How to Get Ready in 30 Minutes or Less!

Ever find that mornings are harried?

Wonder how to get yourself put together in the mornings without spending hours primping and curling?

Looking for some ways to streamline your life, besides throwing on a pair of joggers and pulling your hair into a ponytail?

The morning rush doesn’t have to be, well, rushed.

There are some habits that you can work on to help you feel more “with it” each and every day. In fact, start the practice of habit stacking so that your mornings go more smoothly.

One of those things is to prepare a quick morning routine, it’s the key to how to get ready in 30 minutes.

You would be amazed at how quickly you can get your game face on if you follow some of these easy steps. Maximize each part of this process to get ready in 30 minutes by doing prep the night before whenever you can.

Lock out interruptions.

If you’re constantly interrupted in the morning, there’s no way you’ll be able to get ready in 30 minutes! Don’t be afraid to seclude yourself in order to protect that time.

If your kids are old enough to take care of themselves, lock yourself in your room so that your 30 minutes can be spent in an efficient way. If your people are little, consider a little screen time for them in order to give you a quiet peaceful time alone.

Kiddos that are old enough can be doing their Morning High Five while you get ready.

Remember that kids aren’t the only interruptions. Put your phone in another room so you won’t be distracted by the scroll.

Focus on getting ready!

Bathe at the most opportune time.

Some moms find that showering before bed helps them get a great start on the day. Others find that a morning shower helps wake them up. Choose the time that works best for you.

That said, consider doing what you can the night before so that in the morning — when you’re tired and feeling rushed and needing to take care of the kids — you’ll know you’re already to go.

This is particularly important if you enjoy a long shower. If you do, there’s no way you’ll be able to get ready in 30 minutes!

Remember you can always split the difference. Wash your hair and do all the time-intensive personal care at night and then in the morning, it’s a quick rinse if that helps you feel invigorated.

Streamline your beauty routine.

Know what works for you. Figure out what cosmetics look good on you, which hairstyle is most flattering for your face and body type, and gather the tools you need to put it all together.

Don’t spend your morning minutes on experimentation, especially when you’ve got to get out the door by a certain time. Experiment at night when it’s calm and peaceful — and then figure out how to replicate it in the morning.

There are plenty of beauty companies who have created quick morning routine packages. Jones Road and Thrive Causemetics both carry minimalist sets that promise quick fixes, allowing you to get ready in 30 minutes or less.

If one product can do the job of two, let it. Some are even designed to help you get ready faster. Quick dry shampoo and all-in-one shavers can help you be more efficient — but just as beautiful — in the morning.

Find a wardrobe that works.

Knowing what you’re going to wear each morning will save you time and allow you to get ready in 30 minutes or less. I use the Outfit Formulas app for effortless dressing in the morning.

Spend a little money and time finding clothes that fit — your body and your personality. Every mom needs some comfy clothes and some “put together” clothes and some “date night” clothes.

How much you need of each will depend on how you spend your days. But, comfy clothes can be cute and put together. (Just saying.)

Figure out what your needs are and reform your closet around those. A mix-and-match wardrobe is key to saving both time and money.

Try to find a few colors that you know look good on you. I used to limit it to four colors. I think I’m up to six now (blue, green, black, white, brown, and cranberry), but it’s still extremely easy to mix and match.

If everything in your closet fits and looks good on you, you won’t spend countless hours trying things on, only to discard them on the closet floor a few minutes later.

Don’t Skip Breakfast

Don’t skip breakfast even if you’re in a hurry. A little meal prep at the start of the week can do wonders for the whole family.

You can get ready in 30 minutes and feed the family breakfast each morning!

Keep an eye on coffee, tea, and other breakfast supplies so that you aren’t struggling in the morning to find things. Seriously, there are so many things you can do at night to make tomorrow easier.

Speaking of which…

Do what you can the night before.

You do this for your kids, why not do it for yourself? Make decisions before you go to bed, so that in the morning, you don’t have to think. Thinking is good, just not when you’re pressed for time.

Things you can do the night before include:

• check your planner
• shower and wash hair
• lay out clothes
• pack your everyday essentials and purse
• make sure there’s gas in the car. If not, make a note to leave earlier in the morning to cast up.
• get the coffee or tea things ready for the morning
• prep breakfast in advance
• if needed, pack lunch at night, too.
• do the same for the kids

How to Get Ready in 30 Minutes or Less

Here’s a potential breakdown of how a quick morning routine could go:

How 30 minutes can be broken down:

• 10 minutes – shower
• 2 minutes – brush and floss
• 1 minute – moisturize
• 5 minutes – brush, blow dry, and style hair
• 2 minutes – dress
• 10 minutes – apply make-up, touch up polish, put on jewelry

The morning doesn’t need to be a race. But, when you consider how long something really takes, you may find that it takes less time than you thought it did.

Obviously, not all mornings are going to obey. The dog will be sick. The baby will be crying. And big brother’s homework will go missing at the last minute.

But, if you’ve got a general target to shoot for — at least when it comes to getting your personal morning routine done — you can get up and at ’em in no time. And you can look good.