When I was a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, there was so much to do and no time boundaries if I didn’t make them myself. This meant that a lot of the time, I rolled with the day as it took its own turns. And that meant that a lot of the time, I did so braless. That was a really awkward way to say that I didn’t get dressed every day…

Getting dressed was reserved for the mornings I had Bible study or was meeting someone at the park. Most days I’d wake up and get into my routine, then it was time for breakfast and another cup of coffee and before I knew it, I was eating “lunch” at 3pm with a top knot (not at all like the super cute Pinterest-y ones) and the tank top I slept in the night before. #momlife

Don’t get me wrong… not getting dressed is such a luxury and something I look forward to every now and then! But when it becomes a habit, it starts to feel yucky pretty quick, and can even lead to a little bit of a depression-like lull. For me, at least.

We all get in ruts in different areas of life- it’s normal. But when you can get intentional about something you used to just deal with, that’s when purpose is born. Things get lighter, easier to manage, and you feel better inside.

When I started my business and had to get dressed for interviews and live streams almost daily, I started to feel really good. I looked forward to getting dressed and choosing what to wear. I felt like the CEO of my life, and at the same time I started looking forward to lazy days when I knew I wouldn’t have to get dressed- all the simple things in life got sweeter and I just felt happier. It was something I wished I’d known when I was solely a mom.

I started managing my time better. I started going to the gym a couple times a week. I started getting my kids fully dressed every morning after breakfast. I was able to grab my keys and run an errand with the kids if I needed to without “getting ready” for thirty minutes first. Such a simple change was making me feel so good, and it had made a hard transition (from SAHM to WAHM) so much simpler.

If you relate to this post but feel like getting ready in the morning takes a ton of time and effort you don’t have, you might just need to simplify the process. I know I had to! Here are my tips to simplifying your morning beauty routine…

1. Have a hair routine.

I know that I can go five days without washing my hair. It doesn’t get greasy very fast, It holds curls really well, and it handles dry shampoo beautifully, so I have a five day hair routine (skipping washes is healthier for your hair anyway).

Know how often your hair needs to be washed and come up with a weekly routine of your own! It takes the brain work out of it and allows you to plan around events easier. Here’s my weekly hair routine:

Day 1: My hair is freshly washed and air dried from the night before. My hair’s weird on the first day and I’m not a huge fan, so I’ll only style it if I’m going somewhere. Otherwise, it’s a great day for a side braid or a hat until more of the natural oils have built up.

Day 2: My hair styles much better now, so I’ll use my 1.5” barrel curling iron on it and style it like normal. This takes me 10 minutes. I have two favorite hair tutorials on curling hair. Here’s one from The Small Things Blog and here’s another great one from Mac House Blog.

Day 3: This is my favorite hair day! My hair looks great and is super easy to style on this day. My loose curls have softened but are still sticking around, so I add a few touch-up curls to the face-framing pieces and use a little dry shampoo at my roots if needed.

Day 4: My hair needs another mist of dry shampoo (or the first mist if it didn’t need it yesterday), so I give it that and then usually pull it half back, adding a couple of curls to the bottom half to refresh my look.

Day 5: Hat day! Then wash and air dry at night.

2. Streamline your daily makeup look.

If you don’t wear makeup every day, great! But if you’re like me, you do. I have pretty severe scarring from a rough battle with teenage (and adult) cystic acne. I feel my best when I have my makeup on, and I like to feel good as often as I can. However, I certainly don’t want to spend thirty minutes every morning on my face, so I simplify my daily routine.

Allie’s Simplified Daily Makeup Routine:

• Moisturizer/sunscreen

• A lighter, day foundation or tinted moisturizer

• Under eye concealer

• Powder

• Bronzer to contour

• Eyebrow pencil

• Mascara

Allie’s Full Makeup Routine:

• Moisturizer/sunscreen

• Foundation (heavier than my daily one, so no need for primer first), concealer. Full coverage.

• Under eye concealer

• Under eye brightener

• Powder

• Bronzer to contour

• Blush

• Highlighter

• Eye shadow

• Eyebrow pencil & stay serum

• Eyeliner

• Mascara (extra coats, depending)

• Lip color

• Makeup setting spray

See the difference? How can you do the same? Find small ways to simplify and cut out the unnecessary. Want some amazing makeup tips from a pro? Follow my friend Jaime’s blog here. So much of what I learned about makeup is from some tips she shared with me- she rocks!

3. Banish decision fatigue by limiting your wardrobe.

Whether you realize it or not, you’re making small decisions all day long, and that gets tiring. It’s most likely the reason you go from “good morning!” at 8am to “blech” around 5pm. The day’s taken its toll on you and you’ve made a thousand decisions about if your three-year-old can or can’t have a snack, if you should go to the gym or watch The Office, and if you should make Mac and Cheese or pork chops for dinner. This is decision fatigue.

I like to limit decision making, especially first thing in the morning. One way I do that is by limiting my wardrobe as much as I can. I’m not a fan of the capsule wardrobe idea (I love to shop now and then, and my job requires lots of different options for photo and video shoots), but if you think it will work for you, here’s what you need to know to get started.

It might help you to lay your outfit out the night before (kinda like you did in grade school… or was that just me?) and just wake up knowing what you’re wearing and put it on. Even if it’s a cute pair of sweats or yoga leggings and a tee shirt- get dressed. Put a sports bra on. Do something. You’ll feel so much better!

4. Develop weekly rhythms for the time consuming things.

If you’ve been around here for any length of time you know I am all about rhythms! They can help here too. Create rhythms for things like shaving your legs (and um, whatever else you shave), whitening your teeth, oil pulling, facials, masks, etc. I try to have one day each week that I spend a little extra time taking care of myself with these areas, but I’m not always successful. However, having rhythms like this helps my body feel “maintained” so that all I’m doing in the mornings is getting ready for the day at hand, not also shaving my legs and plucking my eyebrows. Ain’t no mama got time for that.

Do you have a simple morning routine? Share your tips in the comments!