My Top Tips To Make It Out Of The Door Faster In The Winter

Baby, it is COLD outside! If you are like me, then you are constantly looking for ways to make the mornings easier and less stressful. One way that I have always made this happen is by packing ahead and staying organized. However, I have found this to be much more challenging during the winter. There is SO MUCH MORE STUFF required when it is cold, and A LOT OF YOUR ITEMS WILL FREEZE if you permanently keep them in your car (I am speaking from experience). It has taken me some time, but through a little thought and practice, I have discovered ways to still get out of the door quickly in the mornings. Here are my top tips to make it out of the door faster in the winter:

Assign a strategic location to keep all of your winter accessories – This includes things like mittens, gloves and hats. I like to keep all of our winter items in a box that is located in my coat closet, where everything is SUPER EASY to find. I actually have a separate box for Madeline’s items, so it takes zero effort to find them. This simple organizational hack has made such a big difference in our morning routine!

A HUGE component of this hack is to also immediately put all winter items back AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME! This is where most people mess up a little bit. An assigned location is a great start, but if you don’t actually put your hat and gloves back in their assigned spot, then they will be MUCH harder to find in the future. Please don’t waste precious time in the morning hunting for stuff when you don’t have to. It adds SO MUCH UNNECESSARY STRESS in your life! Do yourself a favor and find a permanent home for all of your winter items.

Whatever you do, make sure you LOAD YOUR CHILDREN LAST – This will be your BIGGEST ADVANTAGE for getting out of the house faster in the mornings! This means having your windows scraped, your travel coffee in the cup holder, all bags packed and everything placed in the trunk. Don’t forget any other morning chores you might have, such as letting your dog outside to potty. Trust me when I tell you that you can get all of this done WAY FASTER if you do it by yourself and BEFORE your children are awake. Children are precious, but they will DEFINITELY SLOW YOU DOWN IN THE MORNINGS – LOL! I am telling you from personal experience that you will make your life 100% easier if you do everything else FIRST. Once your morning chores are done and your car is loaded, then all you have to do is wake up your child, dress her and go!

Have everything laid out (snow shoes, keys, scarves, jackets) the night before – This will help you save precious time in the mornings by making all of the decisions the night before. You will need WAY more layers in the winter, so get prepared early! I find it helpful to have doubles, so I am not constantly loading and reloading winter items in my car (mittens, hats, blankets, etc). A little planning goes A LONG WAY in the winter, because you can’t keep as much in the car (water, wipes, etc) due to them potentially freezing. You will make life much easier by having a designated bag that STAYS STOCKED and goes in and out of your car every day.

SIDE NOTE – Make sure to not “rob” your bag of supplies, because you don’t want to get stuck out somewhere and not have an item you need. I like a bag that is super roomy with plenty of space for those larger winter items. HERE is a bag that I really like from Vera Bradley, but you could always use one that you already have.

Consider keeping a few items that won’t freeze in your car at all times – This would include extra items like blankets, jackets, mittens and small toys. I always keep a few of these things in my car, in the event that the day starts out warm and then suddenly gets much colder in the evening. Again, don’t keep wipes in your car in the winter because they can freeze.

Rather than having all of these items being able to move freely throughout my vehicle, I like to keep everything tidy in one small storage organizer. I personally own the one below, and it has been a LIFESAVER for neatly keeping all of my supplies in one place (link HERE).

I also keep a larger car organizer in my trunk, for those items that I don’t constantly need while I am driving (emergency car supplies, extra blankets in the event of a breakdown, a change of clothes for Madeline, etc). I bought the one below recently, and it has been SUPER helpful for keeping my trunk neat! The link can be found HERE.

As I have said before, a little planning goes a LONG way in the winter with all of the extra stuff and hassle that comes with cold weather. What helps you in the winter to get out of the door faster in the morning? Please leave a comment below, because I always love hearing your suggestions! Thank you so much for reading, and STAY WARM!

XOXO,