start planning the dinner menu right when she woke up; that’s why I do the same. And with a reminder of my mom and the habits I picked up from her, I finally get up from bed to begin my day and morning routine.

This is a pretty typical morning ritual for me, all within two minutes, as I lay in bed. If I planned a dinner menu for the week ahead of time (or even the night before), then that’s one less early-morning thought. Sometimes I go an extra step and think about what to pack for my daughter’s lunch in advance, but even with all the planning and organization in the world, morning routines can still be a challenge. When IKEA conducted a survey, they found that 3 in 4 people don’t have a regular weekday morning routine. They also found that 49% of adults over 35 that get stressed in the morning identified getting kids prepared for the day causes the most stress. (I’m not over 35, but I would agree that kids are probably my biggest stress factor in the morning. Mami loves you!!!)

I asked around to get a feel of what the morning routine looks like for other people. I wondered if anyone else has similar first thoughts to mine when they wake up and what they feel their biggest challenge is during those first 59 minutes of their day. After all, from the IKEA survey results, we know that how your morning routine flows can really set the mood for the rest of your day – 72% of survey respondents said that a stressful morning affected the rest of their day! Here’s what a few friends had to say about those early-morning thoughts and their first 59 minutes each day.

First 59 Minutes of Your Day: 15 Thoughts & Challenges Faced By Individuals Each Morning

1. “My first thought is usually, ‘Oh no, it’s late!’ My biggest challenge in my morning routine is getting my son fed, ready, his lunch packed, and in the car and to school before the bell. Oh wait, scratch that. My biggest challenge is getting my husband to help me do all that without losing my mind!” ~ Zelma Rivera, yosoymami.com
2. “I snooze my alarm many times and my first thought is ‘I wish I could stay in bed.’ My routine consists of rushing to the bathroom, wash up, get dressed and grab my lunch bag on my way out to the bus stop. I live in New Jersey and work in Manhattan so my commute is quite long…to make it to work at 8am and that’s my biggest challenge every morning.” ~ Meryland, meryknowsbest.com
3. “Can I sleep 10 more minutes? One of my biggest challenges in the morning is the preparation of my boy’s lunchbox. Some might think that he is a picky eater, however I look at him as being very ‘Boricua’ and just prefers to have rice, beans and chicken. Therefore, I cook fresh meals almost every morning.” ~ Yadira Ambert, clubdelasdiosas.com
4. “The first thought in my mind when I wake up is to check the baby and make sure she’s breathing. We co-sleep and although she’s my third co-sleeper I still worry about SIDS. The biggest challenge in my morning routine is consistency. I feel like I change it everyday depending on my mood or the weather.” ~ Gemarla M. Babilonia-Gaskin, themommyelf.com
5. “I immediately start thinking about all of the things I have to do that day. I lie in the bed for about 15 minutes pondering these things. My biggest challenge in the morning is getting started. I’m prone to procrastination.” ~ Frederick J. Goodall, mochadad.com
6. “My first thought is I don’t want to go to work. Biggest challenge in the morning is trusting my system for getting my family together in the morning. Sometimes, a lack of sleep throws the routine off.” ~ Lucrecer Braxton, Lucrecer.com
7. “If I sleep 15 more minutes can I still get the kids to school on time? (Biggest challenge is) trying to get myself and the kids ready at the same time. What do you mean you can’t find your other shoe? No, I haven’t seen your library book. Let me finish brushing my teeth and I’ll come find that for you.” ~ Erika Brown, chicshopperchick.com
8. “With my eyes still closed, maybe the hubs will hear my alarm and let me sleep in. Oh who am I kidding? I better get up. My biggest challenge in the morning is having everyone eat the same thing: I want oatmeal. I just want a pop-tart – one toasted one not. Dry cereal, milk in a cup. I want milk in my bowl.” ~ Ruby Wright, growingupblackxican.com
9. “Just a few more minutes of sleep, please? Gah, I HATE mornings! Getting everyone out the door and at school on time is my biggest challenge. We have six kids in three different schools, so timing is everything.” ~ Christine Young, fromdatestodiapers.com
10. “I thank God I’m alive and meditate on things flowing smoothly from a place of love for the day.” ~ Maria de los Angeles, sexandthebeach.com
11. “My first thought: I need to get up. ¡A levantarse! Biggest challenge: I’m a night owl so it always takes me a while for my brain to wake up.” ~ Jeannette Kaplun, HispanaGlobal.com
12. “My first thought: Thanks for a new day. A reminder to myself to be positive. Biggest Challenge: The everyday drama of waking up at 5.45 in order to have the kids ready at 6.40 am to take the school bus.” ~ Eliana Tardio, elianatardio.com
13. “My first thought: Need ten more minutes and hit snooze. My biggest challenge: Knowing I need to stop hitting the snooze button and get out of bed.” ~ Lisa, www.atypicalfamilia.com
14. “If I lay here any longer, I will have to move THAT much faster to get the kids up, face washed, teeth brushed, LOTIONED, clothed, fed, and out the door on time. (Biggest challenge is) forgetting to eat before I walk out the door.” ~ Terrance Gaines, brothatech.com
15. “First thought: What day is it? Second thought: I hope the dogs didn’t have an accident during the night. Let me stay in bed till one of the boys gets up and discovers it so they can clean it up. Biggest Challenge: Figuring out where I will work, at home, a coffee shop or wherever I can find wifi!” ~ Migdalia Rivera, latinaonamission.com

I see lots of mentions related to being able to sleep in a little longer, thoughts of wanting to stay in bed, and eventually rushing out of bed and to get the day started. I also see challenges with breakfast, packing lunches, and generally getting everyone ready and out the door on time. That’s why I love being a part of the IKEA First :59 program – it aims to help us with those very same challenges mentioned above by my friends – challenges that I also know about first-hand. I’ve accumulated a few tips and tricks over the years and have been sharing them on the IKEA First :59 site and the First :59 Pinterest board in the hopes of alleviating some of that morning routine stress. The great thing, though, is that I too get to learn from the other IKEA First :59 panelists and see what works for them in their morning routine, because we all know that no one strategy will work forever. As we move along in our parenting journey, new challenges arise and I am always open to new ideas and tips – I’ll never know when I may need them down the road!

What is one way you can work towards overcoming a challenge in your morning routine and improve those first 59 minutes of your day?

Disclosure: As a panelist of the IKEA First :59 program, I have been compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.