Seems like it occurred to me about half way through September, weeks into school (I’m real swift), that our family might benefit from today’s little tip. And with a new year breathing down our neck over here, I’m all about getting this little school day morning workhorse back on duty.

I’m not going back.

Maybe it was the tediousness of reciting to the kids the daily instructions that got to me in the end: “Get dressed; eat breakfast; brush your teeth; fill your water bottle; pack your backpack; put on your shoes.” Or maybe it was the repetition: “Get dressed… I said get dressed… Why aren’t you dressed yet? GO GET DRESSED.” But whatever it was, I finally clued in: Our family needed a visible, useable, posted morning routine schedule.

Y’all. Whatever helps save our sanity, right? Since last year I had a kindergartener as well as a fourth grader, I wanted to include pictures as well as words (although the pictures are imperative for very young and pre-readers, they are  great visual cues for older kids, too). I added the times as a guide rather than a set-and-fast rule.

I cut and paste and make my own with clip art I find on the web, but if you are looking for a much less labor intensive route, The Organised Housewife has a user-friendly set-up at her online shop, found over here. And Autumn over at He Fills My Cup has a couple of free editable printables.

Or just scroll through the plethora of results from a “morning routine printables” images search in order to find a good fit for you.

However you get there, IMHO, a little bit of time and effort now can save you much time and sanity in the future.

Here’s how this year’s one is shaping up so far. I’ll print it out, laminate it, and tape it to the front of this door.

I was so shocked at how thoroughly my boys responded to this sort of routine chart. If they asked me what was next or if they were not on the move, I’d tell them to check the chart. And within a day, rather than asking me the same questions or being prompted each morning, ad nauseum, they were suddenly totally self-motivated to get everything they needed to, done. By themselves. Without reminder. Go fig.

Bit shocking how well my evil plan organizational aide works, actually. The whole thing left me wondering why on Earth I hadn’t done it sooner!

So, what is one of your best strategies for doing “back to school” like a boss? Do tell!