Did you know, experts say, the most productive part of your day is the first 2 hours in the morning?

Seriously.

If you’re not a morning person — you’ll begin to question my sanity about now.

“It turns out that most people are productive in the first two hours of the morning. Not immediately after waking, but if you get up at 7 you’ll be most productive from around from 8-10:30. One of the saddest mistakes in time management is the propensity of people to spend the two most productive hours of their day on things that don’t require high cognitive capacity (like social media).” —Dan Ariely, behavioral economist at Duke University.

Every morning begins a new day to a clean slate. Don’t you love clean slates? Or maybe better, “Don’t you love wiping the slate clean?”

There is something therapeutic about fresh starts and clean slates. In many cases, the day will take care of itself. How you begin it, depends on you.

Beginning well can be as easy as establishing a morning routine.

Here’s why:

“When it comes to beginning your day, take it from a master chef. Set up the essential ingredients for the task ahead. You no longer have to be distracted about every single item which requires your attention. Focus on what’s right in front of you and start with a single bite,” advises Linda Esposito, LCSW for Psychology Today.

 

7 Hacks to Save Time and your Sanity in the Morning

1. Organized Accessories are Easy to Grab in the Mornings

Make scarves, belts, and other accessories easy to find in your closet. Rather than stuff them into one big bin, hang scarves on a pair of paper-towel holders mounted on the inside of one closet door to keep them neat and wrinkle-free. A kitchen-utensil rail proves to be ideal for belts: Each gets its own S hook.

 

2. Organizing a Simple Morning Coffee Station

If coffee is part of your morning ritual, set up a simple morning coffee station with all the fixing to get your day started right. Program your coffee maker, have your mug or travel mug ready, coffee, sugar, creamer, flavor — portioned out and ready. Think about simple containers so it’s attractive and most important — accessible for a hectic morning.

A great example of a coffee station by Driven by Decor.

 

3. Clip Art Lunch Labels

Make lunchtime even more appetizing by decorating kids’ lunch bags or boxes with cheery stickers and labels. Some can serve a purpose — personalizing plain containers or sealing sacks shut — others are purely for fun. I love this idea!

Click here for templates… or here for instructions.

 

4. Organizing Brown Bag Lunches and Snacks

A simple and effective way to easy the morning routine is to pre-portion lunch and snack components into individual servings, ready to grab and go. I’ve done this for years — and with a 17-year-old and a husband still taking brown bag lunches — it isn’t just for kids!

Photo: IHeart Organizing

 

5. Magnetic Convenience for Keys

The best place for messages is also ideal for keys. Attach a magnetic knife holder, available at kitchen-supply stores, along the bottom of an entryway bulletin board to keep important items — keys, scissors, even an emergency flashlight — within reach. Secure the magnetic strip with its accompanying hardware to the frame of the board.

 

6. Create a Magnetic Lunch Chart for Kids

Kids may be more likely to eat their lunch if they help choose the menu. Use this magnetic chart to map out weekly meals, it saves time and helps make grocery shopping easier.

Print out the magnetic chart onto a full-size magnetic sheet. Get the chart here and the lunch labels here.

 

7. Organized Winter Gear

Avoid sifting through mismatched gloves and misplaced scarves by keeping each family member’s cold-weather gear in a wire gym basket.

Instructions here.