Setting Up a Useful Evening Routine
I have a confession to make. My evening routine is a work in progress and doesn’t always get done. Before you click away, let me say that this means I understand how hard it is for moms create a routine that works with busy evenings.
I’ve curated a list of evening routine ideas you can use to create a nightly bedtime routine that leaves you prepped for a good night’s sleep and ready to tackle whatever the morning brings.
I’m no stranger to daily routines. I’ve spent many hours designing and implementing my morning routine, and I regularly adjust it to fit my season of life. But an evening routine just seemed impossible. For one thing, I’m tired. Three kids, homeschooling, extended family and church activities, packed extracurricular schedules, blogging. I honestly didn’t think I had time for an evening routine.
Morning Routine Resources
Every so often, though, I’d do something in the evening that made a significant difference in the following day. We all know the standard example: if I laid out workout gear, I was much more likely to exercise in the morning. I also know that sitting down to review my calendar and make a quick to-do list means I have a plan and purpose from the moment I get up.
Why You Should Have an Evening Routine
First, an evening routine encourages positive sleep habits, like a set bedtime.
Second, mornings become less chaotic when your evening routine incorporates some element of preparation for your day. It allows your brain the freedom to relax, knowing that your mind and body are prepared for the following day.
And finally, having an evening routine means that intentional activities replace mindless activities. You get to decide how you wish to spend your valuable time.
An evening routine or nighttime ritual can include elements of self-care, planning, and necessary tasks that allow your brain to relax and be ready for a productive morning.
Elements of an Evening Routine
Your evening routine should be unique to you. While it’s fun (at least for me) to read about the evening routines of highly productive people, the best routine is one that you will actually do regularly.
Setting Parameters
Before you get into the specifics of what you want to do as part of your evening routine, you should think about a few practical matters. Here are a few things to consider as you begin the process of creating an evening routine.
Time Frame
How much time do you realistically have in the evening? Your evening routine will look much different if you have 30 minutes to devote to your nighttime routine vs. 2 hours in the evening.
Bedtime
The experts will tell you that to consistently get good sleep, you should have a regular sleep/wake cycle that doesn’t vary too much from day to day. You will need to decide on a bedtime that generally works with your schedule and your body clock, and work backwards to begin your evening routine. For most people, going to bed earlier is beneficial for better sleep and productive mornings.
Screen Rules
It is generally accepted that exposure to blue light, working late into the evening, and endlessly scrolling social media are not conducive to good sleep. Spend a little time thinking about screen rules you want to stick to. Here are some examples you can use to think about what might work for you.
- turn off your devices at a specific time each evening (2 hours before bed is a good aim)
- set your phone to have Do Not Disturb come on at a set time every night
- charge your phone in the kitchen (away from your bedroom or living area where you spend evening time)
- set time limits on apps that are time wasters for you (social media, games, entertainment)
- choose specific days to allow TV watching
- set a limit in advance for how many episodes or how much time you’ll spend on Netflix/TV
Set Up for Success
Do everything you can to set yourself up for success. Create systems to streamline your activities and reduce the obstacles to completing your evening routine. Here are a few ideas that may help your evening routine run smoothly.
- set an alarm to begin your evening routine
- utilize a trigger habit (put on pajamas, turn on music, light a candle)
- create a shut-down routine for ending work hours
- involve your family in your evening routine (kids benefit from a nightly routine too!)
- find a decaf bedtime tea to substitute for alcohol or caffeinated beverages in the evening
- don’t eat a big meal too close to bedtime
- keep a notebook on your nightstand to jot down ideas (pulling out your phone or laptop is likely to result in unintentional wasted time)
- adjust lighting (dim lights)
- have a regular spot you keep your book, journal, planner, or other items you intend to use in the evening
- create a playlist of nature sounds or music
Things I use as part of my evening routine
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Ideas for Your Evening Routine
If you’re like me, you’ll look at this list and want to dream up an ideal evening routine that includes facials and checklists and journaling and yoga and… Yeah, don’t do that.
We’ll assume that you’re brushing your teeth before bed, but other than that, if you’re starting from scratch…start small. Scan the list and choose three items you’d most like to include in your evening routine. Spend a couple of weeks implementing those items and ask yourself how it’s going. Then adjust, and add something else if you like.
Evening Routine Self-Care Ideas
Make sure to include something that brings joy and peace to your evening routine. This could be for your mind or body, and should be something you’re doing just for yourself.
- stretching
- yoga
- walk
- deep breathing exercises
- prayer
- meditation
- light a candle
- diffuse essential oils
- turn on dim lighting
- listen to music
- read (fiction, poetry, biography)
- play a game
- do a puzzle, crossword, or sudoku
- take a virtual class for fun
- spend time on a hobby
- work on memorization (scripture, poetry, favorite quotes, foreign language)
- journal: memory journal, gratitude journal, general reflection, accomplishments
- think about something you’re looking forward to
- take a shower or bath
- skin care, body care, or hair care (apply lotion, lip scrub, face mask, deep conditioner)
- decaf tea (chamomile, lavender, valerian)
- call a friend or family member
Evening Routine Planning Ideas
Spend a few minutes doing something in the evening that will make your morning more productive, efficient, and pleasant.
