Have a no re-heat morning
How to actually finish that first cup of coffee, uninterrupted
In my household, and perhaps in yours too, mornings can be hectic. Trying to get yourself and your kids dressed, fed, and ready feels like a lot. Never mind the bags that need to be packed, or various items like instruments and lunches that need to be remembered, the dogs that need to be walked, and the inevitable messes that those kids and dogs create. You can feel like you’ve put in an honest day’s work by the time you get to your desk.
For many people, a cold cup of coffee is a symbol of this busyness. You might make a cup of coffee and hope to sit down and drink it but someone needs helping finding their binder and you forgot your charger that’s upstairs and…People fantasize about being able to sit and drink most of a cup of coffee without getting up, while the coffee is still hot.
I may not have a magic cure for the madness of mornings. But I do have a few ideas for how to avoid having to hit the microwave yet again.
Finding the time
First — and hear me out on this one — if you wake up to an alarm, then you can wake up to a very slightly earlier alarm. If you can program your coffee maker the night before, then an extra eight minutes or so will give you a chance to pour your cup, sit, and sip it while you do nothing else. I know it is hard to get up earlier, but eight minutes is not like waking up at 4 a.m. to run a marathon. It is just a few minutes, and the promise of an uninterrupted cup might be enticing enough to go to bed at 10:22 p.m. instead of 10:30 p.m.
If that’s not going to fly — because you usually wake to the sound of a toddler screaming “Mommy” or “Daddy” from his crib — then maybe you can enjoy that uninterrupted cup at the end of your morning routine. If your sitter comes at 8:00 a.m. and you’re normally out the door at 8:10 a.m., maybe you could be out the door at 8:15 a.m. or 8:20 a.m., having enjoyed your cup of coffee somewhere quiet in the house. Or even in your parked car before you leave if the kids have a tendency to track you down. If you drive the kids to daycare, leave eight minutes earlier, bring a thermos of coffee and sit in the parking lot there before driving to work. Or just leave at the same time and consider this your first “break” of the day. My guess is that starting the workday eight minutes later won’t change much, especially if you don’t even have an official start time (or you’re not catching a train). But you will feel completely different.
Pare things down
If you’ve got older kids who don’t need to be watched constantly, then you can create more space in your morning routine by eliminating tasks. Some people feel better when their bed is made every day, but if you’re not one of those people, skip making the bed. Enjoy your uninterrupted cup while sitting in your unmade bed — it will be great. Maybe other members of your household could do some of the tasks you are currently doing. Can your pre-teen walk the dog? Can your kids pack their own lunches? Can your high schooler empty the dishwasher? The elimination of any of these tasks would free up 5-10 minutes for an uninterrupted cup.
The key thing is that when you get your time for uninterrupted sipping, seize it. Don’t distract yourself. Yes, that pillow on the couch is off-kilter, and that bowl of half-eaten popcorn definitely should not be where it is, but it can be moved in ten minutes. Just sit. Just enjoy. Look out the window at the changing light, or look at the wall in the closet if that is where you have gone and hidden so no one else can find you. I am not here to judge. I just don’t want you to have to keep reheating your coffee!