7 Steps to an Effective Evening Routine

Imagine this scenario. You are overwhelmed by your life as a mom, your home is out of control, and you just don’t feel like you have enough time in your day to get everything done. You sit down to make a plan filled with routines and schedules that you just know will make your life run smoothly. You are certain this time it will work. You do really well with your wonderfully planned schedule for the first few days. However, life starts to get in the way and your well planned routine slowly starts to fad. You begin to become overwhelmed by life again. It’s a vicious cycle.

Have you been there?

I know I have! Creating a routine that works is hard. There are so many awesome and beautiful plans on Pinterest, but often times trying to make these work for you is the first ingredient towards failure. Why? Because everyone lives a very different life. We all have different homes, different families with different needs, and different financial situations. We live in different towns and have different commitments. Our lives are very, very different. So our schedules just can’t look the same. 

A well-planned day starts the night before. If we prepare for the next day the evening before, we are setting ourselves up for success. In order to make sure we are successful in the evening, an evening routine is essential. However, creating one that works for you can be challenging. If you are struggling, these 7 steps just might help you create an effective evening routine that works for you, your family, and your home!

1. Keep It Simple

I’m a perpetual over planner. I always think I can get more accomplished in a specific amount of time than I actually can. That’s why I often have to remind myself to keep things simple. 

When creating your evening routine, try to only plan to do what you actually have time for. If you can only designate 15-20 minutes each night, then fill that time wisely. Don’t overwhelm yourself with more things than you can actually accomplish.

2. Prioritize

When you start your evening routine, you should try to do the most important things first. Why would you do this? Because life happens. We get caught up in other things in the midst of our routines. We can’t always get to everything on our to-do lists. So it’s important to prioritize. 

What are your top 3 things that you need to get done every single night? What 3 things will make your life easier the next day? What 3 things will keep you from completely falling off track? For me, it’s dishes, laundry, and a quick tidy. If I get nothing else accomplished but these 3 things, I’m doing pretty well. These are my top 3 things that I try to do first. Find your top 3 and put them at the top of your list.

3. Be Consistent

Oh, how I struggle with consistency! It’s so hard to keep up with routines when life gets busy. But being consistent is the best way to stay on track. 

When I fall off the bandwagon for just one day, I really struggle to get back in the game. Not only do I become overwhelmed because I’m backed up from the night before, but I also really enjoy the break. It’s true. But I know in the back of my head that if I can just push through with my evening routine, my life and my home will be in much better shape the next day. 

Try to stay consistent. Even if you can’t accomplish everything on your evening routine, try to at least hit your top 3.

4. Prepare 

Have you ever looked around in the evenings to see your house is a complete disaster and you don’t even know where to begin? Boy, is that just about the straw that breaks the camels back. I don’t know about you, but once my kids are in bed I’m exhausted from the day. The last thing I want to do is follow through with my evening routine. Now, had I prepared throughout the day, I wouldn’t be in such a mess.

If you prepare throughout the day for your evenings, you will have a much calmer and quicker night. So you may be asking, how can I prepare throughout the day?

• Instead of letting all of the dishes pile up on the counter throughout the day, load them into the dishwasher as you go. This way you should only have a few dinner dishes to finish up. 
• Instead of waiting to fold and put away all of the laundry, try folding during nap time or when you have downtime so all you have to do is put it away at night.
• Instead of picking up all of your kids toys by yourself after they go to bed, make it a family event. Right before they go to bed, turn on some music and do a quick pick up. You could make a game of it and try to get everything done as quickly as possible!
• Sweep your floors after each meal or at least once throughout the day if you can so you don’t have such a mess to clean up at night.
• Throw away and file papers as they come into your home through the day so you don’t have a stack of paperwork starring at you when you just want to go to bed.

If you utilize the 1-5 minute segments of time you have throughout the day to get a few of these tasks done, you won’t have such a large amount of work to do in the evenings.

5. Be Realistic

Know your limits. We all have them. Don’t try to do 2 hours worth of work in 20 minutes. If you are in a particularly hectic or exhausting season of life (little babies or sports-driven teenagers for example), make sure to remember the first step and keep it simple.  

I know that my limit in the evenings is about 30 minutes. There are some nights that I can dedicated a little more time to my routines and on those nights I enjoy getting a step ahead, reading a good book, or spending time organizing a space in my home. However, on most nights I try to keep my evening routine to 30 minutes or less so that I can spend time doing other things…like sleeping! 🙂

6. Add Some Joy

Yes, there are the menial tasks that must get done each night. You probably need to wash the dinner dishes or put away laundry. Maybe there are toys on the floor that need to be put away or you need to pack your kids lunches. However, don’t forget to add in things that bring you joy.

This might be designating 15 minutes to read before bed. Or maybe you want to dedicated a good portion of your evening to just relaxing with your spouse. Yes, this can be part of an effective evening routine! It doesn’t all have to be about cleaning and tidying. An effective evening routine will recharge you and prepare you for the next day. Don’t forget to add in things that add some joy to your life as well.

7. Have a Back-up Plan

We’ve all been there. Maybe you were out way too late for commitments. Maybe your baby kept you awake the night before and all you want to do is go to bed early. Whatever the reasoning, you just don’t feel up to your evening routine. So you need a back-up plan.

For me, my backup plan is usually to get up early the next day or spend time during my son’s morning nap time playing catch up. No, this is not ideal. But it is reality. If you are a working mom, maybe you will need to play catch-up when you come home so you plan a super simple meal the next day for dinner. Somedays we just can’t get to our evening routines. And that’s okay. Give yourself grace and fall on your backup plan. 

It’s important to remember that our backup plan is just that. It shouldn’t be our norm. I far too often fall on my backup plan and it really makes my life much more hectic than it should be. It should only be used on the rare occasion.

While I love productive days, I know that mine start the night before. If I can set myself up for success by completing a simple yet effective evening routine, I am sure to accomplish more and be a happier mom the next day. So I will ask you…

Are you using your evenings well?

Or are you overwhelmed by all that you need to do? Do you constantly feel behind? Do you wish you could find some margin in your life to fill with things that actually bring you joy?

Yes, I feel your pain. I have those same feelings. But I am starting to find joy in the journey with much thanks to Crystal Paine’s course Make Over Your Evenings. This course is changing not only how my home functions, but the dynamics of my family. We are happier because mama is less stressed! 🙂

So what tips do you have for creating an effective evening routine? 

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