The Chronically Late Girl’s Guide to Getting To Work on Time

tips and tricks to get to work on time, don't be late!

The topic of how to get out the door in the morning-fast, has been on my list of blog post ideas for a while now, so today, I thought it was about time to actually sit down and spell it all out. If you work full time outside of the home, and have children (three for me!) and a husband, mornings can be hectic. Am I right? I know you feel my pain! Now, I must be honest, getting anywhere to work on time has never been my strong point. I am one of those people who is always running a tad bit late. Are you feeling me yet? Anyone? And it doesn’t help matters that I have to be at work at 7:25 a.m., and it is a 20 minute drive, UGH!! It also doesn’t help matters that I am not a morning person.

So over the years, especially since I have had children, I have had to develop ways to help myself get up and out the door as quickly as possible in the mornings. And if you struggle with getting out the door on time in the mornings, the chronically late girl’s guide to getting to work on time is definitely for you! Mornings are hectic around here. I have a 6 year old who still needs help getting ready, and a 14 year old who won’t get out of bed. Not to mention that I need to get myself ready. So I am going to break it down and tell you everything I do ahead of time to make my mornings run as smoothly as possible. Also, I have to give my husband credit where credit is due, because I couldn’t possibly do it without him in the mornings. Love you babe! He basically get our 6 year old ready for school. The only things I have to do are get his clothes ready, give him some morning snuggles, and fix his hair.

The majority of the things I do to speed up my morning routine are done the night before. If I did not prepare for the next day the night before I would never be able to get out the door, I can promise you that.

Shower or bathe in the evenings – not the mornings. I have had many conversations with people over the years about this. Some people say they could never get moving in the mornings without a shower. I just happen to be a person who has showered or bathed at night for my entire life. I am lucky that I don’t usually wake up with bed head because my hair is longer. I should also mention that I do not wash my hair daily. I wash it every other day. So the morning’s that I have not washed my hair the night before go more quickly for me, because I am usually wearing my hair up, so it doesn’t take as long to fix my hair. When I have washed it, I spend more time on it, either flat ironing it or curling it.
Pick out the children’s clothes the night before. I have a special place in the closet where I hang what he is wearing the next day. LC is the one who helps him get dressed in the mornings, so all he has to do is open the closet and get out what I hung there.
Pack children’s backpacks the night before. Well, I can’t take full credit for this one. LC usually does it. But does it really matter who does it, as long as it gets done? #notinmybook
Prepare the childrens lunch ahead of time. Yeah, that’s another one the hubs usually does. But I wanted to include these for good measure, because both things DO get done ahead of time.
Pick out your own clothes the night before. Not only do I pick out my clothes the night before, but I pick out every single thing I will be wearing, down to the undergarments, socks, hosiery, shoes, and accessories. I have a hook in my bathroom where I hang my outfit for the following morning.
Pack your jewelry so you can take it with you. I have a small bag that fits into my purse, and I put all of my jewelry for the next day in this bag and sit it on my bathroom counter. That way if I am running late in the morning, I can toss the bag in my purse and put my jewelry on when I get to work.
Get your skin care/cosmetics prepared at night. I keep my makeup in a large metal case from Sephora. Every night, I set it up on my bathroom counter where I sit down to do my makeup. Along with that, I get out all of the other things I use, like moisturizer, eye cream, tweezers, vitamins, etc. and sit it all out out on the counter.
Separate daily vitamins into a pill box. That way I don’t have to spend the extra time to open each bottle and get a pill. My box holds six days worth of pills, so I spend a minute or so filling it every week, and I just take out that days pills every morning. Also, if I am running late, this is one more thing that I can just toss into my bag.
Keep a makeup bag that fits in your purse to take with you. If I am running late in the morning, I just apply my foundation and concealer, and I toss everything else in my makeup bag and then into my purse. And when I get to my office, I spend a few minutes finishing my makeup (luckily I have the type of job where I am able to do this, I realize some people do not)
Prepare your lunch the night before. What I take with me to eat is not only lunch but breakfast too. I stick to basically the same things every day. I always take frozen grapes and a yogurt to eat in the morning, and a lean cuisine or weight watchers frozen meal with a piece of fruit for lunch. So it doesn’t take me that long. I pack my frozen grapes ahead of time in a zip lock bag, and everything else I just throw in my lunch bag.
Prepare for your morning tea/coffee at night. I am a tea girl myself. I drink hot tea every morning. So at night, I get out my mug, put a tea bag, powdered creamer, and Splenda in the mug, along with a spoon. I also make sure my tea kettle is filled. So in the morning all I have to do is turn the fire on under the tea kettle, and when it whistles, pour in the water and stir.

It took me years to perfect my evening routine so that my mornings run as smoothly as possible. I finally think I have found the perfect formula. I would say I am up and out the door is 45-50 minutes each morning. If I did not prepare ahead of time for my work day, I would be late Every. Single. Morning.

If you are that chronically late girl, like me, or you struggle in the mornings, try my tips! Each thing I do ahead of time shaves a little bit of time off of my morning routine, and it really does make a huge difference in getting myself to work on time. What do you do to prepare for getting to work on time? If you have any tips that I have not shared here, please share them in the comments! I am always looking for new ways to make my morning routine go more quickly, and I am sure lots of other’s are too.

So get up and at em in the mornings, preparing ahead of time is half of your battle. Maybe, if you try my tips, you might just find yourself with the time to do a little more of what really matters, like an extra snuggle in the morning, or one last kiss before you go. And trust me, your day will go much better from the very beginning!