Some people greet the morning with bright eyes and smiles, while others groan as they hit snooze for a fifth time. No, the early am. hours are not for everyone. Nonetheless, they are a great time for simplifying the amount of cleaning you’ll have to do later in the afternoon or evening. You just have to figure out how to create a morning routine.

Here are four simple ways to clean as you go while you start your day, whether you’re a morning person or not.

1. Start the Night Before
Organization is half the battle when you’re trying to figure out how to create a morning routine. If you make a plan that involves getting things ready the night before, you’ve already made the next day a little easier. There are many tasks you can take care of the night before to help ease your way in the morning:

Pack your lunch or the kids’ school lunches to make sure everyone has a healthy meal to grab n’ go.
Pick out the clothes you’ll wear the next day so you don’t have to hunt for an outfit while you’re half asleep. If you have children, get them into the habit of laying out their school uniforms or clothes before they go to bed.
Pack up your work bag and the kids’ book bags and place them in the mudroom or entryway.
Set your keys, phone, wallet and purse near the door to eliminate a frantic early morning search.
Have everyone place their dirty clothes or bath towels in the hamper before they go to bed to keep laundry from piling up on bedroom floors.
Tidy cluttered areas such as desks, entryway tables and kitchen countertops so they don’t spiral out of control.

2. Make the Bed
If you’re in a huge rush, you don’t have to take the time to make your bed. However, when you think about how to create a morning routine, remember that you’re trying to make your home more comfortable so you can unwind when you return in the evening. True, you’ll just pull the sheets back down later, but coming home to a neatly made bed can be incredibly relaxing. And it really doesn’t take that much time, either. Have the kids make theirs, too, so that every room has a nice and tidy appearance.

3. Quick Bathroom Cleaning
There’s no way you’ll have time for a detailed bathroom cleaning before you leave the house. That doesn’t mean that you can’t take a few minutes to clean as you go in order to slow down mildew and soap scum.

After you shower, quickly wipe down shower walls and doors with a dry microfiber cloth. Mildew likes moisture, so this can deter its growth. In addition, you’ll also be wiping away much of the build-up that results in soap scum. If you have a shower door, leave it open so that plenty of air circulates throughout. You should also take a few seconds to wipe down your bathroom mirror with a microfiber cloth, so that you aren’t left with any streaks or toothpaste splatters.

4. Leave No Trace in the Kitchen
The kitchen tends to be the room where most morning messes occur. However, if you clean as you go, you’ll have much less to worry about when you get home later.

Have everyone in the family return cereal boxes to the pantry or cupboard when they’re done. In addition, family members can rinse their coffee mugs, yogurt bowls and spoons off and load them in the dishwasher. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you might want to consider quickly cleaning breakfast dishes before you head out.

Unless you’ve cooked a large meal, which most people don’t during the week, doing the dishes will probably take less time than you expect. Bonus: You won’t come home to the dreadful sight of dirty dishes sitting in your sink.

While you may never become a true morning person, there’s no reason why you can’t make the start of your day flow smoothly. Take the time to determine how to create a morning routine, and you’ll find it’s well worth the simple efforts when you come home to a neat and cozy home.