If you consistently struggle to make it to work on time, I’m going to guess that your mornings aren’t very calm and peaceful. Work typically starts at the same time every day, and it’s also typically in the same location every day. That makes it a little easier to control your morning. My suggestion is this: decide what time you want to be at your work station, and work backwards from there, deciding how much time you need to do each task. In one of my favorite episodes of I Love Lucy, “Lucy’s Schedule,” Ricky makes Lucy do the same thing after her poor time management causes them to be an hour late for a dinner party with Ricky’s new boss.
Something like this:
- 8:30 At desk, ready to work
- 8:15 Walk in the door, put lunch in the fridge, get settled in office
- 8:10 Pull in office parking lot
- 7:45 Pull out of home driveway
- 7:40 Pour coffee, grab lunch from fridge
- 7:30 Get dressed
- 7:05 Hair and makeup
- 6:55 Dry hair
- 6:50 Start coffee, feed cats
- 6:35 Shower
- 6:30 Get out of bed
I know that’s pretty detailed, and you might laugh or think it’s ridiculous. But it works. It also takes work and discipline, which doesn’t magically appear in anyone. Try it and let me know how it works for you!
The other thing that makes this morning schedule work is having your clothes and lunch ready to go the night before. There’s no time in the schedule for making a salad or ironing pants. And hopefully you’ll come to the same conclusion Lucy did:
Do you have any tips for getting to work on time?
Come Home For Comfort 
I have a great routine when I’m working (I’m a teacher). Summers are a different story. Any ideas for developing a routine when you have nowhere to go? I know this might not sound like a problem, but I find my time just wasting by, and I don’t want that.
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Hi Mandy! I work part time, and the 3 days a week that I don’t work outside our house I follow this same routine. This was actually filmed on a day I stayed home – I added the end where I picked up my lunch on a work day just to make the video feel a little more complete. I do the same morning routine no matter what I’m doing with my day. It gets me started on the track of “doing things” instead of just watching TV or checking facebook for three hours. 🙂 I started this morning routine a few years ago when I wasn’t working outside the home. If you search “My daily routine as a stay at home wife” here on the blog, you’ll find another (very old, not very well executed) video where I talked about staying busy while being home all day. Hope that is helpful!
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One of my biggest hurdles to getting out the door on time when I was working was picking my clothes! I don’t know why I didn’t decide to plan it out the night before!! Great post!
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I always regret not picking out my clothes – especially on Sunday mornings when something inevitably goes wrong! 🙂
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I am a stay at home Nana but I find it is helpful to me to lay out clothes the night before Whitney. I also spend some time before going to bed picking up things and putting them away so I can start the day with a neat home.
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I can’t stand to wake up to a messy house! I do the pick-up routine before bed, too. 🙂
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Hi,
I really liked your blog. I pack my lunch on the night before and it has really helped me.
http://www.vaidehivaidehi.blogspot.com.au
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thanks!
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