The morning is a good time to set your day up, but having an evening routine is an excellent way to prepare for tomorrow and tie off any loose ends.
Many of us are exhausted by the end of the day, but using this routine guide along with my 5 steps for creating your ideal morning routine, you will be saving a lot of time and energy in the long run.
Starting a new routine it can be daunting at first. Having to remember these new things you’ve put in place, but once you’ve turned it from a routine into a habit you will wonder how you ever lived without it!
How to set up an evening routine
When setting up a evening routine, it is important to work out what is best for you. This is your personal journey, I am just here to help guide you.
Below you will find 5 sections, each section is something you should ideally cover before going to bed.
Think of one thing for each section, and voila, you have your evening routine!
This is not a routine for getting the kids to bed or planning out dinner, this is a quick routine that you can set up and complete after the kids are in bed.
A handful of low-stress habits can make a huge difference to your day!
Create an evening routine in under 30 minutes
The idea of this routine is to make a list of 5 things that you can complete in 30 minutes or less (total!).
Creating a routine that demands hours of your attention is not only exhausting, it is unachievable in most householes.
When you are choosing your task for each category, try to pick a task that will take you roughly 5 minutes to complete.
It may seem small, but that is 5 minutes that will save you a world of stress tomorrow.
One thing to tidy
Similarly to my steps to creating your ideal morning routine, we have cleaning again!
Is cleaning already part of your ideal routine?
If it isn’t, this is where we start!
While it may not seem ideal to do some cleaning when you want to relax, it is helping you in the long term.
A quick tidy now can save you time tomorrow, it is one less thing to worry about when facing a new day.
Plus, it means that you can go to bed and rest easier – because those messy toys won’t be nagging you while you try to sleep.
Quick tidy ideas:
- Pick up toys lying around
- Load the washing machine for tomorrow
- Tidy a surface (Bench, table etc)
- Wipe down the bathroom sink
- Pick up a bag of rubbish
One thing that will make tomorrow easier
As with tidying, there are other ways to prepare for your day or week.
Pick something that won’t cause you any stress now but will also help save time on a future task.
Some ideas that can make your life easier:
- Layout your clothes for tomorrow
- Pre-prepare your lunch and/or your children’s lunches
- Set up your playlist or pick your podcast for tomorrow
- Pack your child’s school bag
One thing to unclutter your mind for bed time
Before you get ready to relax it is a good idea to get things off your mind.
Whether it is something bothering you or tasks you need to conquer tomorrow, take the time before you sleep to get things off your mind.
- Write in a journal – something that you are feeling, that is bothering you.. doesn’t matter what it is!
- Write out your to-do list for tomorrow
- Make a list of anything that you have been meaning to do – such as small home maintenance or your Christmas shopping list
- Write in a gratitude journal
One thing to finish off before you sleep
Again, don’t make this a huge task. If you have to finish writing a book, now is not the time for that.
If you have something small to finish off, now is the best time. This will help you sleep easy because you won’t be staring at the roof thinking “I really should have folded those clothes!”
Ideas of things to finish off:
- Folding and/or putting away laundry
- Reading notes from your latest class
- Setting up that chromecast you bought but haven’t taken out of the box
- Replying to an email you meant to tend to
You won’t be doing the same thing every night for this one. If you were, it wouldn’t be finishing something off!
So if you like, you could make a note in your schedule to cross one thing off your to-do list that won’t take more than 5-10 minutes.
One thing that will help you wind down
This one seems almost like common sense, yet most of us fail to do it.
Either because we forget, or we get so caught up in our technology that we don’t bother.
Winding down is important for a good night’s sleep, if your mind is still active when you go to bed it can make it difficult to fall asleep and that limits how much sleep you are going to get.
So find something that helps you wind down!
If you’re an oily lover, I have a specific oil blend that I use every night that helps me relax both mentally and physically, it has been a Godsend!
Ways you can relax and wind down
- Have a shower or bath
- Drink some herbal tea
- Read a few pages book (or a few chapters – you do you!)
- Make a rule of no electronics half an hour before bed, and stick to it!
- Colouring/drawing
- Diffuse some calming oils, such as lavender or vetiver
- Put on some relaxing music and just be still
Examples of an evening routine
Routines don’t have to be stressful, and as I said earlier – once you get them in place and they become a habit you will definitely notice the benefits.
Here is an example of an evening routine you can create.
(Remember to create your own routine, unique to you, that suits your needs)
8:20 pm – Fold the laundry
8:30 pm – Make school lunches
8:40 pm – Write out your to-do list for tomorrow
8:45 pm – Change the lightbulb you’ve been forgetting about
8:48 pm – Have a warm shower
9:00 pm – Go to bed and have an amazing nights sleep!
This routine took a bit longer than 30 minutes, it took 40.
But it was 40 minutes that has saved a lot of stress and frustration tomorrow, and all of the days to follow.
Drop a comment and let me know – what is the one thing you struggle with the most when it comes to unwinding for the night?
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