Our morning and evening routines are very important parts of a great day. Last time I gave you my best tips for a productive morning. Today, I’m giving my best tips for a productive evening routine. This is a routine I started when my kids were young and still in school. Having a good routine, for me, was the only way to get things done during that busy time. Even though my kids are older now, I still follow this routine. It works! When you start and finish with good, regular routines, you are more likely to have a great day from start to finish! A good evening routine will help you wrap up all the day’s tasks, and help you prep for the next day, which gets you off to another great start to a great day!
1) Your evening routine starts when you get home and start dinner. For me, this is about 4 or 5:00.
2) Your dinnertime routine should be no more than 2 hours.
3) Here is an example of my dinnertime routine:
- 1 hour: Fix dinner
- 30 minutes: Eat dinner
- 30 minutes: Dishes, trash out, sweep floor, plan the next day’s dinner
4) After dinner, take 1 hour to finish up tasks for the day, such as laundry, checking kids’ homework, etc.
5) Then, take about 30 minutes to prep for the next day:
- Plan next day’s schedule
- Get clothes ready
- Get things together to take in the morning: lunches, backpacks, etc.
6) By 8:00, you should be done for the day and ready to relax with your family.
7) One hour before bedtime, have a get-ready-for-bed routine to help you wind down. Then read or relax before going to bed.
8) After planning your next day, you know when you need to wake up the next morning, so count backwards and try to be in bed in time to get a full 8 hours sleep.
This is an easy, simple evening routine to help you finish up your day and be ready for tomorrow. Please leave comments and let us know more great ideas to help our day run smoothly.
Have a great day!