Do you get up on time for work, but your crumbsnatchers are still making you late? Are you tired of the morning battles? Time management expert and fellow mom Tyeese Gaines Reid gives 8 tips on how to get everyone out the door on time!

I owe my mom a huge apology. I was the worst kid in the world to have to wake up in the morning. I'm sure if she hadn't started waking me up 2 hours before we needed to leave, she certainly would have been fired.

She tried everything. Loud alarms, forcing me to get out of bed while she watched, making the dog jump on top of me, singing songs, the whole nine yards. But, by the time I was 10, I learned plenty of tricks to get those last minutes of precious sleep in.

My personal best was going into the bathroom, turning on the shower water and curling up on the bathroom floor for some extra snoozing. It bought me at least 15 minutes before my mother knocked on the door to say "hurry up." She usually had no idea I was fast asleep.

I am betraying my fellow late snoozers, but here's how to keep them from making you late for work:

Stricter bedtimes Between extracurricular activities, television, the Internet, and cell phone chats, kids are up way later than they should be. Plan dinner earlier, record late night shows and put the kids to bed an hour or two earlier.

Limit caffeine intake With sodas, chocolate and coffee (yes, kids are drinking coffee), it's amazing how much caffeine youngsters take in during the day. Regulate their caffeine intake to help them fall off to dreamland earlier.

Prepare the night before Get your kids into a nighttime ritual so they'll have more morning snooze time. They should pack their backpacks, make their lunch and iron their clothes for the next day. Showering the night before also helps. That way, they can roll out of bed, into their ironed clothes and stroll out the door with their packed bags.

Breakfast on-the-go (or at school) Send the kids off to school with portable breakfast -- a muffin, yogurt, fruit, or grilled cheese sandwich. They can eat on the way or when they get there. If school serves breakfast, that's another option.

Bribes Depending on the age range, this will vary. For younger kids, you can set a goal of being on time for two weeks straight. Attach a reward to the achievements. I don't suggest doing a daily achievement and reward, though. Long term ones work better to change habits. For older ones, threaten to leave them at home. Make them walk or ride the bus if they're late.

Encouragement If you have another child who isn't difficult to wake in the morning, let the other children see you praising that child.

Punishments The reality is, if you lose your job, the bills don't get paid. If kids miss too much school, they risk failing out. So, tardiness is a serious issue for some. That being said, the problem may come to the point of needing punishment. So, set a limit and make it clear ("If you're late two times in one month, you will be punished"). Punishment can be a dock of allowance, extra chores, grounding, or limits on recreational activities and phone time.

Set his or her clock ahead This doesn't instill any true values or discipline, but it does the trick for a few days until he or she figures it out. If you need your kid up at 6am, move the clock 30 minutes ahead. When he or she sees that it's 7:30, the feet might move faster than if it says 7am.

Tyeese Gaines Reid is a one-woman juggling act: writer, mom, wife and doctor. She is the author of "The Get A Life Campaign," a pocket guide for busy women who want balance in their lives (http://www.getalifecampaign.com), on sale May 2007. The Jersey City-native has written for 5-Minute Clinical Consult, Boston Magazine, M.D. News and NBC6 in Miami. Tyeese can be contacted at doctorty.getalifecampaign.com.

For more time-saving tips for busy women, visit http://www.getalifecampaign.com.

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