- check calendar for tomorrow
- write a to-do list
- make a top three task list for tomorrow
- set a small goal
- do a brain dump (write down all the tasks and to-dos on your mind to get them out of your head and on paper)
- meal plan for tomorrow
- lay out workout clothes and shoes
- workout plan
Evening Routine Ideas for Household Tasks
You’ll thank yourself for including a task or two in your evening routine that reduces the frantic rush of a weekday morning.
- pack lunches
- prep breakfast
- set out vitamins/medication for morning
- prep coffee and set timer
- start dishwasher
- put a load of laundry in the washing machine, ready to start in the morning
- clean up kitchen (wash dishes, wipe counters, take out trash)
- quick tidy (clothes off floor, clutter off counters, toys picked up)
- pack backpacks, sports gear, fill water bottles, etc.
- have kids choose clothes for tomorrow (even better: do a week of clothes planning on Sunday!)
- put everything that needs to leave the house with you in one spot
Evening Routine Ideas for Homeschool Moms
There are things you can do each evening specifically to prepare for a more productive and pleasant homeschooling experience. Again, you decide what works best for you. Take a look at the list of ideas below to see if any of these would help you feel more organized and prepared for your homeschool days. Some of these are things your kids can help with—give them responsibility!
- make sure books, binders, and other school-related things are put away
- plug devices in to charge
- write an assignment list for your kids/yourself
- look through Teacher Guide’s or other material you’ll be using tomorrow to familiarize yourself
- jot down resources to check out related to topics you’re currently studying
- update a whiteboard with a general schedule for the next day
- add assignments to Google classroom/check turned in work
- put assigned work in a “mailbox” or other specified area for your child to access tomorrow
- grade or look over completed work for understanding of concepts
- make notes about specific concepts or items to address tomorrow
- write a simple agenda for a morning meeting
- do needed prep work for projects
- print out anything needed for an assignment
- write down what your kids did that day (use a notebook, Evernote, Google doc, etc.)
- do a quick assessment to come up with something positive (something they learned, good attitudes, helpfulness, etc.) and write it down
My Personal Evening Routine
I love to see examples of other moms’ morning and evening routines, so I’ll share my current evening routine.
- clean up kitchen (dishes washed or in dishwasher, counters and tables mostly cleared)
I put this first because it signals the beginning of my evening routine. Our evening schedules are complicated, with kids coming and going to activities and eating dinner at different times many evenings. We’ll try to clean up dinner dishes and food as we go, kids included, but whatever cleanup remains after everyone is home and has eaten dinner happens as part of my evening routine. - say good night to kids
Normally I try to get the kitchen cleanup done before kids go to bed (and recruit them to help). With older kids, bedtime is getting later, but we still try to have them head upstairs around 9:30pm.
The next three things—planning/school prep, memory journal, and daily journaling—almost always take place at my desk. I have a physical printed page detailing my evening routine that I keep in a binder on my desk labeled Daily Binder. You’ll see an image of this page below. - tea/planning/school prep
After kids go to bed, I usually make a cup of decaf tea and sip on that while I look at what’s on my calendar over the next day or two, make a top priority list for tomorrow, and do a little prep for the next day’s homeschooling. We’re using Google classroom, and I typically assign a week’s worth of work at once. My nightly prep is fairly minimal, but I like to jot down anything I want to go over with the kids and look at ideas to supplement whatever we’re currently learning. - memory journal
I gifted myself a 5-year memory journal for moms at Christmas and I really enjoy the simple prompts and scripture included for each day. - daily journal
This part of my routine is a work in progress. Journaling is an area I’ve wanted to get more consistent with, so I keep a blank journal next to my memory journal and try to write down a few thoughts most evenings. I’m using this as a way to record things we did, funny things the kids say, or things that are on my mind in general.
On my evening routine page that you see below, I wrote out an evening prayer that I usually read and think about after finishing this part of my evening routine. - bedtime hygiene (basic brushing teeth, taking out contacts, removing makeup, etc.)
- lay out exercise gear (my current morning routine includes a 30-minute walk, which doesn’t require much for workout clothes, but I still pull out my clothes and shoes to make it easy on myself in the early morning)
- read (I almost always end my evening with a few minutes of reading a book. The hard part for me is shutting my book and going to sleep on time.)
Create Your Evening Routine
Now it’s your turn! Choose a few things that would ease your morning stress and start creating an evening routine. Think about setting an alarm or choosing a task that triggers you to begin your routine and work on making it a habit. I’m giving you my Morning and Evening Routine templates (like the ones pictured below) as an editable PDF file. You can print them out and handwrite on them directly, or type your desired evening routine directly into the grey boxes for a nice, neat look. Click the image below to download the free file.
A few extra minutes in the evening to intentionally plan and reset for the next day will pay off with mornings that feel less chaotic and more productive.
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Ideas for Your Evening Routine
