Over on my Facebook page, I’ve been talking all about our family’s routines. Recently, I shared how we keep up with a simple evening routine. This is the backbone of our morning routine. It helps us set ourselves up for a successful morning!
There are 5 tasks we try to complete each evening before going to bed:
1. Kitchen Clean-up
Whether you fix gourmet meals each night or grab take-out 5 nights a week, chances are your kitchen is in need of a little TLC by the end of the day. We try to load our dishes directly into the dishwasher throughout the day. However, after dinner there are usually several dishes that need to be washed by hand. The counters also need to be wiped down, miscellaneous items need to be returned to their home, and the dishwasher needs to be set to run overnight.
I spend about 10-15 minutes (depending on the meal I fixed) to clean up my kitchen after dinner each night. It’s so nice to go to bed with a clean kitchen ready to start the next day strong!
2. Fold Laundry
One of my morning tasks is to start a load of laundry. I try to switch it over to the dryer during the day and by the evening I usually have a load of laundry to fold and put away.
Some nights its clothes, other nights its towels, cleaning rags, or sheets. Sometimes I’ve got 2-3 loads to fold by the end of the night if I was really productive throughout the day! 🙂 Since folding laundry is such a mindless task, I like to watch a show while I do this.
3. Quick Pick-up
Just like we do a quick pick-up each morning, we also do this in the evening. Again, it only takes about 5 minutes if we all work together. We put away any toys, shoes, blankets, pillows, bags, or other items that were used throughout the day but not returned to their home.
We often turn some music on while we do this. Usually my boys help with this task! However, if we return home late from a baseball game or other outing I usually just throw their toys into the basket to the right of the blue chair. They are then responsible for emptying this basket about once each week or so.
4. Make a To-Do List
Each night I try to jot down a quick to-do list for the following day. This only takes me a few minutes and I will usually consult my calendar to see if I have any appointments or important things to remember. I also check my to-do list from the day before to see if anything wasn’t accomplished that needs to be added to the next day. I’m pretty simple and just keep it in the notes section of my phone.
Whether you write it down on a piece of paper, use a special app on your phone, or have a beautiful planner you use, making a daily to-do list can help keep you on track and motivated throughout the day.
5. RELAX!!
Routines are not always about work! Sometimes having routines in place gives you the ability to just sit back and enjoy some downtime.
I follow through with my morning and evening routines so that when I DO finally sit down at the end of a long day, I can fully relax. I don’t have to sit and think about all of the things I could be or should be doing. My home is generally fairly tidy, things are in their place, and my home is prepared for the next busy day ahead.
This doesn’t mean that my home is PERFECT. Far from it, I promise! It means that I’ve taken short and simple steps to create a home I LOVE!
Relaxing at the end of the day means spending time with my family, watching a movie with my husband, or reading a book in bed. I think we all need a little bit of downtime at the end of the day to rest and unwind. Make sure to give yourself that time every single day. Whether it’s 10 minutes or 2 hours. It all helps!
Creating a simple, yet intentional, evening routine will help your home run more smoothly and allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a long and busy day. Do yourself a favor right now and put one in place in your home! I promise you won’t regret it.