How to Create the Perfect Evening Routine
The perfect evening routine will not only set you up for better sleep, it will also set up the next day for you to be easier and calmer!
An evening routine is an important part of everyone’s day. It is the time of the day that you are winding down to go to sleep, preparing for the next day, and hopefully de-stressing and getting calmer.
Setting, and sticking to, an evening routine can have so many benefits. Not only can you get better sleep, you can also prepare ahead for the next day too.
Morning and evening routines are essential to everyone’s success. Any successful person will tell you that they have a set evening and morning routine. They don’t just do whatever and fall into bed at any time, or wake up at all different times with no set plan for the day.
Create the Perfect Evening Routine that Suits YOU
You may read about somebody’s evening routine and think great – he is successful and gets things done, I am going to do that too.
But an evening routine has to be geared to you and your own life and interests. You can’t take somebody else’s evening routine and expect it to be successful for you.
You may want to go to bed earlier for instance, but really you cannot fall asleep before 10pm. Your own body clock will be different to somebody else’s.
So whatever evening routine you decide on, make sure it is a reasonable one for you. Take into account if you are a night owl or an early bird, whatever job you have and more.
Decide what you Need in an Evening Routine
To create the best evening routine for you, decide what your particular evening routine needs to include:
- How much Sleep do you need? How much sleep do you need to get to feel rested the next day?
- What are the essential things that you need to do each night? Do you need to get lunches ready for the next day, wash the dishes, journal for 30 minutes? Decide what the essentials are for your evening routine.
- Set a cut off time. Your cut off time is going to be the time that you stop doing anything apart from preparing for bed. This is a cut off time for electronics, doing housework etc. If you want to be asleep by 10pm, you may need to have 9pm as your cut off time.
- What is the last thing you want to do before you fall asleep? Do you want to read more of that great novel you have been reading? Do you want to meditate? Decide what the last thing is that you want to do.
Put your Evening Needs into a Plan
Now you know what your evening needs to include, put together a planned routine for your evening.
Write down the time you want to go to bed, and then work back from there. For instance, I want to go to bed at 10:00pm. So working back from there I am going to set my evening schedule routine as follows:
7pm: Eat dinner
7:30pm: Wash dishes and tidy kitchen
7:45pm: Take the dog for a last walk of the day
8:15pm: Watch episode of tv show.
8:45pm: Prepare lunch for the next day
9pm: Have a bath. Stop time for technology.
9:30pm: Journal for 15 minutes
9:45pm: Start getting ready for bed
10pm: In bed. Read for 30 minutes
Ways to Create the Perfect Evening Routine
- Set a bedtime routine
- Cut off technology at a certain time
- Plan your next day
- Journal your day
- Tidy up
- Do something relaxing and calming
What is a Bedtime Routine?
A bedtime routine is a set of tasks that you do on a certain schedule every night. A bedtime routine is usually done 30 to 60 minutes before you actually go to bed.
A bedtime routine can be anything at all that you do before bed, but usually it will be calming activities to ease you into sleep.
For instance, you may enjoy a nice bath, meditating, reading, or journaling. You should not do anything that is likely to cause you stress or anxiety.
Try to set a regular bedtime, so that you always know the time you will be going to bed, and you can prepare for that certain time. Your sleep will also be better for this too.
Cut off Technology at a Certain Time
The blue light from the electronic screens that we all love to view has been proven to affect our moods and keeps our minds too engaged, which affects our sleep quality.
We all need technology in our lives, and sometimes with a busy life the evenings are the only time we actually get to catch up on social media, the news, and with others.
But setting a cut off time for looking at technology will greatly improve your sleep. If you use the time before falling asleep to scroll through your Instagram feed, try reading a book instead.
Plan your Next Day
Getting stuff ready and planned for the next day can really help to improve your mornings and make them calmer.
Lay out clothing that you will wear, set a coffee machine to brew the next morning, pack your bag, and make lunch for the next day are just some of the things you can do the night before to help your mornings.
Journal Your Day
So many people now swear by journaling at the end of their day. By writing down what happened in your day can give you important insights and ideas.
You can write about what worked in your day, what didn’t work, any worries or concerns that you have.
Writing things down can troubleshoot things and make things clearer and open for reflection.
Tidy Up
Yes tidying up doesn’t sound like a particularly sexy end to your day does it!
But if you have a set routine where you do some tidying, your house will stay cleaner, and it won’t be left to the next day.
If you wash your dishes and cooking equipment at night after you eat. Take out the trash, wipe down the dining table etc your home is going to look better and be more manageable, and you won’t have to worry about it hanging over to the next day.
Do Something Relaxing and Calming
Try to fit something that is relaxing and calming into your evening routine.
This can be exercise such as yoga or pilates (a heavy workout probably isn’t a good idea late at night).
You may want to read, take a bath, meditate, chill out watching a TV show (but cut off the tv and other technology at a certain point).
So set the evening routine that works for you, and you will start to see results – you will get more done, get better sleep, and feel more relaxed and less stressed!
The perfect evening routine will not only set you up for better sleep, it will also set up the next day for you to be easier and calmer!